CFP Imposes 10-P4 Rule for 2027, Forcing 7 Teams to Rework Schedules
Updated
Updated · CBS Sports · Nov 9
CFP Imposes 10-P4 Rule for 2027, Forcing 7 Teams to Rework Schedules
3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Nov 9
Summary
Seven Power Four programs — Indiana, Oregon, USC, Texas Tech, Missouri, Nebraska and TCU — must change their 2027 schedules to stay eligible for the new 24-team College Football Playoff.
The requirement comes with the CFP's 2027 overhaul: conference title games end, teams get two bye weeks, and Power Four schools must face 10 Power Four opponents or Notre Dame.
USC and Texas Tech still have open 12th-game slots but now must fill them with P4 opponents, while Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, Nebraska and TCU need to replace at least one lower-tier nonconference game.
Oregon State and Washington State get a 2027 carveout that lets them count as P4 opponents, keeping schools such as Ole Miss, Washington, Arizona and Kansas compliant under the new rule.
Only Indiana and USC would have failed the 10-opponent test among this season's Top 25, underscoring how the expansion tightens scheduling standards beyond simply enlarging the field.