It won’t be the same after this. Well, that’s the way of the world. The people don’t always get what they want, but they do get what they pay for, and there is enough economic demand for an expanded College Football Playoff to bring it to fruition.
As soon as 2024, the CFP will feature 12 teams. That means if undefeated Ohio State plays undefeated Michigan, as they will Saturday, it will be winner-take-very-little. For most of the 20th century, these kinds of showdowns were the best drama in sports, the stakes both enormous and clearly defined. Conference championship games and a four-team playoff diluted them a bit. But when the CFP goes to 12 teams, 11–0 Michigan and 11–0 Ohio State will really just be elbowing each other for a place in line.
Most college football fans seem happy about this. The idea of a 12-team playoff, with some games at campus stadiums, excites them, and understandably so. We’ll see whether the reality is as exciting. The best teams will effectively clinch spots in October; the best programs will make the Playoff pretty much every season, even in down years; and there will be unintended and unforeseen consequences, as there always are.
