The 24-Team CFP is Good and (Mostly) Bad for Pitt

To the dismay of many college football fans, the College Football Playoff has expanded from 12 to 24 teams, starting next season.

This move eliminates conference championship games for the Power Four conferences and gives 19 at-large bids, four bids reserved for conference champions (likely just the top team in each conference), and one spot for the group-of-six champion. The Pitt Panthers did not make the 12-team playoff in the three years it's existed so far.

BREAKING: The 24-team College Football Playoff will eliminate P4 conference championships starting in 2027, @PeteNakos reports❌https://t.co/SG0MMOuZJE https://t.co/QsmIw2u3wR pic.twitter.com/qGGC7qbR6C
— On3 (@On3) November 9, 2026

The Good

A 24-team CFB gives Pitt a slightly better chance of winning its first national championship since 1976. Pitt hasn't finished the season ranked since they were No. 17 in 2022, but they have been ranked in the top 25 as recently as this season.

The Panthers barely got close at all to reaching the 12-team playoff, so more spots give Pitt a better chance of making it without needing to be a top team. A playoff game will also make for a more interesting postseason than a regular bowl game.

This also gives Pitt an obtainable goal every season. Pitt has held onto head coach Pat Narduzzi for over a decade; Narduzzi has his supporters and detractors, but these new playoff rules give a reasonable benchmark to judge him by. A program like Pitt really has no excuse to miss such an expanded playoff.

Pitt WR Bryce Yates — Dec 27, 2025; Annapolis, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bryce Yates (80) makes a move on East Carolina Pirates defensive back Jordy Lowery (15) during the second half of the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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The Bad

Pitt having a better shot at making the playoff is great, but it's the teams they would have to play that crush their chances.

Pitt has routinely been dominated by the top schools in recent years. Just this season, No. 1 Miami dropped 52 points to the Panthers, and it's not like Pitt was much better last season against Miami or Notre Dame.

The highest-ranked team Pitt beat in the last three years was No. 16 Georgia Tech, an impressive road win, but the Yellow Jackets aren't a perennial contender. To actually win a title, Pitt would inevitably have to go through the likes of a Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, etc.

A much more attainable feat was the ACC Championship, which is now being eliminated. The 2021 ACC Championship is the most decorated win in recent Pitt history; it was the sweet spot between a regular bowl game win and needing to be the best team in the country to win a national championship.

The truth is, Pitt would need a lot more funding from donors to be good enough to win a championship in football; it's just not a program that has brought in huge donors like some others. While the end to a successful season for a team like Pitt used to be holding up some type of trophy, now it will just be winning one or two playoff games before getting run off the field by better competition.

Pitt Panthers — Dec 4, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Erick Hallett (31) holds up the MVP trophy as quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) looks on after winning the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Head coach Pat Narduzzi has said he isn't a fan of elimating conference championship games, but doesn't mind 24 teams getting in.

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