CFP Expansion creates opportunity for underdogs

Last month, the College Football Playoff ’s board of managers unanimously voted to expand the CFP from the current four team model to 12 teams in 2026. If the right hoops are jumped through, we could see this format as soon as 2024.

Ever since the playoff was created in 2014, there has been backlash about the selection process for those final four teams. It always seemed like there were more than four teams who deserved to play for it all at the conclusion of the year.

Unfortunately, those first few teams have always had to settle for a New Year’s Six bowl instead of national glory. Luckily, this dilemma is no longer an issue.

The 12-team bracket gives an added sense of variability and suspense. The potential for upsets and nail-biting games becomes a much-needed reality with this march madness-esque structure. As an avid college football fan, I believe that this monumental change is a great move for the NCAA and the sport itself. It gives the underdogs and longshots a chance to prove themselves on the national stage.

The 12 teams will consist of six automatic bids and six at-large teams. The auto bids will be the six highest ranked conference champions, which means that one group of five teams will be guaranteed a spot in the playoff every year. This gives the smaller conferences like the Sun Belt and MAC the opportunity to line up against the SEC and Big 10 at the dinner table. The at-large bids will be awarded to the next six best teams who didn’t win their conference title but are still hungry and willing to go the whole nine yards.

There’s something about watching an underdog prove themselves against one of the best teams in the country. The public always favors David in his matchup with the big and mighty Goliath.

For all you passionate football fans out there that have seen the movie, “We are Marshall,” there’s a heartening quote that leaves me speechless every time I watch the film. Jack Lengyel, the coach of the 1971 Thundering Herd says some moving words to his team before their first home game of the season. He says, “Today, I want to talk about our opponent this afternoon. They’re bigger, faster, stronger, more experienced and on paper, they’re just better. And they know it too. But I want to tell you something that they don’t know. They don’t know your heart. I do. I’ve seen it. You have shown it to me”.

Coach Lengyel illustrates the point that no one can put a limit on your love and care for the game. You may be written off by the tangible variables that make up the game of football on paper, but you can’t quantify the dedication and wholeheartedness within a specific team or player. This is what makes the phenomenon of the upset so satisfying.

The new format gives those little schools the chance to put themselves on the map and show the world what they can do when given the chance. There’s nothing like college football in the fall. As a devoted Georgia Bulldogs fan for as long as I can remember, I feel compelled to say, “Go Dawgs!” The repeat tour has begun!