Expanded CFP brings tougher schedule rules: Who's non-compliant in 2026, needs changes for 2027?
By Google News Sports ·
After months of chatter, the College Football Playoff officially announced on Monday its move to 24 teams beginning in 2027, along with all the changes that would accompany it.
Playoff expansion will not only mean more teams in the field and the end of conference championship games, but also have a massive impact on the schedule going forward. Each team now has two bye weeks each season, but will need to make the most of that extra week off because teams in the Power Four will now have to play 10 Power Four opponents (or Notre Dame) on their schedules.
With each of those conferences expanding to nine-game conference schedules, teams must find one Power Four non-conference opponent to add to their schedules to qualify for College Football Playoff consideration.
The majority of teams already hit that mark, but it will force a handful of programs to scramble over the coming months to adjust their 2027 schedules (and beyond) to meet that new requirement.
A handful of teams are currently saved by a unique carve out for Oregon State and Washington State under the new rules. For 2027, Oregon State and Washington State still count as P4 teams after the old Pac-12 abandoned them, the CFP confirmed to CBS Sports' Richard Johnson.
Ole Miss plays the Beavers, and Washington, Arizona and Kansas all get the Cougars in 2027. The Notre Dame inclusion (along with various in-state rivalries with SEC foes) means the entire ACC is compliant thanks to their scheduling alliance with the Irish, but a handful of Big Ten and Big 12 teams have some work to do.
The Hoosiers again have a light non-conference slate scheduled for 2027, but will have to drop one of their currently scheduled games to meet the new requirement. Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State or Indiana State will have to make way for a newly scheduled game -- and the other teams on this list might present the opponent the Hoosiers suddenly need.
The Ducks are hoping for a bounce-back season in 2027, but they will need to make a schedule change before things kick off next season. Oregon's non-conference slate for 2027 is Eastern Washington, Coastal Carolina and Western Kentucky, but one of those will have to get changed for Dan Lanning's squad to be eligible for the playoff.
USC currently has only two non-conference games locked in with UNLV and Nevada, and that open date on the schedule will need to be filled by a P4 opponent. The pause in the Notre Dame series has left USC without that guaranteed additional opponent on the schedule, and Lincoln Riley and the Trojans will have to find someone to fill the void.
Like USC, the Red Raiders have yet to fill out their 2027 schedule with a 12th game and will need to find a P4 opponent for that spot. Joey McGuire's team currently has Arkansas-Pine Bluff and New Mexico on their schedule to start the season, and perhaps we'll see the Red Raiders and one of the Big Ten teams currently seeking a P4 opponent match up early next year.
The Tigers will hope the 24-team playoff can be their ticket into the dance, but for Eli Drinkwitz's bunch to do so, they'll have to get their 2027 schedule compliant. Currently, the Tigers are scheduled to play Illinois State, San Diego State and FAU in their non-conference schedule and will need to find a new P4 opponent for one of those three games.
Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa aren't going to cut it for Matt Rhule's bunch, and the Huskers will also have to find a new opponent to get compliant for…
Originally published by Google News Sports
