Connect with us

Latest

Here’s why the coaches association’s 24-team College Football Playoff could ruin the sport

Published

2 days ago

on

When college football first moved to a playoff format, there were just four teams included. That limited field created an endless series of arguments as to the criteria and selection process for the selected teams. 

Almost immediately, discussions started to expand the field to include more teams and, the theory went, end more of those arguments, make the tournament more exciting, and of course, increase television revenue. The 12-team field has, for the most part, achieved those goals. 

There are on-campus playoff games, generally creating a compelling, exciting atmosphere with a high-stakes, winner-take-all matchup in front of home fans. There are weeks’ worth of games to watch and follow, sometimes pitting conference rivals against each other, or allowing for direct comparisons of top teams in different conferences. 

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Still, with all the positives, the arguments around the selection process have not changed. The 2025 field being a near-perfect example. The Alabama Crimson Tide were blown out in the SEC Championship Game, yet still made the playoff with three losses, ahead of a two-loss Notre Dame team that had won 10 games in a row. Two Group of Five teams made the field, before being promptly demolished by Power Five teams in Oregon and Ole Miss.

That’s inevitably led to more discussion of expansions, and competing theories as to how best to expand. The Big Ten and SEC couldn’t agree on their preferred solution in the offseason, but the American Football Coaches Association has now come out in favor of a 24-team field, along with other changes. And that, unquestionably, is the worst possible answer. 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF COMMITTEE SPARKS FRENZIED DEBATE AS NOTRE DAME KEPT OUT OF FINAL FIELD 

While their recommendations are not binding, nor do they carry any specific authority, it’s still a powerful and influential group coming out in favor of a substantially larger field. The Big Ten Conference reportedly also prefers a 24-team format, while the SEC wants to expand to 16 teams instead. 

The SEC’s right, and the Big Ten and the coaching association is wrong.

Many critics have said that the current schedule and format drag on too deep into January, with good reason. The 2026 National Championship Game was on Jan. 19, when the sport traditionally wrapped up in the first week of January. The coaches association wants to fix this by ending conference championship games and compressing the break between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoff. That makes sense; conference championship games serve little purpose in the modern college football landscape, and the traditional break in December had mostly existed for academic reasons. But nobody pretends academics matter for college football players in 2026, and shortening the lull could maintain momentum and move the National Championship up a few weeks. 

But where they’re wrong is that 24 teams is simply too many. Not just because it would extend the playoff schedule significantly, but because it would include many teams that have no business participating in the College Football Playoff. 

COACHES PUSH FOR 24-TEAM CFP, AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL HEADS TOWARDS PARTICIPATION TROPHY TERRITORY

In 2025, for example, the committee ranked an 8-4 Iowa team at No. 23. Arizona was ranked No. 17. Georgia Tech was No. 22. In 2024, UNLV finished the regular season at No. 24. Syracuse was No. 21 at 9-3. Mississippi State was No. 22 at 8-4 in 2022. That team lost by a combined score of 75-25 to Alabama and Georgia.

If there are already concerns over the lack of competitiveness in games against Group of Five teams, how would that be improved by including teams that lost four games? 

But that’s not even the biggest issue. What a 24-team format would also do is diminish the importance of the best regular season in sports. What makes college football special is that each Saturday, there are games that have season-changing stakes in a way that the NFL can’t match. The 12-team format already reduced some of that impact, but it hasn’t eliminated it entirely. A 24-team format would.

We’re already seeing how the expanded field has changed non-conference scheduling for the worse, perhaps permanently. The USC-Notre Dame rivalry collapsed, in part, because both sides realized they had a better chance of reaching the playoff by avoiding each other. Many other big non-conference matchups have been canceled as the SEC moves to nine conference games. Imagine how much worse that scheduling would get if the field expands to 24? 

For example, if you guarantee yourself three non-conference wins with cupcake opponents, all a big SEC or Big Ten program needs to reach the playoffs is to finish the conference schedule at 6-3 to essentially guarantee a spot. Even four losses, a 5-4 conference record, might be enough in some seasons. So why risk the additional loss by playing a tougher non-conference game?

Then there’s the other problem: the end-of-the-season rivalry games could be completely changed. Take, say, Ohio State-Michigan. Both teams hypothetically could enter the game at 9-2 and in the top 15 in the rankings. A loss wouldn’t matter for either side, since it would be viewed as a “quality” loss for strength of schedule purposes. Why would you risk your starters in a game with no benefit? Sure, maybe they play the first half, but with only seeding at stake, why push it? 

A 16-team field makes more sense, if not leaving it at 12. Sixteen teams would allow for more teams in the SEC and Big Ten to make the field despite their tough schedules, while also incorporating Group of Five teams who deserve a chance too. But 24 goes too far, dilutes the field and hurts the regular season. 

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Latest

Cruise ship linked to deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrives off Tenerife as passenger evacuation begins

Published

22 minutes ago

on

May 10, 2026

By

The cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrived early Sunday off the Spanish island of Tenerife, where the evacuation of passengers is expected to begin.

Passengers will be tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they are asymptomatic before being transported ashore in small boats, Spanish officials said, according to Reuters.

Evacuation is expected to begin between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. local time, with Spanish nationals disembarking first, followed by passengers of other nationalities, Reuters reported.

They are then expected to be taken to the island’s main airport and flown back to their home countries. Multiple Americans are believed to be aboard the MV Hondius.

AMERICANS TO BE EVACUATED FROM HANTAVIRUS CRUISE SHIP AS GLOBAL HEALTH CHIEF TRAVELS TO QUARANTINE ISLAND

Fox News Digital previously reported that the U.S. government is planning to transfer American passengers to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring.

The ship set course for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.

The ship’s arrival comes hours after World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.

The WHO said Friday that eight people aboard the ship had fallen ill, including three who died. Six cases have been confirmed, with two others suspected.

HANTAVIRUS DEATHS ON CRUISE SHIP HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF RODENT-BORNE DISEASE

In a statement Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remains low.

“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” he said.

“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he continued.

ARGENTINA INVESTIGATORS ZERO IN ON POSSIBLE ORIGIN POINT OF HANTAVIRUS IN DEADLY CRUISE OUTBREAK

Ghebreyesus noted that the virus identified aboard the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be severe.

“Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families,” he wrote, reiterating that the public health risk posed by the virus remained low.

About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the vessel continues to the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.

Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy and Reuters contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Latest

North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

Published

2 hours ago

on

May 10, 2026

By

North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated provision states.

KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the “most hostile” state.

Kim has also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression,” and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Latest

Wings rookie Azzi Fudd sets dubious WNBA record with lowest-scoring debut by top pick

Published

5 hours ago

on

May 10, 2026

By

The highly anticipated 30th WNBA season tipped off Friday with three games, including the expansion Toronto Tempo’s first-ever contest.

The action continued Saturday with a full slate, including Caitlin Clark’s return after an injury-riddled sophomore season.

Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup featuring the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outlasted the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by Azzi Fudd’s — the most recent top pick — underwhelming debut.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points — the lowest ever by a No. 1 overall pick in a WNBA debut.

Wings coach Jose Fernandez addressed Fudd’s performance after the game, encouraging the rookie to, “Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players.”

EX-WNBA STAR CRITICAL OF SKY ROOKIE HAILEY VAN LITH, BELIEVES POPULARITY PLAYED ROLE IN DRAFT SELECTION

In addition to Fudd, Dallas’ backcourt features last year’s top draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season’s No. 12 overall pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.

Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the lowest-scoring debut by a No. 1 pick. Selected first overall by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, she scored just four points in her debut. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas in 2018 and was subsequently rebranded as the Aces.

Despite the slow start to her first season in the league, Plum ended the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, she’s been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.

The Wings’ decision to take Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick drew controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers’ personal relationship with her influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month it did not.

“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 draft pick because she earned it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is as a basketball player,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.

Neither Bueckers nor Fudd has publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft.

“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own,” Bueckers also said in April. “And what we choose to share is completely up to us.”

Next up, the Wings play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Political Signal