How do you feel about the expansion of NCAA championships?
The NCAA needs money desperately, but are the moves they’re making good for the product?
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 8: A generic view of the College Football Playoff logo before the CFP Semifinal Vrbo Fiesta Bowl between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Miami Hurricanes at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images) | Getty Images If you ask a coach who knows they can sell making a postseason tournament to get more money and have job security if they would want to make a tournament bigger, we all know what the answer will be. It’s with that backdrop that we shouldn’t be surprised that news came out earlier this week that the American Football Coaches Association was going to be backing a format change to the College Football Playoff that would bump it up to 24 teams.
It would double the number of teams that qualify for football’s postseason championship, and after years where it’s been proven that the cream rises to top, coaches would rather sell the fact that they can make the tournament to their donors. This is following the wonderful news that the NCAA Tournament will be adding eight more teams making the field of 68 a field of 76. It also expands the first couple of days of the tournament, and makes it to where Dayton won’t be the only place where the tournament starts.
It’s such great news that teams like Auburn and Indiana this past year would make it into the tournament field. Ultimately the two tournament expansions are signs of a bigger problem with college sports—that more money has to be obtained by whatever means is necessary. A 24-team CFP means you’ll have several more on-campus playoff games, which will bring money to more programs as they get the home sales for at least one if not more games.
These are also more games to sell to ESPN, which will turn around and sell those games or sell ad inventory for those games to where it will create even more money. The NCAA Tournament addition is all about getting more of the Power Conference teams in. With the higher number of teams and the additional games, more teams will be able to get tournament “points” which is more money that can divided up amongst the conferences, however they decide to do so.