Well, here we go again, folks. The College Football Playoff has barely outgrown its training pants — two whole seasons in the 12-team world — and already the wise men of the game are itching to blow it up to 24 teams.
As usual, the SEC is playing deity again, perched up there on its throne of tradition and talent, looking down its nose at the rabble. Greg Sankey and his crew are warning that more is less, that bigger brackets might just dilute the November drama.
But let’s be honest, in this NIL and transfer portal circus, access isn’t just nice — it’s necessary.
The BYU Cougars have been knocking on the door like encyclopedia salesmen. They’ve gone 12-2 and 11-1 the past two seasons, piling up a 23-3 record, ranked inside the top 10, yet left watching the playoff party through the window. Notre Dame’s been in similar straits, metrics be darned.
Some sleuths at Nextroundlive ran the numbers and figured if this 24-team shindig had been around since 2014, BYU would’ve crashed the gate four times instead of zero. Utah might’ve made eight appearances, Houston and Arizona three each, TCU four instead of their lonely one.
Heck, they’d have rolled out 80 different teams over a dozen years.
Sounds less like an exclusive country club and more like actual football. The Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC are all aboard this expansion train. Big Ten coaches voted 18-0 in favor.
The American Football Coaches Association wants the “maximum number” of teams, figuring a 9-3 squad that gets hot in November deserves a shot.
ACC coaches and ADs were unanimous back in May — more berths mean more reward for programs that actually invest in the race.
And what about the money? Early rounds on campus? That’s ticket sales, Cougar Tails and electric game nights for the fans. Fox and the TV boys are salivating.
As Joel Klatt might say, it helps the “middle class” of programs stay afloat in the pool where the rich get richer and the rest wonder if it’s worth the charter flights.
Even some in the SEC ivory tower, like Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, have whispered about ditching or downplaying conference title games to save the players some wear and tear.
But then, here come the skeptics. Sankey talks of a “tipping point” where November turns into just another month on the calendar, with late-season games about as meaningful as a preseason scrimmage.
They think if you flood the field with 8-4 and 9-3 teams, you get major mismatches — blowouts instead of battles.
ESPN has been poo-pooing the expansion idea, thinking it would blow up a pretty good thing. They’re saying bigger isn’t always better.
They suggest poor effects on the players — more rounds, travel and time away from the books. Conference championships might get devalued. Bowls could wither even more. Fans might tire of so many games like a kid after too much Halloween candy.
The 12-team setup is relatively new and mostly delivering the goods. Rushing to 24 — 23 at-larges plus a Group of Six bone, campus games, longer tournament — feels like fixing a leak by flooding the basement.
It’s the have-nots and coaches chasing access and cash versus the SEC guarding quality like a dragon on its hoard. In the end, the magic of college football has always been those crisp autumn Saturdays when one loss could bury you and one upset could make a legend.
Expansion has some great pros — fairness, finances, broader joy. But if you chase the dollars too hard, you risk turning this mess into just another pro league with better tailgates.
Administrators, choose wisely. Don’t let the soul of the game end up like so many old mascots — stuffed, mounted and forgotten in the rush for more.
After all, in football as in life, sometimes less really is more.
But in this greedy age?
Well, pass the helmet. We’re probably going big anyway.