The College Football Playoff news that the competition field is most likely to expand to 24 teams set off the alarms on Thursday.
Fans were absolutely irate that the 12-team field, already a jarring shift from how the postseason used to function, could double in size to 24 as soon as 2027.
There's just very little reason for college football fans to be interested in a big development like this, one that seems just about set in stone. While ESPN and teams with multiple losses will be thrilled to add more playoff games to the schedule, those who just love watching great college football are the ones most vocal about why this all stinks.
We've compiled five downsides to the 24-team expansion plan, including an obvious one already stated above.
The stakes of the regular season would change dramatically
If there
are 24 teams eligible for the College Football Playoff, the high stakes of the regular season would decrease quite a bit. Essentially, your team could lose multiple games and still be eligible for the playoff, especially if you're in a Power 5 conference with a tough schedule. Who can't wait to watch a three-or-four-loss SEC or Big 10 team in a playoff game? Nobody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?
Rivalry games would lose some of their bite
Rivalry games are cutthroat in college football. Losing to your most-hated rival could completely derail your playoff chances. Now? Rivalry games will still be filled with plenty of animus, but they won't hold nearly as much of the weight in the future as they would in the current format. Some rivalry games could get rematches in the playoff field for even more marbles, sure. However, the fierce excitement of rivalry games would lose a bit of steam now if the loser doesn't lose as much after the game is lost.
Multi-loss teams would contend for a national title
Again, nobody wants decent-to-mediocre college football teams making the College Football Playoff. In a field of 24, you're very likely to see the back half filled with SEC and Big Ten programs who have no business contending for a title. If any team can make the College Football Playoff with a basic threshold of wins, does it really matter?
Conference championship games will probably go extinct
The timeline may force conferences to eliminate their conference championship games to get the 24-field of competitions completed in a timey manner. Losing out on conference championship weekend would take out a sacred part of the college football season. Who wants to replace that fun slate of games with first-round nonsense?
The biggest fans don't want it
This is a major sticking point. The fans do not want this to happen. Why anger your viewer base just to add more playoff games to the schedule? The furious reaction online to the 24-team announcement should stand as proof enough that making the fans angry by expanding the playoff field could turn off your most passionate viewers. Why is that a good idea? Is this really necessary? Customer service 101: don't alienate your most reliable fans.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 5 reasons why the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams is bad
