The College Football Playoff could expand from 12 teams to 24 after just three seasons with its current format, and the proposal has already drawn plenty of criticism from fans.
The timing is raising questions, particularly as ESPN and the playoff organizers work to finalize a new television-rights agreement. Supporters say a larger field would give more programs a shot at a national title and help conferences justify the money they spend trying to compete. But many fans doubt the change is worth the disruption.
One concern is that college football simply doesn’t have 24 teams with a realistic chance of winning a championship, especially when top programs may spend more than $45 million assembling a roster. The debate, in part, comes down to whether a bigger playoff can justify that investment when schools have no guarantee of success.
Nick Saban questions the need for a 24-team playoff
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban told the Kelce brothers on the “New Heights” podcast that he sees little reason to expand the field that far. He argued that the playoff would include teams with limited championship prospects, while the sport would lose something meaningful in the process.
Saban pointed to the SEC Championship Game as an example. Playing for a conference title mattered to players and fans, he said, and carried a sense of tradition and pride that a national playoff berth can’t entirely replace. Even though only two teams can reach the national championship game, more teams have the chance to win a conference title.
Conference championship games are expected to disappear as part of the coming changes. Some have mattered less to playoff rankings in certain years, but the tradition of those early-December matchups will still be gone. Saban also recalled the excitement of seeing highly ranked teams such as Florida and Georgia meet late in the season.
More playoff games could mean a longer season for players
Saban’s broader concern is how many games players could be asked to play if their teams make a deep playoff run. He said the 12-team format could have worked if the selection process had been handled properly, and suggested a 16-team field as a possible compromise. A 24-team tournament, in his view, is too much.
He noted that his Alabama teams played 15 games three times, which he already considered a heavy load for college athletes. Under an expanded playoff, teams could play even more.
There’s another awkward wrinkle: teams that play in a conference championship could then go nearly a month without another game. Saban’s criticism may not settle the debate, but the strain of a longer season is a point many fans are likely to take seriously.
