ESPN opens window to negotiate CFP expansion to 24 teams

[18IsTheMan]

nm

 

[Lurker123]

nm

Inevitable.

I only wonder how much farther it will go.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Inevitable.

I only wonder how much farther it will go.

Just expand it to 36 or 48 and replace the bowl system. With 24 teams you're already into the mid-tier bowl game participants.

 

[RUMMENIGGE]

I like watching college football so I do not mind the expansion in which the first round of last season did have a decent matchup between Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas AM and Miami. They just need to avoid having games like Mississippi and Tulane and Oregan and James Madison.

If clemson somehow makes it to the playoffs, I hope they have to play Louisiana State again. I would like to see another disintegration of clemson football.

 

[Lurker123]

I dislike the byes. With 24 teams, do we give out 8 byes? Or do some start getting multiple byes?

Just go 16 and 32.

 

[Piscis]

12 is too many. 8 is plenty. With 8, the playoff would take 3 rounds and we would have a champion. No one is going to argue that a team ranked lower than 8th is really the best team in the country.

Take the top two teams from each P4 conference to set the field.

 

[18IsTheMan]

12 is too many. 8 is plenty. With 8, the playoff would take 3 rounds and we would have a champion. No one is going to argue that a team ranked lower than 8th is really the best team in the country.

Take the top two teams from each P4 conference to set the field.

Oh, come on. We all remember back in 2021 when 12-1 UTSA, #24 in the final regular season poll, was totally screwed out of a shot at the title.

 

[Psycock]

Should be 16 and no byes. Seed them or go by final poll, match 1-16, etc. That`s too hard for the Big 10 to figure out.

 

[adcoop]

I like 16. Allows for the occasional Group of 6 Upset. That is still good for the game. As with March Madness, the smaller schools are not there to win the tournament.

 

[Lurker123]

Should be 16 and no byes. Seed them or go by final poll, match 1-16, etc. That`s too hard for the Big 10 to figure out.

This is my vote. No byes, wide enough field for any true contender and some slots for the smaller teams.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

I always knew and stated this was inevitable.
B1G pushed for 24, and despite SEC/ESPN attempting to hold on to their goal of 16, they caved.

 

[Lurker123]

I always knew and stated this was inevitable.
B1G pushed for 24, and despite SEC/ESPN attempting to hold on to their goal of 16, they caved.

Maybe its obvious, but why is the SEC set on 16?

 

[18IsTheMan]

Maybe its obvious, but why is the SEC set on 16?

It had to do with retaining some semblance of relevance for the regular season. That goes out the window with a 24-team CFP.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

Maybe its obvious, but why is the SEC set on 16?

This was from May 11, 2026. Sankey states his position for the 16 team bracket. I can't tell you why just 4 months later he caved.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stands firm on 16-team CFP​

https://www.espn.com/college-footba...missioner-greg-sankey-stands-firm-16-team-cfp

 

[kidrobinski]

I don't really get why some are so bent out of shape about expansion. Maintain 'integrity' of the college football experience lol? That ship sailed big time. Maybe non-fcs bowl attendance is in decline and this is seen as way to generate more interest; it certainly would for me, I think its great.

 

[Lurker123]

I don't really get why some are so bent out of shape about expansion. Maintain 'integrity' of the college football experience lol? That ship sailed big time. Maybe non-fcs bowl attendance is in decline and this is seen as way to generate more interest; it certainly would for me, I think its great.

I admit to missing those moments throught the season when a regular season game suddenly became huge because an upset in action may just shake up the playoffs.

I also agree that ship has sailed.

I do believe the lower bowls will continue to die on the vine, and this just makes that faster.

My only thought now is just to get rid of byes. Its a small ask, imo.

 

[Piscis]

I don't really get why some are so bent out of shape about expansion. Maintain 'integrity' of the college football experience lol? That ship sailed big time. Maybe non-fcs bowl attendance is in decline and this is seen as way to generate more interest; it certainly would for me, I think its great.

24 teams in the playoff is ridiculous. There will be 3, maybe even 4 loss teams in a 24 team playoff. 24 teams means 4 more games possibly played for a lower seeded team. This creates the chance of a 16 game season for a given team, 17 if they play in a conference championship game. That is insane.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I don't really get why some are so bent out of shape about expansion. Maintain 'integrity' of the college football experience lol? That ship sailed big time. Maybe non-fcs bowl attendance is in decline and this is seen as way to generate more interest; it certainly would for me, I think its great.

To me, it's appealing to the lowest common denominator intellectually. The #24 team in a year prior to the 24-team CFP is just an ok team. Bring in the 24-team CFP and they'll say "we made the CFP!" when they aren't actually better than they were the year before. And everyone just swallows it up.

It's kind of like these people that run in their party's primary for the presidential nomination. They may never poll over 1%, but they can call themselves a presidential candidate.

I also don't understand why some people think we need to make the CFP resemble the NCAAT. They are, of course, entirely different sports. A G5 program is never, ever, never, ever making a serious run in the CFP like they might from time-to-time in the NCAAT.

And, yes, the uniqueness of college football was that the regular season mattered greatly. Lose a game early and your title hopes are on the ropes. Lose a game late and your title hopes may likely be over. Lose 2 games and try again next year. With a 24-team CFP there will be next to no intensity/pressure for any individual regular season game.

But our society dumbs everything down and people go along with it.

 

[atlanta cock#]

nm

I'm beyond over ESPN.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I'm beyond over ESPN.

They are, unfortunately, a necessary evil as they pretty much own college football.

None of the changes with the CFP have anything to do with football. Not better games. Not more entertaining games. Just more money. Already, last year, half of the first round and quarterfinal games were non-competitive laughers So of course we'll add more games to the mix. Why not?

 

[adcoop]

I don't really get why some are so bent out of shape about expansion. Maintain 'integrity' of the college football experience lol? That ship sailed big time. Maybe non-fcs bowl attendance is in decline and this is seen as way to generate more interest; it certainly would for me, I think its great.

I won't be bent out of shape at all. I think 16 is the ideal #. However, I will watch every game of a 24 team playoff or even a 32 team playoff if expands that much. No complaint here about more games. My concern is that a football player only has so many games in his body. Players from perennial playoff teams will be using up almost 20 additional games that they would normally be employed collecting an NFL paycheck. Players get paid in college now, but it is still not the same as NFL money. That is my only concern. These guys are people, not computer generated objects for our entertainment. I couldn't care less about all of the traditional stuff about the regular season having meaning, etc.

 

[Piscis]

To me, it's appealing to the lowest common denominator intellectually. The #24 team in a year prior to the 24-team CFP is just an ok team. Bring in the 24-team CFP and they'll say "we made the CFP!" when they aren't actually better than they were the year before. And everyone just swallows it up.

It's kind of like these people that run in their party's primary for the presidential nomination. They may never poll over 1%, but they can call themselves a presidential candidate.

I also don't understand why some people think we need to make the CFP resemble the NCAAT. They are, of course, entirely different sports. A G5 program is never, ever, never, ever making a serious run in the CFP like they might from time-to-time in the NCAAT.

And, yes, the uniqueness of college football was that the regular season mattered greatly. Lose a game early and your title hopes are on the ropes. Lose a game late and your title hopes may likely be over. Lose 2 games and try again next year. With a 24-team CFP there will be next to no intensity/pressure for any individual regular season game.

But our society dumbs everything down and people go along with it.

 

[18IsTheMan]

View attachment 1430322

Yeah, it has trickled up. I remember when folks used to roll their eyes at the participation trophy culture in youth sports. Now it's being embraced and celebrated in college sports.

But it's the way of society. Men can be women. Men can lactate. Men can get pregnant. The #24 team in the country is a title contender. The logic is the same.

 

[adcoop]

Yeah, it has trickled up. I remember when folks used to roll their eyes at the participation trophy culture in youth sports. Now it's being embraced and celebrated in college sports.

But it's the way of society. Men can be women. Men can lactate. Men can get pregnant. The #24 team in the country is a title contender. The logic is the same.

Dude, enjoy the games. Keeps you from being a grumpy old man. Everything is not a mirror into society's problems.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Dude, enjoy the games. Keeps you from being a grumpy old man. Everything is not a mirror into society's problems.

It's hard to enjoy the regular season games when you know they don't actually mean anything.

And that 41-10 Ole Miss/Tulane CFP game was a real exhilarating contest.

 

[adcoop]

It's hard to enjoy the regular season games when you know they don't actually mean anything.

And that 41-10 Ole Miss/Tulane CFP game was a real exhilarating contest.

The regular season will still have meaning. In the future, upset losses will affect seeding in the playoff. Instead of being left out of the BCS or now the CFP, an upset may cause an SEC team to go play in Ohio or Michigan in December. Ask a Tennessee fan about that. That upset loss to Arkansas in 2024 had them playing Ohio State in Columbus on a cold night in December. So, there will be ramifications just different ramifications. Further, there were other blowouts in the CFP and they didn't all include Group of 5 Teams. Alabama is a Blue Blood and they got beat by 5 TDs in the Rose Bowl. You just remind me of a guy that eats Meatloaf everyday. You can put a Five Star Dish in front of him, but he will be complaining about what he is supposed to eat. Things change, sometimes for the best and sometimes not so much, but one thing I do know is that things won't continuously remain the same.

 

[3USC1801]

“Players get paid in college now, but it is still not the same as NFL money [i.e., not enough]. I couldn't care less about all of the traditional stuff about the regular season having meaning, etc.”

And this sentiment is the epitome of why college football has deteriorated to the same level of greed and self-centeredness we see in the NFL, whether it be the media companies, owners, coaches, or players.

Free education was not enough. In fact, as soon as the cat was let out of the bag, education was quickly pushed to the side for the entertainment gain.

It’s also why those who enjoyed the traditional amateur game as a team sport see its demise and shake their heads.

The sooner we divorce “college sports” from our educational institutions, the better.

 

[adcoop]

And this sentiment is the epitome of why college football has deteriorated to the same level of greed and self-centeredness we see in the NFL, whether it be the media companies, owners, coaches, or players.

Free education was not enough. In fact, as soon as the cat was let out of the bag, education was quickly pushed to the side for the entertainment gain.

It’s also why those who enjoyed the traditional amateur game as a team sport see its demise and shake their heads.

The sooner we divorce “college sports” from our educational institutions, the better.

You are being emotional and applying that to me saying players are not getting paid enough in college. I wasn't saying that. I was saying players only have so many games in their body and they will maximize their earning potential by getting to the NFL as healthy as possible. It is about there being a limit to how many games we are asking these guys to play. We have all these issues about CTE and other health issues surrounding the game, but we keep asking the players for more games. It's about being thoughtful, not selfish.

 

[KingWard]

I think it's terrible to add so many pretenders - established as such by a 12-game regular season.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

24 teams in the playoff is ridiculous. There will be 3, maybe even 4 loss teams in a 24 team playoff. 24 teams means 4 more games possibly played for a lower seeded team. This creates the chance of a 16 game season for a given team, 17 if they play in a conference championship game. That is insane.

2 items.
1) The 16 game season already happened last season. Miami finished 10-2, and then played in 4 CFP games.
2) Conference Championship games are going away at the end of this year.

 

[92Pony]

I don't care how many -12, 16, 24. I just have one preference - NO AUTOMATIC BIDS.

 

[Lurker123]

The regular season will still have meaning. In the future, upset losses will affect seeding in the playoff.

Affecting seeding is dwarfed by the implication of missing playoffs. There may be still be consequences to a loss, but they are tremendously diminished.

Now, we're literally going to introduce rest vs rust conversations into regular season games.

 

[3USC1801]

We have all these issues about CTE and other health issues surrounding the game, but we keep asking the players for more games. It's about being thoughtful, not selfish.

I’m so happy you’ve finally decided to come forward and denounce football for health reasons. Your sincerity is commendable.

Maybe you’ll also take the next step and become an advocate for education. Now, that’s a tradition you might embrace!

 

[TheRoo]

I think it's terrible to add so many pretenders - established as such by a 12-game regular season.

It might have been before the NIL. Now it just seems more equitable.

 

[KingWard]

I don't care how many -12, 16, 24. I just have one preference - NO AUTOMATIC BIDS.

I like that at any number of teams - any number.

 

[KingWard]

nm

 

[KingWard]

2 items.
1) The 16 game season already happened last season. Miami finished 10-2, and then played in 4 CFP games.
2) Conference Championship games are going away at the end of this year.

I will lament the loss of Championship Weekend. It was often scintillating in the SEC, not to mention impactful. The B1G was interesting also. The ACC has been often terrible.

It might have been before the NIL. Now it just seems more equitable.

But there won't be any more truly premier players total than now, and the BIG Boys will still get the preponderance. Pretenders ought to be weeded out sooner.

 

[Psycock]

Agree no automatic bids, no byes. If you get into the playoffs, your advantage/disadvantage should be based on your seeding, which should be based by the final polls. Yes so far teams with byes haven`t had the advantage you would expect but since schedules with 12 games cannot be equitable no team should automatically get in based on conference they are in and no team deserves to play one less game.

 

[RUMMENIGGE]

Agree no automatic bids, no byes. If you get into the playoffs, your advantage/disadvantage should be based on your seeding, which should be based by the final polls. Yes so far teams with byes haven`t had the advantage you would expect but since schedules with 12 games cannot be equitable no team should automatically get in based on conference they are in and no team deserves to play one less game.

I could be wrong, but I think only one team that had a bye and won is Indiana. I do not think any team wants a bye since it is bad luck. These are the teams that had a bye and loss: GeorgiaX2, Oregon, Boise State, Arizona State, Ohio State and Texas Tech.

 

[Lurker123]

I could be wrong, but I think only one team that had a bye and won is Indiana. I do not think any team wants a bye since it is bad luck. These are the teams that had a bye and loss: GeorgiaX2, Oregon, Boise State, Arizona State, Ohio State and Texas Tech.

Yeah, I was convinced the bye was too big of an advantage. And then they all started losing.

I still vote to get rid of them.