The fact that we are here and the #15, 16, 17 and 20th ranked teams are still in contention for a playoff spot is ridiculous. Back when we had the BCS, when we had the 4 team playoff, no one in their right mind ever argued that the 15, 16, 17 and 20th ranked teams should have a shot at a national title. When this thing expands to 16 teams and beyond, we going to be talking about unranked teams getting a shot. How stupid. UNLV should not even be in the playoffs with a win, the auto-bids have got to go.
1000%. And at least early on in this expanded playoff, we’re going to see a lot of embarrassing outcomes reminiscent of the 2022 championship (UGA over TCU 65-7). Teams like this year’s Boise, Iowa State, UNLV, and Arizona State shouldn’t even be anywhere near the playoffs, much less getting a whiff of a first round bye. The outcomes will show that when they get blown off the field.
Here’s what I think is going to happen as the years go on though - top tier talent that would otherwise restrict their choices to the blue bloods of college football are going to start looking at these schools that in the past could only hope for a meaningless mid-level bowl game, but are now appearing in the playoffs against legitimate contenders. And some of this top tier talent will start to consider and select these schools (and their increasing NIL pools).
The end result after a few years will be much more parity in the top half of FBS schools, and “dynasties” will be a thing of the past. NIL by itself has already had a huge impact on parity, which in my opinion, is why we have no real dominant teams this year. Everybody’s got flaws, and there are probably a legit 8 teams that could get hot and win the whole thing. Couple that with the Boises, Iowa States, UNLVs, and Arizona States suddenly able to draw more top tier talent via playoff inclusion, and we’re suddenly a lot closer to the parity of college basketball. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a personal judgement. For me, it’s bad. I like seeing programs build into powerhouses over a few seasons. I don’t really like the one-and-done nature of college basketball or pro sports.
God forbid further expansion beyond 12.