The CFP Is Lying to Us About Playoff Expansion

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams, and college football will never be quite the same. But is a bigger playoff actually a bad thing?In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr break down the newly announced 24-team College Football Playoff format, the five-year agreement with ESPN, and what it all means for Ohio State, the Big Ten, and the future of college football.The new format includes automatic bids for the four Power Four conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six champion, with 19 additional at-large selections. The top eight teams receive first-round byes, and the first two rounds will be played on campus.But the expansion also raises some enormous questions.Will a 24-team playoff diminish the importance of the regular season? What happens to conference championship games? Will Ohio State still have something meaningful to play for against Michigan if both teams have already secured playoff spots?Tony and Tom also discuss the television negotiations involving ESPN, Fox, and the Big Ten, including why Fox pushed for a bigger playoff but ESPN ultimately retained control of the television rights.And Tony shares his questions from the official College Football Playoff media teleconference, including what executive director Rich Clark said about protecting the regular season, rewarding difficult nonconference schedules, and responding to fans who oppose expansion.00:00 – Welcome to Buckeye Weekly: The College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams!00:35 – Breaking down the new 24-team playoff format and ESPN agreement01:37 – Will expansion hurt college football's regular season?02:37 – Why conference championship games may become unnecessary03:57 – Could the Big Ten return to recognizing co-champions?05:10 – Why Fox wanted playoff expansion but ESPN retained the television rights06:37 – Could ESPN sell playoff games to Fox or other networks?08:00 – The future of college football's television rights negotiations08:55 – Would Ohio State ever rest starters against Michigan?09:53 – Will a 24-team playoff diminish the importance of The Game?10:45 – New scheduling expectations for Power Four and Group of Six teams12:00 – Tony questions CFP executive director Rich Clark about scheduling incentives13:15 – Why rewarding marquee nonconference victories may not be enough14:29 – Should the playoff replace subjective rankings with an objective selection formula?15:28 – What college football can learn from figure skating's scoring system17:00 – How transparent scoring could make playoff selections easier to understand19:32 – Tony asks Rich Clark about fans who oppose playoff expansion20:30 – Does the College Football Playoff really listen to its fans?21:38 – Why a 24-team playoff could create exciting new postseason matchups22:30 – The appeal of campus playoff games and unfamiliar opponents24:00 – Could playoff expansion actually improve nonconference scheduling?24:25 – Final thoughts: Is the 24-team playoff good for college football?Join Buckeye Insiders!Get exclusive Ohio State football coverage, insider reporting, recruiting analysis, premium message board discussions, and more at:https://BuckeyeInsiders.comJoin Tony Gerdeman, Tom Orr, and the Buckeye Insiders community for daily discussions about Ohio State football, the Big Ten, and the changing landscape of college football.Join the conversation!