SunrayAg said:

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12 is already too many. Should be no more than 8.

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Somebody already posted but, wasn't Miami number 12?

This is going to help going to 16.

Max it should ever be is 16. 2 for the best Group of 5 teams and then 14 for the best P4 teams.

I don't hate the current system, but I miss the days when a regular season loss was potentially devastating.

Think of all the money the conferences and ESPN can make if we expand to 64 teams!!!

oldcrow91 said:

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SunrayAg said:

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12 is already too many. Should be no more than 8.

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Somebody already posted but, wasn't Miami number 12?

This is going to help going to 16.

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Miami was the last at large team
Top 5 conference champions get auto bids
This year the 4tb & 5 th best conference champions were G5 because Duke had some really bad OOC losses

Anybody who has followed the FCS playoffs knows 24 is the right number. Don't like it, just take a week or two off, lol.

SlickHairandlotsofmoney said:

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Anybody who has followed the FCS playoffs knows 24 is the right number. Don't like it, just take a week or two off, lol.

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FCS 24 team format includes all conference champions, which comes out to 10 autobids and 14 at-large. A 24 team playoff where there's essentially 23 spots for 68 P4 teams (plus Notre Dame) would be absolute death for any semblance of regular season stakes.

24, lol. Gonna be a lot of teams saving their turbos for the end of the season. Let's schedule ut Austin in September.

Seven Costanza said:

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I don't hate the current system, but I miss the days when a regular season loss was potentially devastating.

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There is a way that makes a potential loss extremely costly, yet not necessarily fatal.

Current system does not reward the top teams with home field advantage. Instead, they allow the bowl cities to benefit from a college football team.


If you make all the games (except championship) at the higher seed's choice of stadium, including their own, it means the regular season really has meaning.


The Ole Miss playoff game was expected to deliver around $74 million in economic impact.

I don't understand why Pasadena, CA gets to benefit from a historically great season of Indiana and a fan base in Georgia?

Over the last two years, I'll take Oregon vs Georgia and Indiana vs Georgia compared to all the playoff games we've seen the past two years.

I can't stand giving teams who screwed the pooch a second chance.

Miami lost to two average conference opponents, didn't play in a conf championship game, beat the third and fourth place SEC teams and a Big 10 runner up to "earn" a national championship birth. When they finally played a conference champion, they got beat. Totally ridiculous where I come from!

SunrayAg said:

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12 is already too many. Should be no more than 8.

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Will never understand this small minded thinking.

njohn87 said:

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SlickHairandlotsofmoney said:

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Anybody who has followed the FCS playoffs knows 24 is the right number. Don't like it, just take a week or two off, lol.

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FCS 24 team format includes all conference champions, which comes out to 10 autobids and 14 at-large. A 24 team playoff where there's essentially 23 spots for 68 P4 teams (plus Notre Dame) would be absolute death for any semblance of regular season stakes.

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I'd think the reward of homefield advantage and potential 1st round bye would mitigate that to some degree.

One could also argue that the regular season effectively becomes meaningless for any team eliminated from playoff contention. With more teams left in contention, there are in theory more teams still giving 100% effort.

The CFP is preparing to announce later Friday that the postseason format in 2026 will remain at 12 teams, sources tell @YahooSports.

Barring something unforeseen, communication between the SEC and Big Ten this week did not end in a resolution over expanding to 16 or 24 teams.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 23, 2026

So next year it's the the "power four" champs plus highest rated group of six, plus 7 at large teams, one of which is guaranteed for Notre Dame if they're in the top 12

Logos Stick said:

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12 is enough, get rid of G5.

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Yes the BEST 12 get in.

not a realistic option at this point.




if same standing next year, duke and notre dame would have gotten in over JMU and the U

Jarrin Jay said:

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You would have 8-4 teams in the CFP field.

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and we're objecting why?

Logos Stick said:

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12 is enough, get rid of G5.

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Yup. Or 16. No byes. Still get rid of g5

16 teams maximum but get rid of the Group of 6 autohid. Yes, the Group of 6 now includes the new Pac-12, but the highest ranked Group of 6 conference champion is unlikely to win a road playoff game in the first round

Stay with 12 but announce those 12 prior to Conference Championship Games.

8

P4 champs and 4 at large; must be IN a conference to be eligible... cry more ND.

No byes


One less week of FB, but round 1 hasn't been great FB anyway the last two years.

cavscout96 said:

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8

P4 champs and 4 at large; must be IN a conference to be eligible... cry more ND.

No byes


One less week of FB, but round 1 hasn't been great FB anyway the last two years.

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Conference champions like the ACC champ this year? No thanks.

I'd favor 32 and here's why. We played Samford, UTSA, Utah State this year. Every team has similar games each year which accomplish nothing, are boring to the fans and still risk injury. These pointless cupcake games are 30% of every team's regular season schedule. They should be eliminated along with the conference championship games.

Team #32 will not be great. I get it, I really do. But wouldn't you rather watch them play a first round CFP game, than watch Georgia vs Western Illinois in October? Or some lame bowl game on December 14th at 1pm with 2500 people in the stadium?

I've never really understood the downside for too many teams in the CFP. The worst games would be way better than 95% of the non-conference regular season schedule, and most of the bowl games.

when would the 32-team playoff begin?

and not go up against the NFL

W said:

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when would the 32-team playoff begin?

and not go up against the NFL

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Solid question and I have no prepared answer with detailed forethought. With a 10-game regular season and eliminating the conference championship games, it seems the CFP could start in mid to late November and be completed in the same time frame as this past CFP. I've never understood the traditional empty weekends in December when teams sit around and don't play for 3 weeks or more.

Shortening the regular season is dumb

TXAG 05 said:

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Shortening the regular season is dumb

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We wouldn't play Samford and UTSA. We would play in post season games instead. With a consolation bracket, every team plays the same number of games as before.

Non-conference games are dumb. Meaningless Bowl games are dumber.

16 teams. No byes, no auto-bids. It's not that hard

ElephantRider said:

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16 teams. No byes, no auto-bids. It's not that hard

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You have the right spirit. 100% agree, it's not that hard. Just curious why you wouldn't want to add another round of post season greatness and make it 32?

I don't really get why people get so hung up on the one G6 bid. Oh no, there might be an uncompetitive game! That's devalued inventory for ESPN, oh no! As long as we have 130-something teams in FBS, it adds a great deal of legitimacy to the playoff for all 130-something teams to have plausible access. I don't care if the 11th or 12th best team in the country is left out of a 12 team field, or 15th or 16th best team is left out of a 16 team field; it's not worth worrying about.

I would rather have an exciting regular season and a small, often boring playoff than have a low-stakes regular season and a large playoff. If people disagree that's fine, but we seem to value college football for vastly different reasons.

njohn87 said:

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I would rather have an exciting regular season and a small, often boring playoff than have a low-stakes regular season and a large playoff. If people disagree that's fine, but we seem to value college football for vastly different reasons.

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Fair enough, my friend. You said that well and there's no shame in being a traditionalist. I completely understand and respect your viewpoint.

njohn87 said:

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I would rather have an exciting regular season and a small, often boring playoff than have a low-stakes regular season and a large playoff. If people disagree that's fine, but we seem to value college football for vastly different reasons.

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This is my thought too. What always set college football aside from other sports is that the regular season was the main event, and if you had a good enough season, you got a fun bonus game. People are trying to make college football just like everything else and taking away what made it special.

Logos Stick said:

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12 is enough, get rid of G5.

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Agree. Twelve works just fine if you actually take the 12 best teams. There was no reason to have Tulane or JMU in the playoffs, as the playoffs actually proved.

Then, if pollsters finally realize the Big 12 is not a major conference anymore, they will be ranked right as well for the field of 12. Not saying TT wouldn't have gotten in, but they were not #4.

njohn87 said:

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I don't really get why people get so hung up on the one G6 bid. Oh no, there might be an uncompetitive game! That's devalued inventory for ESPN, oh no! As long as we have 130-something teams in FBS, it adds a great deal of legitimacy to the playoff for all 130-something teams to have plausible access. I don't care if the 11th or 12th best team in the country is left out of a 12 team field, or 15th or 16th best team is left out of a 16 team field; it's not worth worrying about.

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It avoids losing a huge lawsuit, too…

greg.w.h said:

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cavscout96 said:

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8

P4 champs and 4 at large; must be IN a conference to be eligible... cry more ND.

No byes


One less week of FB, but round 1 hasn't been great FB anyway the last two years.

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Conference champions like the ACC champ this year? No thanks.

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Over Tulane and JMU?