"I'll Fight That": Urban Meyer Refuses To Allow Drastic College Football Change Despite Scheduling Issues

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The debate over CFP expansion (either to 16 or 24 teams) may ultimately come down to sorting out the college football calendar. However, in a bid to extend the postseason, the conference championship games may end up being collateral damage. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was presented with an interesting idea for reimagining the calendar, and he liked what he saw.

Dan Worthington, the social media manager for Meyer’s The Triple Option podcast, proposed the 2027 schedule, which starts Week 1 on August 21. There are also other major changes. The regular season ends on November 13, with conference title games scheduled for November 20.

“The best thing is you kept the conference championship games, which I see. People want to get rid of that, and I’ll fight that,” Meyer said in his response to the proposal.

But that wasn’t it. Worthington’s proposal totally transforms the calendar. After the conference title games, he has kept a bye week before starting the first round of the CFP on December 4. There’s another bye week after the semifinals. The national championship game will take place on January 1. And it is after the end of the CFP season that the portal window will open on January 2. Meyer loved the proposal.

“You got the Army-Navy issue, you got the Ohio State-Wolverine issue. But those are always there. You just bump them up, so I’m a big fan. Dan, I’m gonna nominate you. So get ready to go to the White House. You’re gonna be on the committee,” the former Ohio State head coach said.

Even this proposal has some holes. Getting rid of Week 0 is easy. However, programs may not be open to playing 12 regular seasons in 13 weeks. Not everyone will be enthralled by the possibility of two extra bye weeks in the postseason. The calendar will stretch further once we expand the CFP to 24 teams (the most likely scenario).

In the 2026 season calendar, the first playoff round is scheduled for mid-December. The season will end with the national championship game on January 25, 2027. And once again, we’d see the issues that plague college football every year.

The whole Lane Kiffin drama could have been avoided last year if the portal had opened after the playoffs. The LSU head coach couldn’t coach his former team, Ole Miss, because he had to be in Baton Rouge to build his roster for the 2026 season. Even the Rebels opposed his presence at Oxford because he could have influenced active players to transfer to LSU. Worthington’s proposal not only solves this issue but also keeps conference title games intact.

Steve Sarkisian also wants to save Conference Championship games

Meyer is not the only voice seeking to preserve CFB traditions. Steve Sarkisian is also opposed to the idea. “I love the SEC championship game. I think it’s a special game. It’s a special moment for the two teams that have the opportunity to play in that game. Clearly, the fans love it. The viewership is incredible for that ball game,” Sarkisian said last month, as reported by Evan Vieth.

But the decision may come down to whether the expanded format can generate enough revenue for conferences to replace the title games. The SEC makes around $80-100 million from its championship game, while the Big Ten earns around $50 million. Even the Big 10 generates a revenue of $25 million.

As per the Big Ten commissioner, the 16-team CFP doesn’t have enough games to replace this revenue stream. And that’s why all major conferences (except the SEC) agree on expanding the playoffs to 24 teams.

Even Georgia head coach Kirby Smart raised the issue at the SEC spring meetings, noting that CFB programs may not be able to afford to lose a revenue stream amid skyrocketing budgets. For others like Clark Lea and Eli Drinkwitz, the tradition of playing in the game is as important as the revenue.

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