It has just been announced that the College Football Playoff’s Board of Managers has decided to expand the College Football Playoffs to a twelve-team format, compared to the four-team format that has been in place since 2014. While this rule change isn’t scheduled to take effect until 2026, we could potentially see this new format as early as 2024 according to ESPN. The playoff field will include the six highest-ranked conference champions, as well as six other at-large bids.
I’m all for a larger playing field. College Football desperately needs parity, especially with many of the largest NIL deals coming from blue-blood schools like Ohio State and Alabama. While I think this change will ultimately be beneficial for the sport, I’m still pretty skeptical. When’s the last time we had a close and exciting College Football Playoff? Every game seems to be a lopsided blowout. There have only been five individual teams to win the College Football Playoffs in the near decade since its inception. It’s too predictable. Hopefully, this change will arouse some amazing underdog stories, but don’t hold your breath.
*Information for this article was obtained from ESPN*
