The College Football Playoff is moving toward a 24-team setup.
The college football postseason, which started with four teams, before moving to 12 teams three years ago, is now going to head to a 24-team setup, starting with the 2027 college football season.
Conference championship games are expected to go away as a result. The Big Ten Championship Game, SEC Championship Game, etc. are massive events, but with a 24-team playoff, they’re no longer needed, or viable.
Many disagree with the move.
“College athletics is terrible at seeing problems around the corner. The 24-team playoff is the latest example,” Dan Wetzel wrote on X. “A lot of schools that supported this will regret it because in the end it won’t be about the playoff or even the now diminished regular season.”
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Ultimately, if there are no conference championship games, and the playoff is taking 24 teams, why even have conferences?
Shouldn’t schools like Ohio State and Michigan consider pulling a Notre Dame and going fully independent?
“College athletics is terrible at seeing problems around the corner. The 24-team playoff is the latest example,” Wetzel wrote on X. “A lot of schools that supported this will regret it because in the end it won’t be about the playoff or even the now diminished regular season.”
Ohio State, Michigan could leave the Big Ten
Why wouldn’t schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, etc. follow?
“To use the Big Ten as an example, why wouldn’t Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State follow? If you can, be independent. That’s the future,” Wetzel continued. “The 18-team Big Ten is bloated, distant, and winning it carries little intrinsic or competitive value for the biggest brands.”
“Staying in the Big Ten now makes little and perhaps no economic sense,” he added.
Ohio State, Michigan, etc. have been loyal to the Big Ten, but moving forward, do they really need to be?
