Wow. Major changes could reshape college football, and they could change everything for Jeff Brohm and Louisville football.
3 burning questions that could make or break Louisville’s season
The College Football Playoff is one of the most thrilling playoffs in all of sports. Right now, it's a 12-team format, with automatic bids for the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC champions. There is also another automatic bid for the highest-ranked team from the Group of 5. Outside those five teams, it is the highest-ranked seven teams.
Since Brohm arrived at UofL, he quickly elevated Louisville into an ACC contender, but has yet to take them to that next step and be a playoff team. Well, that could (and should) change, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported earlier today, the College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams.
Sources: The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, per sources. The new format will start in 2027 and is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals. pic.twitter.com/tRdVAiqKax
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 15, 2026
Louisville’s path to the College Football Playoff could be getting much easier
Many fans might strongly disagree with the expansion, but it should elevate Brohm and this Cardinals program. Louisville consistently competes in the ACC and has emerged as one of the conference's top teams every year under Brohm, but they just can’t finish a season.
Brohm consistently loses games to teams he shouldn’t, like Stanford, Cal, and NC State, but a playoff expansion would give him a buffer and wouldn’t eliminate Louisville from the playoffs. This would give him a margin for error while still letting him compete for a playoff spot.
Under the 12-team format, Louisville constantly has an uphill battle to make the playoffs, especially if they don't win the ACC Title. However, if the CFP officially expands to a 24-team playoff, Louisville would be one of the teams that benefit most. The expansion would take Louisville and Brohm from a conference contender to a team that consistently battles for a playoff spot, since UofL is consistently ranked.
This Louisville program has proven it can compete with the sport's top brands by defeating Notre Dame in 2023, Clemson in 2024, Miami in 2025, and SMU this year, and by taking Ole Miss to the final seconds. Now, if the playoffs expand and Brohm can keep winning 9-10 games in the regular season, Louisville has a good chance to make the playoffs and potentially be a dark horse to upset some teams and go on a run.
If this update happens, it eliminates any excuses for Brohm, and Louisville should go from an ACC contender to a CFP contender, and it should be more than that. They should do it nearly every year, and Louisville fans would expect the Cardinals to become a consistent CFP team. This is a major update for college football, but Louisville and Jeff Brohm should be all in on this expansion.
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