Dellenger: ESPN and CFP are ‘close’ to 24-team playoff deal, contrary to other reports

Published by Awful Announcing on October 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET

On Friday, College Football Playoff leadership, which comprises the 10 FBS conference commissioners plus Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua, sent a formal proposal on a 24-team playoff to ESPN for review. ESPN now has five business days to respond to the proposal, and if no deal is reached, the CFP can bring rights to the…

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