re: Sources: The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams in 2027

quote:

---

You think it was more advantageous to schedule tough OOC games before?

---

Yes. You’re confusing the incentive to schedule a big nonconference game with the consequences of losing one. Under the old system, a marquee OOC win could be the difference between playing for a national championship and being left out. Strength of schedule mattered enormously when you were comparing teams with similar records for two or four spots.

Look at 2016 Ohio State. They went to Oklahoma and won, didn’t even win their own division, and still made the four-team playoff over Big Ten champ Penn State, which had beaten them head-to-head. That nonconference victory was a major factor in their selection. Look at 2023 Texas. Their win in Tuscaloosa gave them a signature résumé advantage that helped secure a playoff spot.

Now with 12 teams, the incentive is increasingly to minimize risk. Expand that to 24 teams and the incentive becomes even weaker. Why would Ohio State risk losing at Oklahoma or Texas risk losing at Alabama when both could likely make a 24-team playoff playing a much weaker schedule?

The 24 would make even more necessary to schedule weaker opponents in order to minimize the risk of injuries and develop backups for the long season.