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Alabama football faces changes with College Football Playoff expansion to 24 teams

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Nov 9, 2026, 4:31 PM

Last updated Nov 9, 2026

Alabama football faces changes with College Football Playoff expansion to 24 teams

Summary

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams starting in 2027, as agreed upon by the CFP and ESPN in a deal worth nearly $1.7 billion. The new format allows for 19 at-large bids, eliminates conference championship games, and features first-round byes for the top eight seeds. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer sees the expansion as beneficial, allowing for more non-conference games and providing a greater margin for failure. Historical performance indicates that Alabama would have qualified for the expanded playoff in most recent seasons, including hosting first-round games in 2024 and 2025 under the new rules.

Source Links

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By the Numbers

•CFP expands to 24 teams in 2027 with 19 at-large bids.
•Conference championship games will be eliminated.
•Top eight seeds earn a first-round bye.
•Alabama's recent seasons indicate strong playoff potential.
•Kalen DeBoer emphasizes scheduling bigger non-conference games.

Latest Updates

4:31 PMYahoo Sports — How is Alabama football affected by College Football Playoff expansion to 24 teams?

What they're saying

"
The new era of the College Football Playoff is about to begin in 2027. Here's how the new rules could affect Alabama, and how past Tide teams would have looked in a bigger playoff.
— Yahoo Sports

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