For the first time in its history, the NCAA is implementing a twelve-team playoff system in college football this season after ten years of the condensed four-team format. This new playoff format will consist of the five highest conference champions, which will receive automatic bids, and the next seven highest-rated teams in the country, adding up to twelve. While this change is fun and exciting for the average fan, as more primetime and important games are introduced, it has drastically changed the sport for the worse, and the NCAA should go back to the old format as soon as possible.

     The great thing about the old 4 team playoff, and even the BCS format before that was the fact that every single game in the regular season mattered. This gave off the notion that the regular season itself was like the playoffs in a way. #1 Tennessee got stomped by #3 Georgia in Sanford Stadium? No playoffs for them. The #6 Florida Gators lost to unranked LSU at home because of a player throwing a shoe? No playoffs for them. Yes, this system was cutthroat and often left out teams that only had one or two losses, but that made each regular season game so much fun and exciting. Now, teams can lose up to three games or get demolished by an opponent at the beginning of the season and still make the playoffs. 

     One of the best parts of college football is undoubtedly Championship weekend, where every conference championship game takes place. During the college football playoff era, almost every major conference game mattered, as teams would have to win the game to make the playoffs. An example of this can be seen in last year’s season, when #1 Georgia lost to #8 Alabama in the SEC Championship, ending their hopes for a playoff birth. This year it’s different, as most teams playing in a conference championship have already clinched, or have a high chance of clinching a spot as one of the twelve teams. The excitement for one of the biggest weeks in college football is no longer there, thanks to the twelve-team playoff.

     It’s no surprise that making money is the biggest concern by the NCAA in college football and the twelve-team playoff is the perfect example of that. I get wanting to put together the best possible matchups to make money because that is how a business works, but it doesn’t feel organic to put in certain teams just because “they have big logos”. Temas should have to work for playoff spots, and there is no way a 9-3 team should make it into the playoff just because of the school’s prestige. This argument may be a shot at the selection committee and not the 12-team playoff but, this problem of letting teams into the playoff is going to get worse as the years go on.

     College football was better when teams had to fight for their playoff spot, and I think if the NCAA wants college football to be at its best, it would be better to go back to the four-team playoff system of even the BCS. I will always love college football, but it can, and should be better.