As reported by ESPN, the Big Ten Conference (B1G) has proposed that the 12-team college football (CFB) playoff (PO) field expand to 16 teams in 2027-28 and 2028-29, before expanding to a 24-team PO field in 2029-2030 and thereafter. The 16-team field would include the ACC, B1G, B12, SEC, and the highest-ranked G6 champions. The 24-team field would have a ...

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It only makes existing lower tier bowl games even more irrelevant, and hard to watch.

Ooops. After last season's Playoff Pity Party in South Bend, the Domers automatically qualify and are Playoff Golden if ranked 12th or higher in the final PO Committee ranking. 🤑

Not July 4th yet, but is anyone else thinking about being Independent?

It’s a disaster overall right now, imo.

I think it helps if structured correctly, and calendar adjustments are made that make sense for both the playoff and the off-season. These adjustments are more important than the number of teams imo, but if 24 magically makes it happen, then whatever…it would be better.

24 teams without opt outs will absolutely improve the overall post season experience.

Edited yesterday at 05:38 PM1 day by JabbaNoBargain

23 minutes ago, Drake said:

It only makes existing lower tier bowl games even more irrelevant, and hard to watch.

Good point, but looking at the1st-round games that would be played on campus, many more viewers would be watching than watching the teams play in bowl games.

Correspondingly, media entities shut out by ESPN from PO broadcasts, such as Fox, CBS, NBC, and others, would join the bidding, and ESPN would also have to increase what it is paying per playoff game.

A 24-team PO field would help save the ACC, two additional teams in the field, and the B12, three more teams in, as viable entities, and two more teams in the field would drop more money in Greg Sankey's jeans.

Five more B1G teams in. Perhaps the increase in the price to attend Oregon football games would be more modest.

College sports programs are in a Battle for the Benjamins. A businessman has come up with an idea to make far more money from the football postseason. And he's dumped on?

I don't know about my Forum Friends, but for me, the 1st round games would be must-watch TV.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I've already stuck a fork in it, doubt adding 12 more over paid and under prepared 'clown-squads' will improve anything...

I'll still watch, just never quite sure what it is I'm seeing.

Go Ducks!

Call me weird, but I feelas if 24 is too much... 16 would give a decent number of qualifying teams, every season.

At 24, I believe therewouldbe a fair number of blowouts, most years.

Eight D1 power conferences with 8-10 teams each based on geography. Complete round robin for each conference allows all teams to face off. No conference championship game needed. Top 2 go to playoffs. If you're not top 2, you're not a champion, try again next year. (There is a loophole that allows a mid-major to replace a 2 if certain thresholds/ranking are not met.)

Playoffs:

1st weekend in December: Top 2 from each conference go to a regional playoff where 1's battle 2's at home.

2nd weekend in December: Remaining 8 are seeded and square off with top seed at home.

January 1st: Semifinals

Next reasonable Saturday: Championship

All players are unpaid amateur student athletes. The stage college football offers and their education is their reward.

All players must sit out one year following a transfer to another D1 school with the exception of graduate transfers.

All head coaches under contract cannot take another D1 position without sitting out for one year.

As long as we're dreaming, that's my dream.

27 minutes ago, mikethehiker said:

Eight D1 power conferences with 8-10 teams each based on geography. Complete round robin for each conference allows all teams to face off. No conference championship game needed. Top 2 go to playoffs. If you're not top 2, you're not a champion, try again next year. (There is a loophole that allows a mid-major to replace a 2 if certain thresholds/ranking are not met.)

Playoffs:

1st weekend in December: Top 2 from each conference go to a regional playoff where 1's battle 2's at home.

2nd weekend in December: Remaining 8 are seeded and square off with top seed at home.

January 1st: Semifinals

Next reasonable Saturday: Championship

All players are unpaid amateur student athletes. The stage college football offers and their education is their reward.

All players must sit out one year following a transfer to another D1 school with the exception of graduate transfers.

All head coaches under contract cannot take another D1 position without sitting out for one year.

As long as we're dreaming, that's my dream.

I like the dream, but the lawyer fees would be a nightmare.

I think the conferences will end up opting for a format that generates the most revenue, and college football fans, and sports bettors, will watch.

I really don’t care which format, but reserve the right to critique.

A playoff bracket has only one team move beyond the bracket. Does anybody think a 16 seed in basketball will win a championship? However, an 8 seed in football, beating a 1 seed would be glorious, as long as your team is not that top seed.

The media will battle for the rights to broadcast future CFP games, media revenues increase, which automatically increases NIL expenditures, and ticket prices spiral in order to stay “competitive “.

Don’t get me wrong, it is great entertainment, but it does feel dirty in so many ways.

45 minutes ago, woundedknees said:

Call me weird, but I feelas if 24 is too much... 16 would give a decent number of qualifying teams, every season.

At 24, I believe therewouldbe a fair number of blowouts, most years.

OK, you're weird! 😁

In the last two seasons with a 12-team field, we have seen more blowouts (SIGH 🤬) than competitive games.

I don’t like byes…as the team that is supposed to be given an advantage suffers the reverse.

Sixteen or thirty-two…no byes!

2 minutes ago, Drake said:

I think the conferences will end up opting for a format that generates the most revenue, and college football fans, and sports bettors, will watch.

I really don’t care which format, but reserve the right to critique.

A playoff bracket has only one team move beyond the bracket. Does anybody think a 16 seed in basketball will win a championship? However, an 8 seed in football, beating a 1 seed would be glorious, as long as your team is not that top seed.

The media will battle for the rights to broadcast future CFP games, media revenues increase, which automatically increases NIL expenditures, and ticket prices spiral in order to stay “competitive “.

Don’t get me wrong, it is great entertainment, but it does feel dirty in so many ways.

I understand and thank you for your comment.

The 24-team NCAA managed football playoffs do not seem 'dirty' to me, and more importantly, to the fans of teams in the field.

Two rounds of home games in a 24-team FBS playoff? Bring it on!

Good point on expenses rising to meet the new income, but Lane County, among others, would benefit from the Ducks playing one or two more home games.

If third parties coming up with NIL money have to pay more for an athlete's services, fine with me. Direct payments for football would likely increase, but would not mirror the increase in revenue, I think?

Thanks for the comment.

2 hours ago, Drake said:

It only makes existing lower tier bowl games even more irrelevant, and hard to watch

Another option is to eliminate 2nd round home field advantage, and award those games in a bidding process to lower tier bowl game cities. Would mean more travel, but more $$.

Seems to me that there is hardly any people in the stands at the lower tier bowls as it is. A home game would be better.

29 minutes ago, Washington Waddler said:

Would mean more travel,

Yes, and that is a big problem for the teams' fans with the added expenses.

1 hour ago, Charles Fischer said:

I don’t like byes…as the team that is supposed to be given an advantage suffers the reverse.

Sixteen or thirty-two…no byes!

Thank you, Charles, for another much-needed and much-appreciated editing job.

1 hour ago, Jon Joseph said:

The 24-team NCAA managed football playoffs do not seem 'dirty' to me

Not really referring to the actual games.

Oregon’s sports budget was slightly in the black with just over $185 million in revenue. Costs and revenue increased around $15 million from 2024 to 2025, and they just added another $20 million in NIL costs for this year.

There is a breaking point for Oregon sports at some point.

3 hours ago, woundedknees said:

Call me weird, but I feelas if 24 is too much... 16 would give a decent number of qualifying teams, every season.

At 24, I believe therewouldbe a fair number of blowouts, most years.

Absolutely... I can see pushing things to 16 just to get rid of first round byes entirely. Make everyone play.

But after that there is some prestige lost for making the playoff. Get ranked in the top 24 and be in... that is 3 loss teams galore!

I think there needs to be a reevaluation of the rankings to be honest because the notion that the B1G can only get 3 teams in and the SEC got 4 and I would argue Bama and Oklahoma probably didn't belong. Bama over Notre Dame is debatable but the committee opted to not anger the SEC, which in itself shows why ND needs to join a conference because the committee's fear of angering a conference is far greater than angering independent ND but they bent to give them a freebie for now.

The talent difference between top 10 and top 24 is a gulf and there will be blow outs in the first two rounds. It's just the way it would be.

3 hours ago, Steven A said:

Yes, and that is a big problem for the teams' fans with the added expenses

True, but not the expenses of both fan bases. Just levels the playing field?

Are other SEC coaches ready to Get Smart?

BTW, that 2-loss Vandy team was defeated by 4-loss Iowa.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/kirby-smart-josh-heupel-24-team-cfp-format-sec-coaches/

16 max. It's not as if it isn't ruined with the portal/NIL/money and semi-pro status that currently exists. Used to be a total fan, even back when there was only one game on tv on Saturday........now, left handed bowling seems more relavent.

On 3/4/2026 at 11:16 AM, Charles Fischer said:

I don’t like byes…as the team that is supposed to be given an advantage suffers the reverse.

Sixteen or thirty-two…no byes!

It depends on how long the layoff is. Most NFL teams that are division champs will sit their players the last game of the season if they can manage it, and it doesn't seem to harm them much to have the bye week during wild card weekend, so 2 total weeks between games is okay.

The problem is when everyone has 3-4 weeks off, and the winner of the first rounds knocks the rust off while the higher seeded team is still rusty is when it gets bad.

Separately, if we pay attention to trends, about 75% of playoff teams are contenders due to NIL and the draw to make the playoffs. I don't think going to 24 will change the ratio that much after a few years to adjust.

But the dilution of talent will continue to affect the "elite", and every additional round makes it roughly 50% less likely we'll win a Natty. 25% chance with 4 team playoff, 7.5% chance with the 12 team playoff and 3.75% chance with a 24 team playoff.

24 is nearly 25, as in "25 ranked teams" that we consider the threshold for being relevant. So all relevant teams except 1 are in the tournament. Seems to line up.

All that being said I think 16 is probably best as a Duck fan that appreciates more level competition.

On 3/4/2026 at 2:16 PM, Charles Fischer said:

I don’t like byes…as the team that is supposed to be given an advantage suffers the reverse.

Sixteen or thirty-two…no byes!

Amen. But in the proposed 24-team PO, there would be a 1st round one-week bye for teams seeded 1-8 and a 2nd round home game a week later.

13 days off max.

1 hour ago, Solar said:

It depends on how long the layoff is. Most NFL teams that are division champs will sit their players the last game of the season if they can manage it, and it doesn't seem to harm them much to have the bye week during wild card weekend, so 2 total weeks between games is okay.

The problem is when everyone has 3-4 weeks off, and the winner of the first rounds knocks the rust off while the higher seeded team is still rusty is when it gets bad.

Separately, if we pay attention to trends, about 75% of playoff teams are contenders due to NIL and the draw to make the playoffs. I don't think going to 24 will change the ratio that much after a few years to adjust.

But the dilution of talent will continue to affect the "elite", and every additional round makes it roughly 50% less likely we'll win a Natty. 25% chance with 4 team playoff, 7.5% chance with the 12 team playoff and 3.75% chance with a 24 team playoff.

24 is nearly 25, as in "25 ranked teams" that we consider the threshold for being relevant. So all relevant teams except 1 are in the tournament. Seems to line up.

All that being said, I think 16 is probably best as a Duck fan that appreciates more level competition.

For seeds 1-8, it would, in effect, be a 16-team PO field.

The 1st round is a playoff play-in game for seeds No. 9 through 24. The bye for teams 1-8 would not be longer than 13 days before the 2nd round is played.

If seeded No. 1 or No. 5 in a 24-team field, as was the case in 2024 and 2025, with a 2nd round home game, Oregon would have the same travel it did when reaching the semifinals last season.

Looking at the Committee's final ranking of the top 16 over the last two seasons, the SEC would benefit, and the B1G would take it in the financial shorts.

In today's CFB, it's all about the Benjis. The more conference teams that qualify for the PO, the more money in PO revenue, and 24 teams means more money from the media, including ESPN.

Eight B1G teams in the above hypothetical seeding of a 2026-27 field would Just Mean More than twice the 2025-26 PO revenue for the conference.

Petitti's 24-team field reflects, in part, his concern over SEC teams being overrated by the PO Committee.

If there had been a 24-field last season, 4-loss Iowa would have been in the field, a team that had no bad losses and defeated 2-loss Vandy in a bowl game played in Florida with the Heisman runner-up Pavia playing QB for the Dores.

Iowa played a much harder schedule last season than Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, which lost to the one SEC team with a winning record that it played, Missouri, with no wins over teams with a winning record, and a Tennessee team that lost to Illinois in Nashville.

A 4-loss Iowa team in the field would not have destroyed the very foundation of CFB. In 2025, 4-loss Iowa gave Indiana a much better game than 3-loss Alabama.

The depth of the field is the trade-off for not having a 16-team field with automatic qualifiers.

Kirby Smart and Josh Heupel are now in favor of Petitti's latest format. With a 9th conference game in 2026, I think more SEC coaches will be more likely to support a 24-team field.

I'd love to watch eight 1st round games played on campus; no 1st round rematches allowed.

I probably would not watch the same teams with decimated, opt-out rosters playing in the Gee-Whiz Bowl, but count me in for watching the 1st round play-in games with all or the majority of starters on the field playing in a home-field CFB atmosphere.

And, while I hate to consider the thought, there could come a day when 16th-ranked Oregon was knocked out by a far lower-ranked New World G6 Pac-Whatever team. 🤬 Mercy!