College Football Playoff May Expand to 12-Teams

         The College Football Playoff management committee is considering an expansion of the playoff format from the current 4 teams to a field of 12.  The committee meets this week to formally consider the change, as reported by ESPN.

         No conference would be given any guaranteed spots in the playoff, but neither would there be a limit on the number of teams that could come from one conference.  The six highest-ranked conference champions would be joined by the next six highest-rated teams, with the top four teams receiving a first-round bye.

         The CFP needs to be expanded.  While better than the previous system that relied on media polling to determine the “national champions,” the four-team playoff does not allow for the excitement and potential long-shot bids that have made the NCAA Basketball Tournament so popular.  The possibility of filling out brackets for a CFP playoff is sure to interest even more casual fans of the game.

         Under the new proposal, the first-round games between seeds 5 to 12 would be played on the higher seed’s home field, with later games being played at neutral sites.  This is another good idea.  College football is built around the support of the student body and the surrounding communities.  High attendance is almost guaranteed with crowds of over 50,000 possible in many instances.

         One problem that the new playoff format creates is the number of games that student-athletes could be playing each season.  With many programs playing 13-game seasons already the possibility exists that with a conference championship game and three games in the CFP players would be involved in 17 games in a year.  Even if that is unlikely, 16 games are probable for at least a few teams each year.  This means that if a student-athlete in a very successful program played for four years it would be the equivalent of playing four full National Football League seasons.  That is a tremendous amount of wear and tear on players’ bodies before they even reach the NFL.  The length of an NFL career has been dropping over recent years, with many players retiring at or around age 30.  An expanded CFP might see those careers shortened even further.

         If the CFP does expand in the future, it would be wise for colleges to consider shortening the regular season by a game or two.  The added revenue from an expanded playoff should offset any losses incurred from losing a game or two from the regular season. 

         Additionally, any expansion of the CFP should finally put an end to the parade of meaningless bowl games that proliferate in December and early January.  Student-athletes preparing to enter the NFL draft are already skipping bowl games to avoid serious injuries that would hurt their draft status.  Eliminating useless games will eliminate any pressure from coaches for players to play another game or be viewed as selfish for not putting the team first.   The only non-CFP post-season college games that would make any sense are games like the Senior Bowl that give players looking to increase their draft stock an opportunity to show off their skills.

College football has needed a real playoff for almost a century. This new proposal gives the hope that it will finally get one. Hopefully, it will come with a reduction in regular-season games and the elimination of other bowl games. A real college football playoff with a bit more thought into the health of the unpaid student-athletes that play the games would be a win for all.

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-By: Damian Mastrangelo