Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman backs 24-team playoff

The College Football Playoff announced on Nov. 9 that it will expand from 12 teams to 24 for the 2027 season, and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman welcomed the change. Freeman said the larger field could give the Irish more chances to qualify, including if they suffer a defeat.

• The reported 24-team format starts in 2027 and the agreement with ESPN runs through the 2031–32 season.
• The structure removes conference championship games; teams without one of eight first-round byes could play as many as five games.
• Notre Dame finished 10–2 in 2025 after winning 10 straight, but missed the playoff, CBS Sports reported.

Freeman endorsed the expansion before Notre Dame’s home game against Boston College. “The better opportunity you have — we have — to make the playoffs, it’s great,” he said. He added that the wider field could help if the team loses a game. At the same time, Freeman said he did not want the playoff to grow to “60-some teams.”

Notre Dame’s recent playoff history

CBS Sports reported that Notre Dame finished the 2025 regular season 10–2 after a 10-game winning streak, but was left out of the playoff. Miami was selected while Notre Dame was ranked No. 11; the teams did not play during conference championship weekend. Notre Dame had reached the CFP final the previous season after making the field at 11–1, the Tribune reported.

The exclusion helps explain Freeman’s support for a larger field. The Tribune report said Notre Dame missed the 2025 playoff despite its late-season run. A 24-team bracket would have given the team a first-round game in the report’s hypothetical reconstruction, though the actual format is not scheduled to begin until 2027.

What it means for Notre Dame

For the current season, CBS Sports reported that Notre Dame’s selection protocol guarantees the Irish a place in the existing 12-team field if they are ranked in the top 12 on Selection Sunday. The outlet said that rule would have qualified the previous season’s No. 11 Notre Dame. It is separate from the 24-team format scheduled to start in 2027.

CBS Sports described Notre Dame as 8–1 after its 31–24 win over No. 1 Miami, with the playoff committee’s first ranking placing the Irish at No. 11. Three regular-season games remained, starting with a scheduled home game against Boston College the following Saturday. Freeman said the Miami win did not determine what would happen in the next game and that the team needed to keep working.