On Saturday morning, ahead of a busy college football schedule featuring notable Top-10 clashes like Ohio State against Indiana and Notre Dame facing BYU, various media figures shared their thoughts on the proposed expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 teams to 24. Notably, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and ex-Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow were among the prominent voices.
During a segment on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” broadcast from BYU’s campus, Saban made his position clear. He stated, “People want to see the best teams in the Playoffs. There’s not 24 teams in the country that deserve to be in the playoffs. I don’t think there’s 24 teams in the country that can win the championship.” He further remarked that “Bowl games are gonna be a thing of the past.”
In my view, it’s tough not to think that bowl games were already struggling after the NCAA rolled out the 12-team playoff and introduced NIL deals. They quickly lost their appeal, and honestly, who would want to risk injury for participating in some lesser-known bowl that offers little reward? Many players seem to see it this way nowadays.
Saban also pointed out that the change comes with sacrifices, noting the absence of the SEC Championship Game due to this shift. While he recognized that there could be benefits to the expanded playoff format, he seemed to lean more toward the view that the negatives outweigh the positives.
On the SEC Network, Tebow expressed similar concerns. He noted that the focus of the game has shifted. “We changed the goal posts. Before, it was about how consistent can you be throughout the season? Now it seems to be about just getting in and hitting your stride at the right time,” he said.
Tebow also expressed his discomfort with how the new system may lessen the significance of the regular season, which he believes is crucial to college football’s identity. “One of the biggest reasons why I don’t like it is because it dilutes something that was so special and differentiates us from all these other sports,” he remarked.
Despite acknowledging that there might be positive aspects to the expansion, Tebow highlighted concerns that college football is beginning to resemble the NFL too much. The plan to extend the playoff to 24 teams appears to be close to finalization, allowing teams ranked 1 through 8 to receive a first-round bye, followed by hosting a home game. Many agree that providing home games for the top seeds is a favorable addition.
Nonetheless, figures like Josh Pate voiced significant criticism, stating that “the public overwhelmingly hates this” and labeling it an “embarrassment for the sport.” This raises some important questions about whether this expansion is primarily driven by profit rather than enhancing the game. The debate around the future of college football continues this weekend and beyond.
