College football great Brian Bosworth supports the sport’s planned expansion to a 24-team playoff, saying it could give more programs a chance to compete on a national stage.
The new format is set to begin in the 2027–28 season and remain in place for five years. Some fans worry that a larger bracket will make regular-season games feel less important. Bosworth sees another side to it: more teams and their supporters will have something to chase late in the season.
“There are so many college programs that deserve the opportunity to show who they are,” Bosworth said in a recent interview. He added that the expanded field could offer hope to teams that might otherwise spend the season thinking, “Maybe next year.”
Bosworth said there may be 10 or 12 teams that look like serious title contenders, but others could surprise people if they get the opportunity. A longer season, he suggested, could make room for the kind of hungry underdog that is easy to overlook.
He also addressed the rising sums being paid to some college players. Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is reportedly set to return next season on a deal worth $7.5 million, with incentives that could bring it to $9 million. Bosworth called contracts of that scale difficult to understand and argued for limits that would give schools comparable resources to manage their rosters.
Even an exceptional quarterback can struggle without support, Bosworth said. Offensive schemes, play-calling, injuries along the offensive line and a weak defense can all affect a team’s chances. Winning at the highest level, he said, takes a strong team around the quarterback.
Bosworth has plenty of experience with winning. He helped Oklahoma claim the 1985 national championship and three Big Eight titles, and received the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 1985 and 1986. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Beyond football, Bosworth has appeared as “Sheriff Boz” in Dr Pepper commercials. The company has opened a Dr Pepper Water Tower Park in Norman, Oklahoma, as part of its Fansville campaign. Bosworth said the project was a fitting way to celebrate college football and its fans.
