College football has always been different from other sports. Every Saturday in the fall carries weight because every game counts. A proposed 24-team College Football Playoff threatens that, and fans are saying so loudly.
The regular season is the heart of the sport
The magic of college football is that a single loss can change a season. Rivalry games, conference showdowns and late-season trips carry real stakes because there is so much on the line. When two dozen teams qualify for a postseason bracket, those stakes shrink. A game that once decided a season could become little more than a seeding exercise, and the urgency that brings fans to stadiums and keeps them glued to their televisions begins to fade.
Fans are not asking for this
The numbers are not close. The Athletic survey found 70% of fans oppose a 24-team playoff, while 30% support it, according to Deseret News. An April On3 social poll found 79% of respondents prefer 12 or 16 teams, and only 9% want 24, as noted by Awful Announcing. That poll was non-scientific, so it should be read as a signal rather than a precise measurement, but the direction matches the survey: fans are not clamoring for a bigger bracket.
Despite this, Tony Petitti has dismissed the polls and the fan backlash. In his words: “I’m really confident that we’ll fill our stadiums and we’ll have really large audiences for these games.” Filling stadiums and drawing audiences is not the same as listening to the people who make up those crowds.
More games, more blowouts
Supporters of expansion say a larger field means more excitement. The recent evidence points the other way. According to Newsweek, over half of last year’s playoff games had double-digit blowouts. If the existing format already produces so many lopsided results, adding more teams to the bracket is unlikely to make the games more competitive. It is likelier to add more mismatches.
Workload, safety and the money
A larger playoff also means more games added to a long season for the athletes who play them. Every extra game asks more of players’ bodies and schedules, and that deserves serious consideration before any decision is made. Meanwhile, more playoff games means more television inventory, and it is fair for fans to ask whether the push for 24 teams is about what is best for the game or about the money.
The clock is ticking
A Dec. 1 deadline has been reported for format changes for the 2027-28 season. That leaves little time for fans to be heard.
What you can do
Fans built this sport, and fans can still shape its future. Read the full case against a 24-team playoff, then take action: share the site, contact your school, your conference and the College Football Playoff, and use the hashtag #SaveCollegeFootball. Let’s keep the regular season sacred.