On December 7, 2024, the first 12-team college football playoff field was released. This was a huge change from the four-team playoff there had previously been since 2014. In this new bracket, the top four teams received byes, which is when you sit out a week and not have to play, while the other eight teams duked it out in the first round. But, lots of coaches, announcers, talk show hosts, and fans have been criticizing the format and demanding a change. While there has been a lot of controversy around the format, I think that the field works perfectly. Here are four reasons why the College Football Playoff format has no problems with the way it runs.
1. The Conference Champions
While many people think that teams should not receive byes because it gives them preferential treatment, I think that it might actually be the most important aspect of the playoffs. While other teams have to play games and work hard, the top four seeds get to stay at home and rest in preparation for their games, including getting to recover from any injuries that they have suffered throughout the season.
Basically, the only way to get a bye is by winning your conference, unless you are almost undefeated. This year, Indiana, the Big 10 conference champion, Georgia, the SEC champion, and Texas Tech, the Big 12 conference champion, all got byes. In previous years, only one or two conference champions would even make the playoffs. But in the current system, they get an advantage. Again, last year, Arizona State had a bye that helped them prepare for a challenging matchup against Texas. They ended up losing in an overtime thriller. Without winning the Big 12, they would have had to play earlier. Since ASU was a heavy underdog, getting that week of rest gave them much more time to prepare for the game against Texas, who were one of the favorites to win it all. If they had played the first week, the Sundevils would probably have lost, being the underdog that they are. That would mean losing the bye and not getting any of those benefits in rest and preparation.
2. The Underdog
During the old days of a four-team playoff, there were no underdogs competing in the playoffs (except for the American Athletic Conference team Cincinnati in 2021). It was the four best teams playing, and the games were all close and competitive. Now, in the 12-team playoff, there are heavy underdogs playing. Since the top five conference champions have to make the field and there are four “power” conferences (the main conferences with the best teams: the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and ACC), one or two non-power-conference teams make the field. Last season, Boise State got to play, and this season, eleventh-seeded Tulane and twelfth-seeded James Madison got to play.
Obviously, these games commonly end up lopsided. But, it also makes for must-watch television, given what shocking things can happen in a football game. Who wouldn’t want to watch a first-time playoff team with a small stadium capacity go up against a blue blood?
Aside from the actual football games, making the playoffs can change a program. Tulane and James Madison surely got a hefty paycheck when they made it. Players and coaches receive national attention, giving them better opportunities through the transfer portal and NIL. Alonza Barnett III, the James Madison quarterback, transferred to UCF and is estimated to have received around a million dollars to play football there in the 2026-2027 season, largely due to his team making the college football playoffs. Also, JMU coach Bob Chesney is taking advantage of this and leaving for UCLA on another hefty contract. Overall, allowing underdogs to compete is more beneficial for the players and coaches, and it makes for exciting games.
3. Home Games
Before, with the four-team playoff, games would be played in neutral sites, with the fans being split between teams about 50-50. Any football player can tell you that there’s nothing like the atmosphere in a college football home game. It’s loud and chaotic, causing havoc for the away team. Classic places like Kyle Field at Texas A&M and The Big House at the University of Michigan are known for being a horrible place to play as a visitor, with fans screaming and trying to distract opposing teams the whole game. In the two years of the CFP, six of the eight home teams have won their matchup, and the ones who lost made it very close. The first round of the 12-team playoff has the five, six, seven, and eight seeds host a game. It is just different to play such an important game in front of a team’s own fans. Some people are even pushing for there to be more home games. This is yet another special part of the playoffs. Changing the format could take away special moments like these.
4. Football!
Lastly, the real reason we watch all of this madness is that we love football! Whether it’s a Tuesday night MACtion game or the National Championship, everything is exciting. As fans, we stick through it all. And we especially love the College Football Playoffs! Who wouldn’t want to watch a full month of action-packed football? Every weekend, there is yet another good game! This year, we saw everything. Changing the CFP format could mess this all up. The playoffs are perfect for these reasons, and they deserve to stay as they are.
