As momentum builds toward an even bigger College Football Playoff format, Notre Dame should find itself at the center of the storm.Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (right) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesIn this story:For a sport long known for tradition, change, and fast-paced change is now the name of the game. From conference expansion to NIL becoming legal, to the way the portal is used, the sport has changed a ton in just a few short years. Next up on the agenda? Changes to the CFP format, and it seems a 24-team model may be the direction we are headed in. What would a 24 team model mean for Notre Dame's schedules?Notre Dame's schedule is always a hotly debated topic, and this change to the CFP system would certainly create an interesting new dynamic. There have been rumors of teams like Alabama and Texas possibly backing out of their upcoming series with the Irish based on the theory that SEC schedules are plenty tough, so why risk an out-of-conference loss to Notre Dame? Having already lost USC off the schedule for the foreseeable future, should SEC teams drop their games with the Irish, where does Notre Dame go to fill out the rest of the slate in a compelling way? There is no good answer to this question. In theory, a 24-team model provides a much bigger runway for teams to make the College Football Playoff without feeling like regular-season perfection or near-perfection is needed. This theory would lead to Power Four teams being more willing than they are now to play Notre Dame, which eliminates the Irish's biggest scheduling worry. I understand this philosophy, and it does make a lot of common sense, but I do wonder if the same teams that had concerns about facing Notre Dame will still have that concern. It won't be regarding making the 12-team field, but rather angling for a bye in the new expanded field each year, which means playing Notre Dame is still an unnecessary risk to take. Notre Dame wants a 24-team College Football Playoff. At ACC spring meetings, I asked athletic director Pete Bevacqua to explain why.“I think 24 is not the only solution, but I think it's the best solution.”https://t.co/Pdx0PawGjw— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) May 13, 2026Would a 24-team format help or hurt Notre Dame's goal of winning a title?Regarding if this new proposed format would help or hurt the Irish when it comes to winning a title, my answer is that it depends. In years where the Irish are a legit title contender and would make any-sized CFP field, I like the smaller bracket with fewer games, fewer moving parts, fewer random outcomes, and less injury risk. But in years where Notre Dame isn't a top-contending team, obviously, the expanded field is ideal. You must be in it to win it, and teams at the bottom of the field will just be happy to be included and will roll the dice hoping for some upsets and a magical run to the top. The bottom line is that with any change to the playoff format, there will be positives and negatives, many of which won't be known until they occur, and money drives these changes. More games equal more money, which makes me think we will see an expanded bracket in short order. As for Notre Dame, AD Pete Bevacqua must be nimble and do whatever he can to put the Irish in the best position to succeed in whatever format comes next.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished 1 minute agoJOHN KENNEDYFounder and content creator of the Always Irish LLC Notre Dame Football social media, podcast, and radio show brand since 2016 covering all things Irish football daily from the fan's perspective. Previously Notre Dame Football staff writer for USA TODAY Fighting Irish Wire before joining Notre Dame On SI. Known as the “voice of the Irish fan.”