The College Football Playoff is only in its third year of existence, but the postseason format is already set to expand in 2027.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reports that those in charge of the College Football Playoff are set to agree on expanding the tournament to 24 games, starting with next season. That is not necessarily a popular decision, as most fans preferred keeping the tournament at 12 teams instead.
Therefore, the initial reaction to the expansion included takes of frustration from college football fans all over the country. Overall, fans are concerned that what makes college football so special is slowly being taken away.
Here are some of the most notable reactions to the College Football Playoff expansion.
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Reactions to the College Football Playoff expansion
Many fans are not thrilled with the idea of College Football expansion for a variety of reasons. ESPN's Kevin Clark argues that devaluing the regular season cuts into what makes college football so great in the first place.
I wrote this four years ago and it still applies. The people who run college football conferences don’t get the regular season *is* the sport and rivalries are more important than the tv markets. The playoffs should be additive to that, not replacing that. Sad. https://t.co/IRGhgXS9zx
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) October 15, 2026Other fans and analysts offered different explanations for how a 24-team Playoff makes the regular season. For one, some argued that certain teams may actually be incentivized to sit players at the end of the regular season for the first time in the sport's history.
This is gross, no one wants a 24-team College Football Playoff, this further dilutes the playoff and renders the regular season virtually meaningless.
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) October 15, 2026The NFL-ization of college football is (more or less) complete. The regular season is neutered & the playoff drives all the conversation. I'll enjoy the playoff games. I still love Saturdays. But this is a *very* different sport than what we grew up with.
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) October 15, 2026Well, enjoy the rest of this season guys. This is the final year of actual College Football before we head into the corporate “lose as much as you want” meaningless regular season slopfest.
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 15, 2026The college football regular season was the best because it was the only sport where every game mattered. Now you could theoretically have games at the end of the year where teams are better off resting their starters for the Playoff. 24 teams just absolutely sucks.
— Connor Griffin (@RealCGriff) October 15, 202624 teams in the College Football Playoff is an absolute JOKE. Nobody wants this. You’re destroying what makes college football special. The regular season is supposed to MATTER. Not every team deserves a participation trophy. Stop ruining the sport for money.
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) October 15, 2026MORE: Oregon's upset loss to UCLA makes CFP path almost impossible
Another criticism was just how much the new landscape will change the expectations for coaches, players, and programs.
This has seemed inevitable for the last few years, but I'm still not sure if I like it. It's not necessarily bad, but it will continue to make college football a different product. Fans, administrators and coaching staffs will need to change their idea of what a "good season" is, depending on whatever the exact postseason format will become. Fascinating times.
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) October 15, 2026Of course, a lot of fans expressed their frustration over their belief that the expansion benefits the sport's television partners an the big conferences more than anyone.
When you put the future of college football in the hands of TV, this is the end result. It's all fun and games when the SEC and Big Ten add UT/OU/USC, etc., but they were never going to just stop there. Lots of people in SEC/Big Ten country learning a tough lesson here.
— John Kurtz (@jlkurtz) October 15, 2026I wish the people in charge of college football actually cared about the sport and not just money
— Travis Rockhold (@TravisRockhold) October 15, 2026We are going to have a regular season issue in College Football. Teams that make the playoff against higher seeds are going to get blown out. All so the B10 and SEC Commissioners can make more money.
— AYS Sports (@AYSSPORTS) October 15, 2026You know what REALLY sucks about my timeline of College Football diehards complaining about the expansion to 24 teams? The decision-makers don't give a damn; they are kicking their feet up today, counting dollar bills, laughing at the people who built this sport.
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) October 15, 2026Congrats to the TV executives, college football suits, and ad agencies for getting what they (and only they) want yet again.
— Mike Herndon (@MikeHerndonSk1) October 15, 2026Still, there are some people who believe that the expanded playoff will be good for college football as the sport enters a new age.
This is a great day for college football
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) October 15, 2026The idea of a 24-team College Football Playoff isn’t bad. More conferences get a chance to prove themselves, fewer arguments over deserving teams being left out, and more postseason college football for fans. https://t.co/i8RuofqyWT
— Top Tier (@TopTierStateX) October 15, 2026There will be much time to discuss what this expansion means for the future of college football. For now, fans are giving their initial reactions to this drastic change.
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