The College Football Playoff (CFP) and ESPN have reached a preliminary “handshake agreement” to televise a new 24-team playoff format starting next season. This expanded playoff will eliminate the Power 4 conference championship games and move the start of the regular season up by one week.

Although ESPN has not disclosed the full details, and the agreement still requires finalization and approval by all parties involved, this move is anticipated to reshape the road to the national championship.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the network will pay an additional $345 million per year over the next five years to secure the rights to the expanded playoff system. Under the proposed 24-team format, the playoff field would be comprised of 19 at-large teams, the four Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league, and the highest-ranked champion from the Group of 6 conferences.

If the CFP implements a 24-team playoff, the college football calendar would undergo a substantial overhaul. The regular season would likely start a week earlier, beginning with "Week 0," and wrap up around Thanksgiving weekend. Even with these changes, the national championship game is still expected to be held in January.

Currently, the College Football Playoff features a 12-team format, which was introduced to provide more teams with a chance to compete for the national title beyond the previous four-team system.

The current participants include the champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference (SEC), along with the highest-ranked champion from one of the following conferences: American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Pac-12 Conference or Sun Belt Conference. The remaining spots are filled by the next seven highest-ranked teams, as determined by the CFP selection committee, regardless of conference affiliation.