Talks about expanding the College Football Playoff are growing across college football. With discussions about a possible 24-team format already creating debate, several analysts and coaches have continued sharing their opinions on the future format. 

ESPN's Paul Finebaum has now shared what he thinks would be the ideal playoff bracket.

Recently, Paul Finebaum talked about his stance in the CFP debate on the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning podcast. He emphasized that the field should not expanded beyond 16 teams, and he just couldn't justify raising that number to 24.

“I’m very much at 16, Greg, and I just don’t understand the argument,” Finebaum said. “I don’t understand a coherent argument for 24.” 

The ongoing talks about CFP expansion gained more attention after Yahoo Sports reported that the American Football Coaches Association supported a maximum expansion of the playoff.

The proposal could reportedly increase the field to 24 teams and remove conference championship games.

The Big Ten appears to also be in favor of a 24-team format. However, the SEC continues to support a 16-team “5+11” model with automatic bids for conference champions.

Finebaum was openly skeptical about whether college football has enough teams to justify such a large playoff field.

“We all know there probably aren’t 16 teams that are capable of winning the national championship,” Finebaum said. “If that’s the case, there weren’t 12 last year, and there certainly aren’t 24.”

Finebaum pointed out that among the sixteen teams included in the Big 12 Conference, fewer than ten teams actually had what it took to win.

“I do believe the regular season in college football is special and sacrosanct,” he said. “With so many spots available and probably already locked up, I have a hard time believing some of those late November games are going to be anything but just okay.”

For now, the current CFP format will continue, with expansion talks still in progress.

Greg Sankey Raises Concerns Over 24-Team CFP Expansion 

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey spoke at an APSE meeting in Birmingham on May 11. Like Finebaum, he too raised concerns about expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams. 

“There is a tipping point (when it comes to meaningful games) in November,” Sankey said. “At any level of expansion, there will be games that didn’t matter in a smaller number that now matter in a bigger number. But there’s another side to that coin where the next-to-last weekend… might not matter in the same way (in a 24-team playoff).”

He also raised concerns about how the expanded structure would affect the sport’s scheduling and planning.

“Where do you fit all the games in?” he asked, pointing out the logistical issues the expansion would cause.

For now, the College Football Playoff will stay in its current format. Talks about moving to 16 or 24 teams are still going on. The debate over the importance of the regular season vs. more playoff spots is yet to be settled.

What do you think about the future of the CFP format? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by

Divyanshi Raj

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit