Gophers see opportunity in expanded College Football Playoff, but hurdles remain

The official announcement was roughly an hour away, but the rumblings in the college football world proved true Monday. The College Football Playoff will expand from 12 to 24 teams in 2027 after the CFP’s management committee approved a five-year, $1.7 billion agreement with ESPN. P.J. Fleck sat in his office with a smile on his face when asked about the impending news. The Gophers football coach embraces the expanded format and the increased opportunity for his team to make the playoff field in the future. “I think it’s great for Minnesota, I really do, and that’s the one program that I care about,” Fleck said. “I care about the future of college football. I care about college football, but I care about Gopher football the most. And it’s very, very healthy that as you get to November, all these games are mattering for a College Football Playoff run.” The Gophers are 5-4 with three games remaining in the regular season , and they won’t be part of the 12-team playoff field this year. Advertisement Had they flipped the results of their last two games — a 23-16 overtime loss at No. 4 Indiana and a 34-20 home loss to No. 5 UCLA — they could have been in the conversation for a berth in a 12-team tournament and would be on track to make a 24-team field. Instead, they lost to the Hoosiers after taking a 16-13 lead on Luke Drzewiecki’s 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Then, they were tied 17-17 early in the fourth quarter against the Bruins before allowing back-to-back 75-yard touchdown passes. “You win those two games, and you’re sitting at 11 or 12 right now [in the CFP rankings], and we’re in it,” Fleck said. “Expand it to 24, and we have a really good chance to do it.” But the Gophers’ three Big Ten wins — 27-24 over Washington, 20-14 over Michigan and 13-10 over Iowa — also came by razor-thin margins.