Here’s why the coaches association’s 24-team College Football Playoff could ruin the sport

When college football first switched to a playoff format, there were only four teams. This limited space has created endless debates regarding the criteria and selection process of the selected teams.

Almost immediately, discussions began to expand the field to include more teams, and the theory is that most of those discussions ended, making the tournament more exciting and, of course, increasing television revenue. The field consisting of 12 teams largely achieved these goals.

There are on-campus playoff games, creating an engaging, exciting atmosphere with high-stakes, winner-take-all matchups, often in front of home fans. There are weeks of games to watch and follow, sometimes pitting conference rivals against each other or allowing for direct comparisons of the top teams in different conferences.

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Despite all its positive aspects, the arguments about the election process have not changed. The 2025 field is a near-perfect example. The Alabama Crimson Tide was eliminated in the SEC Championship Game, but still made the playoffs with three losses ahead of a two-loss Notre Dame team that had won 10 consecutive games. Two Group of Five teams took the field before being promptly demolished by Power Five teams in Oregon and Ole Miss.

This inevitably led to further debate about expansions and competing theories about how best to do the expansion. The Big Ten and SEC failed to agree on their preferred solution in the offseason, but the American Football Coaches Association has now come out in favor of a 24-team field, among other changes. And this is arguably the worst possible answer.

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Although their recommendations are not binding and do not carry any particular authority, they are a powerful and influential group with a broad range of sides. The Big Ten Conference is also reportedly opting for the 24-team format, while the SEC wants to expand to 16 teams instead.

The SEC is right, the Big Ten and the coaching association are wrong.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during the NCAA college football news conference at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 23, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings/AP)

Many critics have said that the current schedule and format extends too far into January, and for good reason. The 2026 National Championship Game was on January 19, when sports traditionally wrap up in the first week of January. The coaches association wants to fix that by ending the conference championship games and compressing the gap between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. This makes sense; Conference championship games serve little purpose in the modern college football landscape, and the traditional break in December existed mostly for academic reasons. But no one is arguing that academics are important for college football players in 2026, and shortening that window could maintain momentum and move the Nationals up by a few weeks.

But where they are wrong is this: 24 teams are too many. Not only because it would significantly extend the playoff schedule, but also because it would include many teams that have no business being in the College Football Playoff.

AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PARTICIPATION MOVES TOWARDS CUP ZONE, COACHES PRESS FOR 24-TEAM CFP

For example, in 2025, the committee ranked the 8-4 Iowa team at No. 23. Arizona was ranked 17th. Georgia Tech was ranked 22nd. In 2024, UNLV finished the regular season ranked 24th. Syracuse was 21st at 9-3. Mississippi State was ranked No. 22 in 2022, going 8-4. This team lost to Alabama and Georgia by a combined score of 75-25.

If there are already concerns about the lack of competition in matches against Group of Five teams, how can this be improved by including teams that have lost four matches?

But that’s not even the biggest problem. The 24-team format would also de-emphasize the best regular season in sports. What makes college football special is that games are played every Saturday with season-changing bets that the NFL can’t match. The 12-team format already reduced some of this effect, but did not eliminate it completely. It will be a 24-team format.

Jeremiyah Love runs the ball against Southern California Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

We’re already seeing how expanded space is changing non-conference planning for the worse, perhaps permanently. The USC-Notre Dame rivalry collapsed in part because both sides realized they had a better chance of reaching the playoffs by avoiding each other. Many other major non-conference matchups were canceled as the SEC moved to nine conference games. Imagine how much worse the planning would get if Area 24 expanded.

For example, if you guarantee yourself three nonconference wins against brownie rivals, all it takes for a major SEC or Big Ten program to reach the playoffs is to finish its conference schedule at 6-3 to secure a spot. In some seasons, even four losses with a 5-4 conference record can be enough. So why risk additional loss by playing a tougher, non-conference game?

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There’s also another problem: end-of-season rivalry matches can change completely. Take Ohio State-Michigan for example. It is thought that both teams can enter the match with a score of 9-2 and be in the top 15 in the rankings. A loss would not matter to either party, as it would be seen as a loss of “quality” in terms of the strength of the program. Why would you risk your starters in a game that has no benefits? Sure, maybe they can play the first half, but when only qualification is at stake, why push it?

A 16-team field would make more sense if it wasn’t left at 12. Sixteen teams will allow more teams from the SEC and Big Ten to take the field despite their challenging schedules, while also adding Group of Five teams that deserve a shot. But 24 goes too far, diluting the field and hurting the regular season.