A 24-team College Football Playoff would change what makes the sport special. Here is the case against it.
The case against a 24-team playoff
- It devalues the regular season and rivalry games. When a huge share of the field gets in, a loss in a big game stops mattering, and the weekly drama that defines college football fades.
- More blowouts. Over half of last year’s playoff games had double-digit blowouts, according to Newsweek. Adding more teams means more lopsided games, not more competitive ones.
- Player workload and safety. A bigger bracket means more games stacked onto an already long season for college athletes.
- The TV money motive. More playoff games means more inventory to sell. Expansion looks driven by television revenue rather than by what is best for the game and its fans.
- Fan polls are being ignored. Fans have said clearly what they want, and leaders have dismissed it (see below).
What fans are saying
- The Athletic survey found 70% of fans oppose a 24-team playoff (30% support), per Deseret News.
- An April On3 social poll (non-scientific) found 79% prefer 12 or 16 teams and 9% want 24, per Awful Announcing.
- Over half of last year’s playoff games had double-digit blowouts, per Newsweek.
The response from the top
“I’m really confident that we’ll fill our stadiums and we’ll have really large audiences for these games.”
Tony Petitti, as reported by Awful Announcing
The clock is ticking
A Dec. 1 deadline has been reported for format changes for the 2027-28 season, so now is the time for fans to speak up. Here is how you can take action.