After years of public demand, the College Football Playoff (CFP) expanded from four to 12 teams, but fans remain frustrated with the new format’s flaws. In the tournament’s first year of expansion, all four top seeds—No. 1 Oregon Ducks, No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 3 Boise State Broncos, and No. 4 Arizona State Sun Devils—lost their opening games after a lengthy break, exposing a key issue: the supposed advantage of a first-round bye led to rust rather than readiness.
As these top teams struggled to find consistency after nearly a month of inactivity, teams that played in the first round showed sharper performance, raising questions about the format’s fairness.
ESPN’s Michael Wilbon voiced a potential solution, advocating for a reduction to an eight-team playoff to eliminate the need for byes. “Twelve is too many,” Wilbon stated. “College kids shouldn’t be playing 16 or 17 games a season. With eight teams, there are no byes, which removes the risk of rust. Oregon didn’t deserve that fate.”
Wilbon, however, is not optimistic about such a change, citing financial motivations. “This is a greed play, a money play, for everyone involved, including this network,” he said, acknowledging ESPN’s role in driving the expanded playoff. ESPN secured exclusive media rights for the CFP through 2031-32 with a $7.8 billion deal, incentivizing the network to maximize the number of games for increased advertising revenue.
“They’re not going to go from 12 to 8 (teams) because this is a greed play. It’s a money play for everybody involved, including this network.”
Michael Wilbon lays into ESPN for its involvement in the expanded CFP, while Tony Kornheiser has some words for SEC diehards: pic.twitter.com/fN1iPybu0c
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 3, 2025
Wilbon’s critique has resonated with fans, many of whom have taken to social media to express support. “I respect Wilbon for calling out his own network—rare to see someone risk their paycheck to speak truth about the college football money grab,” one fan tweeted.
Others have suggested alternative formats, such as a six-team playoff with conference champions and at-large bids. “Twelve is too many. I like six teams. Each Power 5 conference champion and one wild card, with the top two seeds getting byes,” one user proposed.
While some fans lament the loss of home playoff atmospheres in a smaller format, many agree that reducing the field could enhance game quality and fairness. As the debate continues, the expanded CFP remains under scrutiny, with questions lingering about its long-term impact on college football.
