Sad Day: The College Football Playoff Is 'Nearing a Deal' To Expand to 24 Teams Starting in 2027
What a sad day for college football. Nobody wants this, yet we will once again dramatically expand the College Football Playoff again next season. Bowl games will likely cease to exist in short order and this year will be the last conference championship games you ever see, but at least we'll get to see 8-4 Iowa in a "Playoff" game.
This really sucks, man. I know it feels like we've been in this era of the sport for a while now, but it bears reminding that this is only the third season of the 12-team Playoff. In any reasonable venture, this would still be considered the experimental phase. But we are going to go ahead and double this thing up so everyone can say they're in the Playoff hunt and we will have "more meaningful games."
When I hear that argument, it makes my blood boil. Sure, if you want to claim that 7-3 Minnesota vs. 7-3 Northwestern is now more meaningful and everyone should be happy about that, be my guest. But the people making that argument never seem to account for the fact that "meaning" is a finite resource. It can't be created out of thin air.
What you are gaining in those matchups is coming at the expense of rendering what would otherwise be the best games of the season utterly meaningless. Either Tennessee or Alabama will pick up a second loss this weekend in a huge game that will have the loser on the brink of Playoff elimination. Next year? Who cares, go get 'em next week. Texas, who has played like hot garbage for all but one quarter this season would practically already be in with its win over Ohio State. Just get through the regular season healthy and if you lose two or three more times, shake it off before the real games start!
And that's not to even mention games like Georgia-Alabama or Ohio State-Indiana. Those are now glorified scrimmages.
The urgency of the regular season is what made college football special. I do not watch college football because I am waiting to see who will play each other in sterilized NFL stadiums in January; I watch college football because fall Saturdays on campuses across the country are the most incomparable environments we have in American sports. Does any sane person believe a November Saturday morning in Athens or Columbus will feel the same if those teams are playing an entire month knowing they're just gearing up for a six-week-long Playoff?
I'm genuinely sad today. This is bad for college football and unfortunately what is good for fans is directly at odds with what is good for television executives and league offices. I hope Pittsburgh-Mississippi State is worth it.