24-team playoff could lead Ohio State and Michigan to leave Big Ten
Awful Announcing • • sports
Key Points:
- The 24-team College Football Playoff expansion is nearly confirmed, but ESPN's Dan Wetzel warns it will have unintended negative consequences for conferences that supported it, particularly the Big Ten and SEC.
- Wetzel argues Notre Dame, as an independent, stands to benefit most from the new system, gaining near-guaranteed playoff access and scheduling freedom that maximizes its media value.
- He predicts top programs like Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State may follow Notre Dame's lead by leaving their conferences to form independent scheduling agreements, increasing their media revenue and avoiding revenue sharing.
- This shift could weaken traditional conferences, reducing the value of winning conference titles and harming smaller programs that hoped to benefit from expanded playoff access.
- Wetzel concludes that the expanded playoff may accelerate a divide where only elite programs reap significant financial rewards, leaving smaller schools at greater risk.
