For years, college football fans clamored for an expanded playoff, frustrated with the exclusivity of the four-team format that often left out deserving programs. The 2024 season finally delivered what many had long wished for: a 12-team College Football Playoff. While skeptics worried about potential downsides—such as diluting the regular season or creating lopsided early-round matchups—the inaugural expanded playoff proved to be an overwhelming success. From increased excitement to better representation, here’s why the new format delivered in every way.
One of the biggest criticisms of the four-team playoff was that it often felt predictable. The same handful of programs—Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Clemson—dominated the field, leaving little room for variety. With only four spots available, a single loss often eliminated teams from contention, making November heartbreakingly anticlimactic for many programs.
The expanded playoff changed that entirely. With 12 spots up for grabs, more teams remained in the hunt deep into the season, making conference championships and even late-season regular-season games feel like playoff contests. This not only kept more fan bases engaged longer but also added layers of drama that college football had lacked in previous years.
Boise State, Arizona State, Indiana, Southern Methodist University, Tennessee and Penn State all made the playoff for the first time. Giving six new programs a chance to compete for a championship is helpful for keeping more fanbases engaged.
One of the biggest concerns about an expanded playoff was that the first round might feature blowouts, with lower-seeded teams struggling against superior competition. While in some cases, blowouts did occur, the second-round thriller between Texas and Arizona State proved that every team has a true chance.
Blowouts are a part of every sport. In the NFL, the Super Bowl was a massive blowout, but nobody thinks the NFL playoff format is flawed. The fact that blowouts will occur should not discourage more competition.
One of the primary arguments against playoff expansion was that it would devalue the regular season. If more teams were making the postseason, would marquee regular-season matchups lose their significance? Would rivalry games matter less?
The reality was the opposite. With more playoff spots available, more teams remained in contention late in the season. Instead of a small handful of games determining everything, we saw intense battles across multiple conferences, with schools jockeying for better seeding and home-field advantage.
Conference championship games, which sometimes felt irrelevant under the four-team model (especially when teams had already secured a playoff spot), became critical once again. The expanded playoff didn’t just protect the importance of the regular season—it enhanced it.
Under the four-team format, many traditional bowl games felt like afterthoughts. Star players frequently opted out, and games that once had significance often felt meaningless. The expanded playoff revitalized bowl season, incorporating major bowls into the playoff structure and giving them greater stakes.
With more teams involved in the championship chase, fewer players opted out, knowing they had a real shot at a title. The result was a bowl season that felt meaningful again, with games that mattered beyond just pride or a final ranking.
The success of the 12-team playoff in its first season bodes well for the future of college football. The increased excitement, the improved representation, and the overall competitiveness of the games showed that this was the right move for the sport.
As the playoff evolves, tweaks may be made, but one thing is clear: the expanded format has reinvigorated college football. More teams have a legitimate chance to compete for a title, more fan bases are engaged, and the postseason has never been more exciting.
For years, fans and analysts pushed for a more inclusive playoff, and the early returns have proven it was the right call. The College Football Playoff expansion wasn’t just a success—it was a game-changer for the sport.
