‘No Way in Hell’ — Stephen A. Smith Slams 24-Team CFP Despite $200M Dilemma
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The debate over the future of the College Football Playoff has officially reached a boiling point. With the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and Notre Dame aligning behind a massive 24-team playoff proposal, the sport is on the verge of a radical transformation. However, ESPN’s premier voice, Stephen A. Smith, isn’t buying the hype.
Why Stephen A. Smith Opposes a 24-Team College Football Playoff
Speaking alongside Michael Wilbon on Thursday’s “First Take” episode, Smith vehemently pushed back against the gridiron greed driving this latest expansion movement.
“We’re running out of time. We ain’t going that route,” Smith said. “There’s no way in hell it should go a 24 playoff. There aren’t 24 teams worthy. But, Wilbon, I have no problem with 16. I really, don’t.”
At the heart of the 24-team push is Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, who argues that a 16-team format simply doesn’t work economically. Expanding to 24 teams would require eliminating traditional conference championship games to fit the calendar. According to Petitti, erasing those title games would collectively strip college football of over $200 million in revenue.
To offset that massive shortfall, proponents argue that a 24-team inventory is necessary to fetch a larger media rights premium. While Smith acknowledges the financial gravity of the situation, he refuses to let television executives and conference commissioners sacrifice the integrity of the sport for a payout.
“According to Petitti, if you had a 16-team playoff format, you’d likely have to eliminate conference championship games, which would collectively cost college football over $200 million,” Smith noted. “I understand that argument. I’m talking about just the teams.”
But Smith isn’t an anti-expansion purist. He fully embraced the move from the restrictive four-team model to the 12-team field. But he believes 16 teams is the mathematical and competitive sweet spot for college football, mirroring the proportional depth of other elite leagues.
To prove his point, Smith pointed to the NFL, where 14 out of 32 teams (43.8%) make the postseason. In a college football landscape featuring a vastly larger pool of schools, expanding to a 16-team bracket offers premium access without diluting the product.
“Could you have a playoff with 16 teams worthy of being in the playoffs, capable of knocking each other off? Yes, you could,” Smith asserted. “What’s wrong with 16 teams? I don’t see a problem with that.”
Aside from watering down the regular season, Smith raised a far more serious concern regarding an over-expanded field: player safety.
College football is fundamentally different from basketball, where a 68-team tournament thrives on Cinderella stories. Football is an inherently violent, high-impact sport. Forcing elite, NFL-bound rosters to play opening-round games against vastly outmatched mid-major programs is a recipe for disaster.
“You might not want some ‘gimme’ where you’re on the football field because football is a violent sport,” Smith warned. “You don’t want people that have no chance of competing actually out there… because people can get hurt.”
Ultimately, the CFP is facing an identity crisis. While commissioners view the playoff through the lens of dollar signs and maximum inventory, Stephen A. Smith is echoing the sentiments of millions of fans: Bigger isn’t always better.
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