The College Football Playoff’s Potential Expansion
The College Football Playoff (CFP) format seems on the verge of a significant change.
As reported by Yahoo!, college football coaches and Ross Dellenger from a major sports publication have expressed their support for a 24-team CFP format.
Last week, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) voted to advise college leaders to organize the playoffs with “maximum attendance,” eliminate the conference championship game, ensure a dedicated time for the Army-Navy game while allowing other matchups that day, and finish the playoffs by the second week of January, according to Dellenger.
The AFCA is expected to officially announce this endorsement soon.
While the AFCA itself cannot mandate changes to the playoff structure, many coaches within the organization wield significant influence over those in charge of competition and decision-making in the CFP and various power conferences.
The discussion regarding a shift to either a 16-team or 24-team format has been quite intense lately. A lot of disagreement seems to stem from issues like TV rights and the presence of conference championship games. Currently, ESPN has broadcasting rights for 12 CFP games, with ten being exclusive and two available through licensing. They also hold official rights for the SEC’s broadcasts, and the conference championship game is said to generate about $80 million, making it highly lucrative.
This financial factor has led both ESPN and the SEC to push for limiting the number of games in the CFP while safeguarding the conference championship. Conversely, there’s a push from other college football factions to expand beyond the existing 16 games and do away with conference championships, aiming to break the SEC and ESPN’s stronghold over the sport.
Support for the 24-team proposal has grown in recent weeks, with notable endorsements from the Big 12, ACC, and Notre Dame’s athletic director, Pete Bevacqua.
How Would a 24-Team Playoff Function?
The leading idea for a 24-team playoff would feature an all-at-large field based on CFP rankings, plus an automatic spot for a team from the Group of Six leagues. This setup introduces an extra playoff round and adds another 12 games. The top eight teams would receive a first-round bye, while teams ranked 9th through 24th would play the first round at campus venues.
In this scenario, the conference championship game would be scrapped, with the playoffs likely commencing right after the regular season. Such a change could shift the timing of the national title game, currently scheduled for the third week of January, back to the second Monday of the month.
Yet, there are challenges to this expansion.
Firstly, financial viability is crucial. If expanding doesn’t translate to profit, then moving forward wouldn’t make sense, regardless of the motivation to diminish the SEC or ESPN’s dominance.
Secondly, there’s the scheduling of the Army-Navy game. Traditionally, this game occurs in a specialized time slot on the second Saturday in December before the NFL starts its Saturday games. A prompt start to the playoffs might mean that this classic rivalry overlaps with the early rounds of the 24-team setup.
Additionally, issues stemming from President Trump’s executive order concerning four-hour game times could disrupt the playoff schedule.
If Army and Navy were to face off during the CFP, it could potentially prevent either team from qualifying for the 24-team bracket.
There are proposed strategies to tackle these complications, but nothing has been cemented yet. With a growing wave of support for the 24-team expansion, it’s likely that more attention will soon be directed toward resolving these hurdles.
