I imagine at some point people complained about MLB expanding the playoffs from four to eight teams. I also suspect that the NCAA tournament, which doubled the number of participants from 32 to 64, felt like too much for a fair number of hoops fans.
In fact, I have to admit that, long ago, I was against abolishing the BCS in favor of the College Football Playoff for fear that it would devalue the regular season. And yet, few would argue that all of the above adjustments improved their respective sports.
So yes, change can be good. But there are limits. And at this point — whether implemented or discussed — such changes in college sports’ two most-watched postseasons have officially gone too far.
College football’s big talking point over the past few weeks has been whether the game will expand its playoff format from 12 teams to 24. Remember, it was just two seasons ago when it made the jump from four teams to 12 — bypassing an eight-school postseason that many believed was the ideal number.
The reasoning was understandable. First, a two-loss season would not automatically preclude a championship-caliber team from competing for a national title. Second, the committees would not be forced to choose between the one or two losing juggernauts of power conferences and the undefeated underdogs of the middle class. And thirdly, it just seemed like a lot of fun.
The results have largely justified this. Two years ago, an Ohio State team marched to the championship with two losses as an eight-seed, winning all four games by double digits. Last year, a Miami squad with two losses reached the title game as a 10-seed before falling behind Indiana by six points.
Neither the Buckeyes nor the Hurricanes would have had a chance under the previous format. The only real problem was that most of the smaller conference teams – James Madison, Boise State, Tulane, SMU, etc. – got blown out like the Generals versus the Globetrotters. Even if it’s only two years. Too small a sample size to give permanent pink slips to potential glass slippers.
Only 24 teams? Oh, come on.
It’s easy to see why coaches would get behind this — as those in the Big 12 recently showed unanimous support for that number. Making the playoffs is often the benchmark for a coach keeping his job, and if you have double the opportunity to renew your contract, you’ll want to extend the playoffs. The question is: at what price?
As cheerful as March Madness is, it has made the regular season almost irrelevant to the average sports fan. The pageantry and ritualistic nature of college football may make the sport less susceptible to a midseason slump, but wins on Saturday would be euphoric and losses devastating. If you get a win in the Big Ten or SEC, how high can you go knowing you can drop three or four more games and reach the playoffs?
There’s something to be said for earning your spot. The Masters is probably the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, even though it has the smallest field of the majors. The reason? Just achieving it is half the achievement. The same should be true for college football.
Also, the idea that adding more teams will eliminate snapping complaints is ridiculous. There will always be teams with complaints. One of the most comical “solutions” in American sports history is when the NCAA—after decades of disputes between schools not participating in the 64-team basketball tournament—decided, “We’re adding a 65th!” That will solve it!’ Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen.
Sixty-four was the perfect number for that tournament. Better than the current 68 – and certainly better than the 76 we will see in 2027. This only dilutes the product. How long does it take to reach 100? Or 150, while that 15-19 Pepperdine team is furious it was left out?
Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables recently said it best when discussing the expansion of the playoffs: “If you want to have complete control, win your games.”
That’s it. Take care of what you need between the lines and you won’t have to worry. That’s the beauty of sport: the ultimate meritocracy.
Of course, in the entertainment world, money tends to trump merit, and these expansions will likely generate a lot more revenue. As much as people have complained about NIL, the conference realignment and the transfer portal, college football and basketball viewership is at near record highs. So maybe in a few years all these changes that I disapprove of will be seen as positive by the masses.
But not now. Right now, expansion just feels like overkill.
