ESPN's Paul Finebaum isn't pulling any punches when it comes to the latest College Football Playoff expansion talks. The outspoken analyst appeared on Get Up and delivered a stark warning: if the playoff grows from 12 to 24 teams, it will spell disaster for the sport.
Finebaum acknowledged that the financial pressures are immense. “There’s just too much money at stake,” he said, predicting that the move to 24 teams is all but inevitable. But he made it clear that the cost would be far greater than any potential revenue boost.
“I think if it goes to 24, it will be a complete and total disaster,” Finebaum declared. “You’re talking about getting rid of conference championship games is one thing, but letting a bunch of mediocre teams into the Playoff will dilute the regular season.”
The core of Finebaum’s argument is that college football currently owns the best regular season in all of sports. Every Saturday in November carries immense weight, with rivalry games and conference battles deciding fates. Expanding to 24 teams, he argues, would shift the focus to the postseason and render those regular-season clashes meaningless.
“College football owns the regular season,” Finebaum pointed out. “You have all these major games in November that suddenly really won’t mean much. I know the NFL plays for wild cards and byes and home-field advantage, but that’s not what college football is about.”
This isn’t a new concern. Fans have been sounding the alarm ever since rumors of a 24-team playoff first surfaced. The danger is that teams that lock up a playoff spot early will rest their starters in key rivalry games like the Iron Bowl or The Game, diminishing the intensity that makes those matchups legendary. As Finebaum sees it, the playoff expansion threatens to turn November into a prelude rather than a climax.
Of course, the financial lure is powerful. The playoff committee and conferences like the Big Ten and SEC are eyeing the kind of massive tournament that the NCAA basketball tournament or the World Cup enjoys. But as Finebaum warns, chasing that profit could come at the expense of the sport’s soul. For now, the regular season remains sacred—but if the powers that be push through a 24-team field, that could change forever. Coaches already facing make-or-break seasons in 2026 might find themselves navigating an entirely new landscape.
