With the first full regular season under the new 12-team CFP format nearly in the books, how do you feel the format has gone? Is it better or worse than the four-team CFP?
Did I bring up this subject today solely to post another picture of Jim Harbaugh holding the national championship trophy? The world may never know, but I’m not upset about it.
It’s hard to believe but the 2024 season is already over three-quarters of the way through. Despite Michigan not even sniffing the College Football Playoff conversation at 5-5, the debates and arguments have heated up for the fanbases that are involved.
Today’s question is simple: what are your thoughts on the expanded playoff now that it’s a reality? Is it better or worse for the sport as a whole? Who is going to be left in the cold in a few short weeks?
This question is of course a matter of opinion, however, I’ll make my personal opinion clear — it’s a money grab (which I hate) but it’s a damn good money grab.
Before the season started, the argument for the expanded playoff was that it would make more games matter. That has undoubtedly come true as each week more and more games have relevancy. Additionally, I’m sure that once we get to the 11 playoff games, they will smash ratings records.
However, my biggest complaint has always been (and will always be) that the biggest games matter so much less now. Oregon’s impressive victory over Ohio State ? Largely irrelevant as an Ohio State win over Indiana almost assures a rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game in which they’re both just playing for seeding. Ohio State’s win over Penn State? Barely matters since both will easily make the CFP field. Even Tennessee’s win over Alabama has largely been forgotten about.
To add to that point, Notre Dame losing to a team like Northern Illinois should have been a death knell to the Fighting Irish’s CFP hopes. Instead, all they have to do is beat Army in order to make the CFP. I still enjoy watching all of these big games, but the stakes are just not nearly where they were.
A piece that I do find fascinating about it is the drama that is about to unfold. Heather Dinich recently joined the Pat McAfee show to express doubt that a three-loss SEC team would be eliminated from the CFP field. While her prediction may come true, it would be an absolute shame to see SEC bias keep a three-loss team in while a one or two-loss ACC/Big Ten/Big 12 team misses out.
A pessimistic friend of mine who’s an Indiana fan expressed to me that he can already see the train coming from a mile away in which 11-1 Indiana is left out in favor of 9-3 Georgia. If that were to happen, it would be a travesty for the sport. We’d be teetering on the edge of the regular season not meaning anything.
Not everything is bad about the 12-team CFP. Based on the most recent rankings, we’d be treated to matchups such as Ole Miss at Penn State, Notre Dame at Tennessee, and Alabama at Indiana in December. I would watch all of those games intently as I’m sure most college football fans would. The ratings will be through the roof.
The unfortunate part for me is that the expanded playoff is such an obvious money grab by the TV executives. The problem is that it’s going to work.
What are your thoughts on the expanded playoff? Would you be more invested if Michigan were anywhere near the hunt? Do you like the format as a whole? If not, what would you change about it?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.