Monday made what was long rumored official: we're moving to a 24-team College Football Playoff starting in the 2027-2028 season.
asserted
we → make → season
The reaction from most fans, commentators, analysts as well as many coaches and people within the sport, can be summed up in one word: why?
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reaction → sum → word
The smaller field ensured that the best of the best would compete for a title.
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best → ensure → title
Only one-loss or undefeated teams had a chance at postseason glory ... well, unless you were an undefeated Florida State team.
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you → have → glory
Then, in 2024, we moved to a 12-team format, which offered more opportunity for teams to change their season.
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teams → move → season
The 2024-2025 Ohio State Buckeyes were a perfect example, losing the final game of the season before roaring back to life and steamrolling their way through to a championship.
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Buckeyes → lose → championship
The 12-team format has generally been well liked
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format → like → ?
; it's a solid balance of maintaining the exclusivity of the tournament, while adding more big postseason games on campuses and mostly preserving bowl season and the importance of the regular season.
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it → maintain → season
While the upcoming 2026-2027 version of the playoff will be just the third under the expanded format, we're already moving on to even more teams.
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we → expand → teams
Somehow.
24 teams essentially means the end of meaningful bowl games.
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teams → mean → games
With a bowl field so diluted by the increase in playoff participants, the remaining bowls will be picking up scraps.
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bowls → dilute → scraps
Major conference championship games are set to become a thing of the past.
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games → set → past
Not only will three losses not be enough to keep teams out
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losses → keep → teams
, there's a strong chance that four or potentially even five loss teams (from the SEC) will be in the 24-team playoff.
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teams → be → playoff
This might mean more scheduled games between big programs, since they'll no longer be concerned about a single loss hurting their chances, but if it doesn't, the sport will have sacrificed the regular season almost entirely.
uncertain
sport → mean → season
Which again, raises the all-important question: who wanted this?
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who → raise → this
Who was asking for it?
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Who → ask → it
Why is it even happening?
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it → happen → ?
The Big Ten led the charge for more playoff spots, and other conferences and groups eventually fell in line.
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conferences → lead → line
The SEC, long the hold out, caved, presumably because commissioner Greg Sankey realized he could start campaigning for all 16 conference teams to reach the playoff each season.
uncertain
teams → cave → playoff
Obviously, more playoff games means more money coming from the broadcast partner, ESPN.
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games → mean → partner
More teams will have late-season home games with a potential "playoff appearance" on the line.
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teams → have → line
Coaches now have a lower bar to claim a successful season.
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Coaches → have → season
And boosters can see a return on investment instead of seeing their money go towards reaching the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
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money → see → Bowl
Fans weren't asking for this, and surveys have shown that they overwhelmingly don't want it.
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they → ask → it
Unsurprisingly, it's happening anyway.
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it → happen → ?
And in a news conference announcing the change, Executive Director Rich Clark explained why: the playoff committee doesn't care.
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committee → announce → change
Clark said on the call that changes brought about by the 24-team field will be beneficial for the sport, and most importantly, the business school executive's new favorite word: "stakeholders."
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changes → say → sport
"New scheduling standards will incentivize institutions to schedule more compelling non-conference matchups during the regular season, and 16 Playoff games will now be played on campuses, bringing Playoff football to more students and local fans," Clark said.
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Clark → incentivize → students
"Finally, our commitment as the CFP administration and staff, we will make the 24-team Playoff spectacular for the fans, for the student-athletes, for the institutions, and for all our stakeholders.
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Playoff → make → stakeholders
Clark answered a few questions, saying that the committee will evaluate and encourage strong schedules, and teams will be required to play 10 games against teams from Power 4 conferences.
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teams → answer → conferences
But what came next was frustrating and a bit emblematic of how this whole process has played out.
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process → come → ?
One reporter asked Clark about fan opinion, saying "the online segment of the fan base seems to be maybe against this," and wondered how Clark thought it would be "received by fans."
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it → ask → fans
Here's what he said:
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he → say → what
"We're aware of the fan sentiment and that many fans aren't in favor of expansion," Clark responded.
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Clark → respond → expansion
"That was certainly weighed into the decision.
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That → weigh → decision
It was considered.
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It → consider → ?
Ultimately we just need to make a spectacular Playoff.
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we → need → Playoff
I mean, the CFP has a responsibility to our fans, they're the lifeblood of college football.
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they → mean → football
We owe it to them to make this great.
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this → owe → them
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
