‘Completely Ruined and Undermined the Regular Season’ — Ex-Texas LB Rips Expanded College Football Playoff Format With Harsh Verdict
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The inevitable College Football Playoff expansion news landed like a ton of bricks on Thursday when it was reported that a deal to expand the showpiece event to 24 teams was nearing completion. The new format is expected to debut in 2027 and will reportedly feature 19 at-large bids, four places reserved for Power Four champions, and one spot for the highest-rated Group of Six champion.
After the announcement of the news, former Texas Longhorns linebacker Emmanuel Acho slammed the move to a 24-team field.
Emmanuel Acho Slams Expanded College Football Playoff Field
During Friday’s segment of the “Speakeasy” podcast, Acho delivered a brutal verdict on the value of college football’s regular season after the playoff expansion.
“College football’s regular season is officially ruined with the playoff expansion,” Acho said. “Back in the day before the playoffs, when it was just the BCS, if you lost just one game, it meant everything. When Texas this weekend lost to Oklahoma, tears would be shed from every single Texas fan, because they knew their national championship dreams and aspirations were on life support… Now, you lose a game, ‘Oh, it’s fine, 12-team playoff.'”
“There’s going to come a day when you lose four games, ‘Oh, it’s fine, 24-team playoff,'” Acho added. “What makes pro sports, pro sports, the greatest of pro sports that is, is how exclusive is playoffs?”
“Realistically speaking, how many competent and competitive college football programs are there?” Acho asked. “There’s probably like 30-35 competent and competitive college football teams on an annual basis. And you’re going to allow 24 of them to make the playoff?”
Acho further argued that the small number of competitive college football teams did not warrant an expanded field and identified some of the high-profile Week 6 losses as irrelevant in the context of the new 24-team playoff field.
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Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has argued that a 24-team format would preserve the regular season’s importance through:‘tiered incentives,” including playoff qualification, home-field advantage, and first-round byes.
The CFP’s exclusive 30-day negotiating window with ESPN expired on Oct. 9 without a deal, but talks continued after officials submitted a final financial proposal that triggered a contractual five-business-day review period for the network.
The CFP and ESPN signed a six-year, $7.8 billion deal in 2024, which ensured that the network would remain the sole media rights holder for the showcase event.
The College Football Playoff format started in 2014, with a four-team field, and the Ohio State Buckeyes were crowned champions in its inaugural season. The format expanded to a 12-team field in 2024, and the Buckeyes were once again crowned champions at the end of the season.
The proposal is also expected to eliminate Power Four conference championship games, though the expanded format has not yet received final approval.
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In the new format, the season is expected to start a week earlier, but the New Year’s Six bowls will likely retain their status as the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the national championship game still in January.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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