An Expanded College Football Playoff Means Things Could Get Weird This Year

We’re headed for an unpredictable and unprecedented playoff, college football fans. Thanks to a major change implemented this year,

Cheaper by the dozen

It’s always been practically impossible to accurately predict any playoff results at this point in the season. But with 12 teams now making it to the first round, there’s no way to gauge how things will fall into place.

Those who favor the CFP’s growth from four teams to 12 say it offers more opportunity for teams to advance and contributes to a more exciting season in general.

But combined with bloated conferences like the Big Ten’s current 16-team lineup, the chase for a spot in the playoff could easily devolve into chaos.

Conference call

There’s already evidence of that disarray playing out within some of those conferences. Although things can still change, here’s how the CFP is shaping up:

• Big Ten: Four teams — Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana — are in a prime position to reach the playoffs.
• Big 12: More than half of this conference’s 16 teams remain in contention with 256 different outcome possibilities.
• ACC: Clemson, Miami, and SMU are all vying to become what will probably be the only ACC team in the playoff.

There’s plenty more uncertainty to be found when we explore variables like Boise State’s potential path to represent the Group of 5 in the CFP. Then there’s the SEC, which is in a bit of turmoil as even some of the strongest teams, like Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Ole Miss are all still scrambling for a playoff spot.

But despite all that uncertainty and amid mounting disarray, most analysts seem to agree that the ultimate champion likely comes down to one of four teams: Oregon, Texas, Ohio State, and Georgia.

Chris Agee November 30th, 2024

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