The College Football Playoff isn’t heading backward, and Nick Saban’s preferred fix doesn’t really fit where the sport is going.
Saban has been part of the conversation as the playoff keeps creeping toward expansion, and while there’s plenty to appreciate about him - including what he brings to College Gameday and his work pushing the Protect College Sports Act - the idea that the committee should settle on a 16-team field misses the bigger force at play: money.
That’s the part driving this whole thing. The CFP is expanding because the sport’s power brokers want more of the pie, not less, and any plan that looks like it’s designed to keep certain Power Four schools out is really just an effort to preserve the SEC’s grip on the sport. A 16-team setup still leaves too many programs on the outside looking in, especially once you step beyond the usual SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 group.
The reality is that college football isn’t going back to the BCS. The sport is moving toward something that looks a lot more like basketball by 2030, with all the pageantry that comes with it.
That also means some of the old structure, including conference championship games, is headed toward becoming less important. From a commissioner’s perspective, there’s a practical case for that too: those title games bring extra travel, extra expense, and plenty of questions about whether the return is worth it when the real race is for CFP access.
And for schools like Texas Tech or BYU, a 16-team playoff still doesn’t create much real belief that they can routinely get in and make noise once they’re there. A 24-team bracket changes that. It gives more programs a legitimate seat at the table and makes the investment in expensive rosters look a lot more sensible when the playoff field itself grows enough to support them.
In Other News...
BYU Faces A Program Defining Test In A Brutal Top 10 Showdown
Brigham Young steps into one of its biggest regular-season stages in years Saturday night, hosting Notre Dame in a clash between two unbeaten teams at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The setting alone gives it weight, but the matchup adds even more intrigue: the Irish arrive with the nations top total defense, while BYU is trying to keep rolling in front of a national audience on ABC.
The Cougars will have to navigate the game without their top running back because of injury, a challenge that makes the offensive approach even more important against a defense like Notre Dames. For BYU, this is the kind of top-10 measuring stick that can shape how the season is viewed long after Saturday night ends. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Tougher Notre Dame Test If Two Defenders Return
Notre Dame may look a little closer to whole when it meets BYU, and that matters for a Cougars offense that has to navigate a defense still built around speed and depth even after injuries. Head coach Marcus Freeman said cornerback Leonard Moore and defensive lineman Jason Onye have taken practice reps and are trending toward playing, which puts both players in position to be available after missing significant time.
Moore sat out the previous game with a concussion, while Onye has been sidelined since the season opener with an ankle injury. If both are back on the field, it gives Notre Dame a welcome boost on the back end and up front, and it raises the degree of difficulty for BYU in a game that already figures to demand clean execution. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Notre Dame Stage Carries Huge Stakes Beyond The Score
A marquee night at LaVell Edwards Stadium is bringing more than just a big game to Provo. With College GameDay expected to be part of the buildup, BYUs meeting with Notre Dame has become the kind of spotlight moment programs spend years trying to create, and the Cougars will have a packed house of top prospects watching it unfold.
Among those expected on hand are Blake Wong, Kyle Nabrotzky, Ryan Wooten Jr., Gaige Weddle, Dennis Tu'aone, Eli Mortensen, Malakai Leilua, Lincon Fa'alafi, Jake Matsen and Kyran Majors, a group that includes recruits committed to BYU or holding offers from the Cougars and other major programs. For BYU, the stakes go well beyond the final score, because a showcase like this can leave an impression that lasts long after the national cameras are gone. [Read more 🡒]