Football <\/p>\n
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) board has voted in favor of multiple major changes to the sport, the organization announced Tuesday<\/a>. They include the idea of a potential 24-team College Football Playoff and the elimination of conference championship games.<\/p>\n Last week, the AFCA Board recommended a College Football Playoff that included \u201cthe maximum number of participants,\u201d as Yahoo! Sports\u2019<\/em> Ross Dellenger first reported<\/a>. The recommendation also included a discontinuation of conference title games and preservation of the Army<\/a><\/strong>\u2013Navy<\/a><\/strong> Game\u2019s exclusive window, with \u201cflexibility\u201d for other games to happen on that day.<\/p>\n In addition, the board recommended the College Football Playoff end by the second week of January. Last season\u2019s national championship game took place Jan. 19, 2026, and next year\u2019s is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027. The AFCA also proposed reducing the minimum number of days between games to no fewer than six.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has identified the length of the college football season as a critical issue that needs to be addressed,\u201d the AFCA said in a statement. \u201cAs we modernize our game to better serve student-athletes, we have fallen short in structuring a season that concludes in a timely and sustainable way.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2026-27 season will be the third installment of the 12-team College Football Playoff after its debut in 2024-25. Last year saw the format move to a straight-seeding model rather than its initial form, which gave byes to the four highest-ranked conference champions. This season will also see more changes<\/a><\/strong>, including automatic bids for each of the Power Four leagues \u2013 the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC \u2013 and Notre Dame<\/a><\/strong> if the Irish are in the Top 12 of the final rankings.<\/p>\nGet the On3 Top 10 Newsletter in your inbox every morning<\/h3>\n