The College Football Playoffs announced last week that they will consider expanding the playoff to 12 teams has seriously sparked debate over the last couple of days. The plan is expected to go through and the earliest we could see this implemented is 2023. This plan is absolutely fantastic for college football. 12 may be a little bit on the higher side of teams we expected, but it’s really no big deal. This new expansion brings some real excitement to the sport and is not one that people should be against
The Argument Against
Before we get into any sort of positives, we have to address the other side. Probably the main argument against this playoff is that nothing will change in the end run. When you look at this on the surface, it makes sense. However, how do we know without trying? For years the same four teams have made it and won it. We don’t know if this parody would repeat, especially with more of a sample size for upsets.
Even if our parody repeats, which it probably will, what’s the problem? At least we are getting way more competitive bowl games and teams actually get a shot at a championship without losing one game. In the end, the arguments against do not stack up against the arguments for, and it’s silly to think this doesn’t benefit everyone.
The Benefits
This list goes on and on here. First, obviously, this will be a huge rating boost for college football. More people will tune into bowl games now that they’re not completely worthless and all eyes will be on football in late December. As for the players, this could hurt their draft stock a bit, but it will benefit the large majority of players who actually need to improve their draft stock with some extra games. We won’t see these opt-outs that ruin every bowl game and we will see teams at their best. Guys will be putting in 100 percent of their effort and we’ll see competition every game.
Another benefit is exposure. With an automatic group of five teams qualifying, smaller programs will finally get a chance to prove themselves on a national stage. These schools, as well as other smaller-school Power Five teams, can now attract more interest in higher recruits. This will allow them to continue building their program. It will be nice to see these smaller schools finally get some recognition from those other than superfans.
The format also benefits the top-four teams, which is really good to see. A downside of an eight-team expansion is it doesn’t help any of the top teams, and these teams do deserve some advantage. With the four first-round byes, we get to see these teams getting a little help from the committee and some extra rest for the next week. Overall, this expansion is going to go through. Whether people like it or not is up to them, but it is benefiting a whole host of players, coaches, programs, and college football as a whole.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Charlie Parent on Twitter @Charlie_Parent
Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images
