Clay Travis: ESPN has purchased the full rights to a 24-team playoff

[Tractorman]

There is no way our fanbase would rather finish 8-4 and go to the Gator Bowl to finish the season than go 8-4 be #22 in the playoff and see what happens. No way!

24 team playoff is awesome.

 

[Felonious Junk]

An 8-4 team making a post season attached to a national title in football is stupid as hell. Renders the regular season totally worthless

 

[HRMSU]

An 8-4 team making a post season attached to a national title in football is stupid as hell. Renders the regular season totally worthless

Mmmm.....just pushing this thing further towards pro football.

7 NFL wildcard teams have won the Super Bowl and 4 have made it and lost.

 

[mstateglfr]

How does Clay Travis always seem to scoop everyone in the sports media including ESPN reporting on stories that are about ESPN? He has broken stories about every round of ESPN layoffs including names in addition to scooping Dellenger/Nakos/Thamel/Wolken/Forde on the CFP expansion.

Love him or Hate him, but he does seem to have studied & provides meaningful insight on the subject of the ever changing landscape of college sports specifically football media rights

I could easily see a policy where ESPN reporters can't report unconfirmed deals that ESPN is entering into.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

I could easily see a policy where ESPN reporters can't report unconfirmed deals that ESPN is entering into.

I think the more likely scenario is that someone at ESPN is tipping Clay about this information probably an individual at ESPN that thinks like Clay politically & is frustrated by the political group think at ESPN with which he/she disagrees and feels pressure to be silent for the sake of their career. Clay has accurately reported on a lot of things that were negative about ESPN that always seems to come from inside sources.

 

[mstateglfr]

I think the more likely scenario is that someone at ESPN is tipping Clay about this information probably an individual at ESPN that thinks like Clay politically & is frustrated by the political group think at ESPN with which he/she disagrees and feels pressure to be silent for the sake of their career. Clay has accurately reported on a lot of things that were negative about ESPN that always seems to come from inside sources.

An ESPN reporter not breaking a story where ESPN is in a negative light isn't surprising...just like my comments about ESPN reporters being 'scooped' in this 24 team playoff story.


It could be simply due to a company policy, or it could be due to a frustrated employee who politically aligns with Clay Travis and wants to get back at ESPN because they feel like they have to stay politically silent.

 

[Negative Waves]

Personally I’d like to see a 10 game regular season with all teams seeded once that’s finished. The rest of the season is single elimination with the top bowls used for the 8- and 4-team rounds as neutral sites.

 

[mcdawg22]

 

[patdog]

Not sure if this is satire or a scarily accurate prediction of the near future.

 

[Called3rdstrikedawg]

So if they totally eliminate the bowls, what happens to teams 25-28 who have the same record as 23-24? Subjective selection eliminated them from the playoffs, but they are sitting there at 8-4 which historically would have gotten them into a pretty darn good bowl!

 

[615dawg]

So if they totally eliminate the bowls, what happens to teams 25-28 who have the same record as 23-24? Subjective selection eliminated them from the playoffs, but they are sitting there at 8-4 which historically would have gotten them into a pretty darn good bowl!

A bowl game in a 3/4 empty stadium played between 3rd stringers.

The bowl system is dead. I believe that it will move to Week 0 in the form of these early season matchups, but the postseason bowl games outside the big ones have been dead for a while.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

An 8-4 team making a post season attached to a national title in football is stupid as hell. Renders the regular season totally worthless

Unlikely that an 8-4 team would ever win it, but if they go on a 5-0 run with wins over the #14 team and #3 team (both on the road), then beat #6, #2, and #1 at neutral sites, most people aren't going to begrudge them.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

So if they totally eliminate the bowls, what happens to teams 25-28 who have the same record as 23-24? Subjective selection eliminated them from the playoffs, but they are sitting there at 8-4 which historically would have gotten them into a pretty darn good bowl!

They sit at home and pout like Notre Dame did last year.

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

Conference title games likely eliminated.

And all sec games start at 9am

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

My unpopular opinion is that gambling is driving the train. With opt outs and all, bowl games have become worthless and unpredictable. A 24 team playoff gives ESPN enough content, and hopefully it will create more parity in the sport.

Everyone that loves the 4-team playoff forgets that 88 of the top 100 recruits went to six schools. NIL has helped even that out, now every Power 4 team and a few more G6 teams have a legitimate shot at the playoffs year in and year out.

It won't happen, but I wish they would take the bias of humans out. One model that was discussed early was 7 SEC, 7 Big Ten, 4 Big 12, 4 ACC, 1 at-large and 1 G5. It will probably be the committee voting on the top 23 + one G5 though.

Good call - the death of bowl games is probably the driver

 

[mstateglfr]

So if they totally eliminate the bowls, what happens to teams 25-28 who have the same record as 23-24? Subjective selection eliminated them from the playoffs, but they are sitting there at 8-4 which historically would have gotten them into a pretty darn good bowl!

If organizations want to invite teams that didnt make the playoffs to bowl games, OK sure. Cool by me- do whatever.
And if teams want to play in those bowl games, OK sure. Cool by me- do whatever.

College basketball has had a bunch of tournaments through the years for those who didnt make the NCAAT. In addition to the NIT which is well established and top alternative, you have...the CIT, the CBI, Vegas16, The Basketball Classic, and the CBC.
There may be others that have existed in the last couple decades, these are off the top of my head.

If bowl games are like these tertiary basketball tournaments, sure...why not.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

If organizations want to invite teams that didnt make the playoffs to bowl games, OK sure. Cool by me- do whatever.
And if teams want to play in those bowl games, OK sure. Cool by me- do whatever.

College basketball has had a bunch of tournaments through the years for those who didnt make the NCAAT. In addition to the NIT which is well established and top alternative, you have...the CIT, the CBI, Vegas16, The Basketball Classic, and the CBC.
There may be others that have existed in the last couple decades, these are off the top of my head.

If bowl games are like these tertiary basketball tournaments, sure...why not.

Of those, only the CBC still exists in 2026 and even it had to scale back from 16 to 8 teams due to lack of interest.

 

[mstateglfr]

Of those, only the CBC still exists in 2026 and even it had to scale back from 16 to 8 teams due to lack of interest.

The NIT exists too- that will be 24 teams. So between the NIT and CIT, 32 additional teams will play in postseason basketball tournaments after 76 teams are selected for the NCAA Tournament.


But yeah, those other postseason tournaments dont exist now. Some lasted 1 or 2 seasons and others lasted 15 or probably more seasons.
The point is that 'but what about the teams that dont make the playoff?!?' comments can be easily addressed in a similar manner to college basketball- just hold some bowl games. And if the interest wanes over time, then hold fewer bowl games.

 

[Felonious Junk]

Unlikely that an 8-4 team would ever win it, but if they go on a 5-0 run with wins over the #14 team and #3 team (both on the road), then beat #6, #2, and #1 at neutral sites, most people aren't going to begrudge them.

That’s my point. It ruins the importance of the regular season.

 

[thedoubledeuce]

That’s my point. It ruins the importance of the regular season.

I don't think it does. You'll still have a group of teams fighting for BYES, a group fighting to be a first-round host and a group fighting to make it. There will be more meaningful regular season games than ever before.

 

[POTUS]

It completely destroys what made college football unique, but that was already double tapped by the four-team CFP and this just the finishing head shot.

 

[Felonious Junk]

I don't think it does. You'll still have a group of teams fighting for BYES, a group fighting to be a first-round host and a group fighting to make it. There will be more meaningful regular season games than ever before.

An 8-4 team has no business playing for a national title

 

[mstateglfr]

An 8-4 team has no business playing for a national title

Then a better team will beat them before the national title game.

 

[Felonious Junk]

Then a better team will beat them before the national title game.

Which is why it’s stupid and just a money grab. It doesn’t improve college football

 

[patdog]

Investing take from Dan Wetzel.