As talks have begun to expand the College Football Playoff from a 12-team to a 16-team field, it is important that the system is perfected before expansion begins. For the first-run, the 12-team playoff was a success that allowed us to see home team playoffs as well as some very entertaining games the closer we got to crowning a chamion.
For as good as the the playoff was for college football fans there are a few things that definitely need to be shored up hopefully by the start of the 2025 season. The SEC and Big 10, especially, are the two most powerful conferences and seem to be leading the charge for expansion, more or less to guarantee four teams per conference each year in the playoff.
First I am not a fan of a conference getting a guaranteed spot because of the clout of the conference. Yes, we know the SEC and Big 10 are the two most powerful conferences but not a one deserves unearned spots in the playoff system. We saw at the end of the 2024 season with arguments for Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina over the likes of Indiana or Boise State but we saw the right choices were made.
It isn't always about the sexiest pick but to me should always be based on the performance on the field. Sometimes the most sexy team will be the right choice, but if there is going to be an expansion to 16 it shouldn't hurt the ACC or Big 12 from getting more teams in, if they have the best at-large teams.
Also, before the expansion happens lets get the bugs and kinks in the system. Obviously, the seeing system needs to be reviewed so the absolute four best teams get the first-round bye. In addition to this, there needs to be reseeding after the first round to which gives us possibly better second round games as well as not seeing an Oregon-Ohio State game so early into the playoff. I would also like to see the four teams who get a bye also, get a home game in the playoff. I think that would not only be cool to see more home games in the playoff, but it gives the teams who earned the bye an advantage that wasn't there in year one.
Another area that needs to be fixed is the amount of time from college championship Saturday to the start of the playoff season. It would seem starting the playoff the following weekend would be more beneficial for the teams as well as having less games being in competition with the NFL. Also, the playoff games being less spaced out raises the casual fan's interest levels more so than there was at the end of the playoff.
There will be some obstacles to overcome like where to put the Army-Navy game, as well as the Christmas holiday, but less time between games and having the national title game closer to New Year should do wonders for the sport.