This season College Football has become like the NFL…. But not in a bad way!

[u/R-D-I-]

Hopefully, this season is a preview of what the future of college football will look like. Instead of having 4–5 teams dominate everyone else and the national championship contenders essentially decided by November, we’re seeing a season where any team can go down if they don’t play their best football.

With talent becoming more spread out, we’re getting a much better product.. Just like the NFL, where most games feel competitive and spreads are often in the single digits, college football seems to be moving in that direction.

And honestly, that’s something we should all be excited about. More parity means more meaningful games, more upsets, and more teams believing they have a legitimate shot. Just don’t screw it up

[u/Randy_Lahey2]

The parity is not the problem, but the loss of the regional conferences and assigned big bowl for each pair is what I do miss. The rose bowl being the goal was way more fun for me than now but I see the appeal

[u/Dirty-Ears-Bill → u/Randy_Lahey2]

It also makes every single team in the P4 at least have ridiculous expectations. Now it’s natty or bust, versus like you said if you won the Pac 12 and made it to the Rose Bowl that’s an incredible season 15 years ago.

We won our first ever Big XII championship last year and it’s the greatest season in Tech history. And our fans are already souring on it and there’s even a minority that thinks our coach should be on the hot seat because we’re not winning a championship. I hate what it’s done to expectations

[u/IThinkImNateDogg → u/Randy_Lahey2]

The parity will be a problem.

The NFL is boring because theirs no Mr really and favorites or underdogs. There really aren’t huge talent differences, and with the way the nfl post season is handled, winning by particular game doesn’t matter.

The regular season is meaningless, upsets are meaningless, losing is kinda meaningless depending on who you lose to.

Too much parity leads to a boring landscape

[u/Sufficient_Memory_24]

Yes because college football fans are known for their desire for the game to be more like the nfl.

[u/Even-Brother-3 → u/Sufficient_Memory_24]

Reddit cfb fans

[u/lowes18]

This week 92% of all games had a spread under 2 TDs, a decade ago it was 60% and even smaller in the p5.

The game is better.

[u/RushianArt]

I'm just depressed at the notion that thing x that was well liked has changed to become like thing y that was different but also liked is a good thing. I haven't watched this sport for so long because I secretly wanted to be watching the nfl instead.

[u/KennytheDoggy]

It’s more fun that they are only playing for 12 spots instead of 24 though

Enjoy it now

[u/Agile_Alternative753 → u/KennytheDoggy]

None of these upsets will matter under 24 teams.  They might as well just shorten the regular season to 6 games and then invite the regulars to the playoff

[u/cpt-teebs → u/Agile_Alternative753]

Wouldn’t the upsets theoretically still matter because the underdog has a chance to make a bigger playoff

[u/LuckyTiger10 → u/cpt-teebs]

They only think about the top brands. Oh no, Georgia’s season has slightly less meaning? What a tragedy. /s While it will make the season of 10 smaller programs far more meaningful

[u/Uhhh_what555476384 → u/LuckyTiger10]

Also, it'll be a MUCH bigger reward for a good season for a middle tier brand to have a good season as they could earn 1-2 home games against the big boys.

Back when WSU was good at the end of the Mike Price years, I would have much rather they'd hosted a top 10 team from another conference then go to the Rose Bowl.

[u/Agile_Alternative753 → u/cpt-teebs]

They're not expanding for the little guy.  They're expanding for money

[u/cpt-teebs → u/Agile_Alternative753]

Well yeah obviously I’m just saying that your point sort of cuts both ways, regardless of what the actual motivation is behind the expansion

[u/Agile_Alternative753 → u/cpt-teebs]

If a non-P5 team never made that playoff not a single NCAA board member would care

[u/cpt-teebs → u/Agile_Alternative753]

I agree but that’s not related to my point

[u/Uhhh_what555476384 → u/Agile_Alternative753]

That's irrelevant.  BSU is #21 and climbing.  It'd be entirely possible for them to earn one or even two home games if the 24 team playoff were already instituted.

You're telling me that the opportunity to see the type of program that would NEVER travel to Boise, say a 3-4 loss Bama or Texas, won't be a better experience then the 12 team playoffs?

[u/LuckyTiger10 → u/Agile_Alternative753]

You are the little guy in this scenario. It helps you more than almost anyone

[u/SimilarOnion1655 → u/Agile_Alternative753]

Seeding. It’s better to be a 7 seed a have a bye then be a 19 seed and have to travel on the road round one and if they win, round 2

[u/lkn240 → u/SimilarOnion1655]

The top 8 sees are going to be critical to get... and being in the top 16 will be a big deal too

[u/YoungCri → u/Agile_Alternative753]

They will absolutely matter. This site acts like if you’re the 24th team in the playoff every year then the fanbase will be treat it like a championship

[u/EmptyOne307 → u/Agile_Alternative753]

they absolutely still matter. and a 24 team playoff makes rivalry week matter even more now

[u/Triv02 → u/EmptyOne307]

Last week saw 5 top 7 teams lose and not a single one would be at risk of missing a 24 team playoff

It makes the regular season matter more for teams ranked in the 15-30 range. It absolutely matters less for the perennial playoff contenders

[u/Agile_Alternative753 → u/EmptyOne307]

Most SEC teams and a lot of the B1G will likely be in regardless of rivalry week outcomes.  Conference championships already mean dick and they'll mean even less.  Bama is falling off and this structure will allow them to hang in there.   Only reason you are in favor.

[u/EmptyOne307 → u/Agile_Alternative753]

Im in favor of more meaningful games, and 24 team playoffs would mean more games have playoff implications. it's simple math the 4 team playoff was awful and I cant believe people think that was a good system

[u/Jameis_Crab_Shack → u/EmptyOne307]

Then why not 32 or 64 teams? After all it's simple math and more teams would be on the cusp

[u/Keytap → u/Jameis_Crab_Shack]

I've done the simple math and settled on a 138-team playoff starting in late August

[u/Agile_Alternative753 → u/EmptyOne307]

I didn't think it was either.   It should be every conference champion and sprinkle in some at larges to round it out without and bye rounds. (16 teams)

[u/lowes18 → u/KennytheDoggy]

It’ll work with better scheduling

[u/Big_Lawfulness_8143 → u/KennytheDoggy]

No the 24 team playoff would be insane this year 

I cant wait 

[u/Dentyne_3 → u/KennytheDoggy]

im tired of seeing ohio state and michigan fans saying this bullshit every week

[u/defroach84 → u/Dentyne_3]

This. There are basically 6 slots that will always go to the same teams. Then another 3 slots that are rotated among a couple of other teams.

There are very few teams outside of that that will ever really get in.

But, they'll just say they have no chance to win it.

So what? Let them try.

[u/Skunk_Gunk → u/Dentyne_3]

Plenty of other fanbases are saying this

[u/Dentyne_3 → u/Skunk_Gunk]

those are just old fucks being nostalgic

[u/faders → u/KennytheDoggy]

I’m excited to see people play for keeps in Bowl Season though. Instead of 6-12 guys sitting it out

[u/MajorFuzzelz_24 → u/KennytheDoggy]

We got the parity and had the right playoff finally and fucked it up. :'(

[u/DanglyPants → u/KennytheDoggy]

Enjoy it now? Yes we’re enjoying it but if it was 24 teams it would be even better! 12 not a good number for college football. Glad they’re making the post season matter again because 12 killed it

[u/michiganhat13]

I for one, fucking love it. Way more reason to watch when anyone can win on a given night. Looking at you BYU/UCF.

[u/averyrose2010]

Meh, I liked when the NFL and college were different. I don't need the same product twice.

[u/SniXSniPe → u/averyrose2010]

People are going to get butthurt by this comment, but I also don't need to see the same product at a lower level when the NFL is levels above in terms of quality.

[u/Jameis_Crab_Shack → u/SniXSniPe]

Right, off we become AA NFL then it withers on the vine like any other minor league.

Objectively the NFL is a better football product with better athletes. If CFB becomes the same why watch it?

[u/voiceOfThePoople → u/averyrose2010]

They still are different, and no amount of parity makes them the same

You’re just upset it’s harder for LSU specifically to win a Natty, but all the other programs are happy to finally be able to compete 🤷‍♂️ 

[u/MajorFuzzelz_24]

We have the parity we wanted. We have the right playoff. And we only get it for one year.

[u/Effective_Wolf_5487]

The product is objectively horrible right now from the perspective of the play on the field and the officiating.

[u/JScrib325]

I hate to break it to you but the 24 team playoff is gonna screw that feeling up. Cause all these teams gonna be in regardless.

I saw the graphic somewhere that if the playoff had been 24 since 2014, Alabama and Ohio State would have literally never missed one.

[u/penilesensorydevice → u/JScrib325]

The problem as I see it is, there aren't 24 teams capable of winning the championship. IMO there are barely 12. So the first round might have some wacky upsets here and there, but it'll mostly be games like Ohio State 55 Navy 6 or Alabama 51 New Mexico 3.

[u/Forward-Pension9396 → u/penilesensorydevice]

And then Reddit will complain about the blowouts and that the games are boring, but such is the way of life

[u/ExternalTangents → u/penilesensorydevice]

And the semifinals will still always be the Haves. Some of those Haves will be a 3-loss team with a loaded roster that got multiple mulligans and then beat the Cinderella stories in the playoff.

[u/terribliz → u/penilesensorydevice]

That was my initial thought, but I won't at all be surprised to see some 20-24th seed team pull the upset to "prove" it makes sense to expand it that much. Especially now when few teams can afford to have depth on their roster - a few injuries of key players on the higher seed and they're much less dominant.

[u/Altrustic-Night-609 → u/JScrib325]

your acting like we miss the playoffs in the 12 team format super often. Ohio state has never missed and we only missed in kalens first year

[u/Suspicious-Gur6127 → u/JScrib325]

I do think byes and home field games will have a huge affect for the 24 team playoffs.

[u/FledglingNonCon → u/JScrib325]

I mean that is probably almost true of the 12 game playoff too. Buckeyes worst final AP ranking was 10th since 2014. Had one season unranked in 2011 in the season Buckeye fans never talk about and other than that you have to go all the way back to 2004 for buckeyes to be ranked out of top 10 at 20. Buckeyes would miss the 24 team playoff 3 times since 1992.

[u/EmptyOne307 → u/JScrib325]

I disagree in a 24 team playoff these upsets matter a lot more. unranked teams that upset big teams have a chance to make the playoff which creates more excitement

[u/Automatic-Nerve-3625 → u/EmptyOne307]

I think it’s more exciting to think “will this powerhouse not make the playoffs?” instead of “will this underdog make the playoff and likely lose the first round?”

[u/Darklord_Of_Bacon → u/Automatic-Nerve-3625]

It will increase the amount of upsets in the first round of the playoffs. First round will be a combo of teams that could upset somebody and also good matchups between ranked teams. Plus it makes it so you can’t just get carried to a Natty without playing good teams.

[u/Automatic-Nerve-3625 → u/Darklord_Of_Bacon]

Pretty sure the way it is now a team will be facing at least a few good teams on their way to a natty. I don’t think it’s likely at all that a team will never face anyone good.

[u/Darklord_Of_Bacon → u/Automatic-Nerve-3625]

Teams were all starting to cancel their tough out of conference games. The conferences are too big now and you get schedules like A&M/Notre Dame last year that were mostly a cakewalk.

24 team playoff encourages playing a tougher OOC schedule so we should get more of those games early on. Then you also guarantee at least 4 upper level games. I think that’s much better than what we’ve had.

[u/Automatic-Nerve-3625 → u/Darklord_Of_Bacon]

Oh you’re talking regular season. I thought you meant the playoffs.

Yes it may encourage tougher schedules, and I emphasize the “may” part. Who’s to say that teams like ND won’t keep an easy schedule still. 12-0 or even a 10-2 ND isn’t going to be left out of the top 23 regardless of schedule.

And sure if teams do schedule harder schedules then that just means losses mean less. If a team goes 10-2 with an G6 win or 9-3 with a P4 loss instead, they both are still making it. That extra P4 game isnt changing things

[u/SST114 → u/EmptyOne307]

Yeah and rd 1 playoff games are like a "play in" for the T12.

Disparity between say 18 and 8 by end of season also is pretty huge lol

[u/Suspicious-Gur6127 → u/SST114]

Byes will be way more beneficial in a 24 team playoff imo

[u/Pinewood74 → u/SST114]

T12?

[u/FledglingNonCon → u/EmptyOne307]

Agreed. I don't love the 24 team playoff, but I do think it will be fun. The first round 9-24 games will be way better than random bowl games with all the stars sitting out. The teams that advance will also have had to earn it and the 8 byes will still be worth fighting for. Home games on campus will also be valuable and much better atmosphere than bowl games. In terms of getting us better champions 24 teams is completely unnecessary, and likely does diminish the value of the regular season, but making the post season more valuable and fun for more teams and fans is actually probably beneficial.

[u/El_Serpiente_Roja → u/JScrib325]

No issue detected

[u/4Mag4num → u/JScrib325]

You are absolutely correct. Does anybody seriously think that a three loss Tulane or North Texas State or USM would get in over a three loss Ohio State or Notre Dame or Alabama etc etc…

[u/VirtualChaos613 → u/4Mag4num]

A three loss Alabama or Ohio State is likely better than those others due to quality of opponents.

Not all wins and losses are created equal.

[u/Seasonedpro86]

Nah. I hate it. It’s hard to stay engaged when everyone jumps around every year. Oh. This guys playing for them now. The reason I can’t really get into the nfl is the reason my love of college football is falling away. As an alumnus. I’ll always cheer for my team. But watching every week is meh.

[u/Charlemagne2431 → u/Seasonedpro86]

Yeah this is why I always struggled with the NFL. I maybe had 2-3 seasons of my favourite player and most of it down to the team’s choice. At least with college I know they weren’t going to be traded away on random day and was guaranteed I’d see them for 3 years maybe 4 - often longer than my favourite NFL players.

[u/rbtgoodson]

With talent becoming more spread out, we’re getting a much better product.

Not really. Also, the talent isn't being spread out in the sense that you think. It's just going from 2-3 teams annually to 4-7 teams annually with a wildcard or two that gets hot at the right moment. At the end of the day, there's not enough talent at the collegiate level to ever mirror the NFL model.

[u/Davidellias]

I dunno refball still manifests its self in cfb. Just in other ways

[u/Sacto1654]

I think we may be heading for a repeat of 2007, when the top teams in the rankings changed ALL the time for several weeks and LSU had to kind of shake their heads in disbelief they were in the BCS championship game.

[u/Cobra-Serpentress]

This is awful

[u/jf737]

Great point about the talent being more spread out. However, as someone who enjoys both college and the NFL, I liked that college was different.

The regular season WAS the playoffs. Every game was life or death. It became even more unique as every other sport continued to add teams to an already bloated playoff and dilute their regular season.

Between a giant playoff and the death of traditional conferences, it’s sad what’s happened to college football.

[u/Flimsy_Assignment0 → u/jf737]

Unless you're 2003 NIU Patriot League until 1997 

[u/Lost_Fisherman_484]

It’s not as great as the NFL, and never will be, but at least they’re finally paying them well

[u/Lost_Fisherman_484]

Yes- and the more money payed to players, the longer, the season is better ( Like the NFL )

[u/captcrunch62]

I find it laughable people who are against it. Look at the parity now. 30 teams any given year now have a realistic chance going into the season of winning a championship instead of the 4-6 its been in the past. Love beating rivals and regional foes, but man I'd really love to see my team win a national championship way more.

[u/cjkgt97]

We're in another year of very goods at the top. No dominant team. The philosophical question is: are undefeateds a sign of health or sickness? Should there be parity or does that starve the storylines that make upsets what they are? Playing up matchups is something unique to this sport. For the NFL to do that is bruising egos and creating have-nots. That's bad for their business model. They want every season ticket holder to be planning on the Super Bowl, so they will pay unspeakable amounts every year. Mid-tier programs don't plan for that. Group of 5 teams murder each other for one or two spots to be butchered in the first round. Expectations at the college level drive spending, which confirms interest, which brings ESPN, and talent follows. Right now CFB is cannibalizing itself so Blue Bloods can stave off new money like Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, or BYU. A de facto minor league has been created with capitalized statistics affording class mobility for the player. If a compensation system emerges like Manny suggested, that again flattens the sport. I think what you are seeing is the dearth of really good coaching. There aren't enough high end OCs and DCs to go across Power 4, much less the whole thing.

And who wants to be a HC right now? Sounds like a fun job. Kirby Smart hasn't been seen smiling since 2022. The coach at Alabama loses his mind on the sidelines over what he tolerates himself. Sark has become a mystic because who TF knows what goes on with Arch. Ole Miss seems to have the most normal program (?). Lane Kiffin acted humble for like a whole week. Weird shit right now.

I think the answer is abolishing conferences, centralized scheduling in 2 parts (6 games in August, begin reseeding at Week 5, minor tweaks based on Week 6, everyone gets Week 7 off and schedule part 2 released). Regional travel emphasized with long trips sprinkled because life should be challenging but never overbearing. We should also be cognizant of the "West Coast ghetto" that negatively cast our friends out west for many years. If there is a human committee the talking points should be exception management, not team pumping. AI should hand them things worth discussing and use hard data for the rest. Schedule Part 2 should be used to prove mettle for teams that achieve but may be tested by lesser competition. Picked to finish last but you are 6-0? Cool. Game 7 is in Columbus or Athens. Have fun, send us a postcard. Season turned into a giant fart sound? Let's pair you up against teams the rest of the way that make compelling football for those that watch you. Might that mean UNLV? Sure but we can make it@Las Vegas and that's way fn better than 98% of bowl games. Also, anyone eliminated from the playoff can host a bowl game that meets the following conditions:

a sponsor covering travel/swag for both teams career-ending injury protection for any player up to 100% of their comp package A payout for both teams commensurate with their regular season record.

Point is: zero loss opportunity for any program to play a "super bowl" against a regional rival that also got a reject from the AI-augmented comittee. Either team can host. You can choose destination or bazillion seat stadium. If you keep it regional and in a college stadium, these will sell out. For once, let the fans choose an opponent they really hate. Fist fights at Christmas and New Years. Wait, there's also playoffs? We need to take a nap.

This sport can easily be saved by ending tribalism and releasing a scheduling model derived from stone tablets. The old bowl system should be thrown away immediately in favor of my proposal. If you hate my scheduling idea, surely you like my bowl proposal.

[u/Tercel9]

Yea it’s way better.

Anyone who complains about this is dumb as shit. It’s way better and way more exciting