The 12-team playoff, now introduced to college football, opens up a whole new world of opportunities. This will bring fans and players more excitement, surprises, and eventful football.
The 2024-2025 playoffs will begin as Indiana takes on Notre Dame on Friday, Dec. 20. This will be followed by many Saturday games which include Ohio State versus Tennessee, Texas versus Clemson, and Penn State versus SMU. Georgia, Oregon, Arizona State, and Boise State are the four top conference champions with a first-round bye.
The new 12-team playoff allows teams like the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Clemson Tigers to make the playoffs. The new playoff gives a first-round bye to the four of the five conference champions and the other gets a free bid into the playoffs. The 10-3 Tigers managed to get a spot in the playoff with a 34-31 win over the 11-seeded SMU Mustangs. This will make these games more exciting and entertaining since teams will be fighting for the conference championship game to get a spot in the playoffs.
The 12-team playoff also keeps teams from feeling they were cheated out of a playoff spot. Last season, the 13-0 Florida State ACC conference champions were left out of the playoffs which caused a lot of controversy. This eventually led to an investigation of the College Football Playoff Committee. With the new 12-team playoff this will be much less likely to happen since the top 12 teams get in not just four.
Fans will benefit tremendously from this change. More teams means more games, which means more football fans can watch. This brings in more revenue and viewers for college football. Fans can watch their favorite teams as they play through the playoffs.
Although there was realignment last season, some of these teams thrived in their new conferences. Texas who moved from the Big 12 to the SEC finished their season 11-2 and the number five seed in the College Football Playoffs. Oregon who transitioned from the PAC-12 to the BIG 10 finished with a 13-0 record and the number one seed in the playoffs.
The new playoff change also helps fans watch their favorite players more and in different environments. Ashton Jeanty, running back, plays for the Boise State Broncos. He is in a tight Heisman race with Travis Hunter. The Broncos, the number three seed and Mountain West conference champions have a first-round bye.
A new feature in the playoffs is that the higher-ranked teams get to play at their home stadium. This will help make for a more electric stadium for teams to play in that you would not get at a neutral site. This is a way to reward the higher-ranked teams while also having a better atmosphere. Home field advantage is a big deal in college football so this will be a significant change.
The new era of college football with a 12-team playoff is a significant but good change to the game of college football. Offering people more electric football these playoffs changes are bound to make a big impact on the game. This sparks opportunities for teams that could not make the playoffs in past years. This is a positive change that will overall help the game of football.
