In many ways, 24 is great.
A day has 24 hours. Pure gold has 24 karats.
The TV show ‘24’ was a thriller that lasted nine seasons.
Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Kobe Bryant wore 24.
So did Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson and Marshawn Lynch.
Jeff Gordon drove car No. 24.
But 24 isn’t great for the College Football Playoff.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti is pushing to expand the CFP field to 24 teams, doubling the current field.
Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Ask anybody who’s sought a prescription for Ozempic.
A 24-team playoff would dilute the field while simultaneously lessening the importance of the regular season.
Changes in the CFP are obviously needed. The inclusion of Tulane and James Madison last season proved as much.
Adding 12 more teams isn’t the answer. The CFP should recognize excellence rather than reward a team for being pretty good.
Football expansion proponents often try to justify their point of view by referencing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, which is expanding from 68 to 76 teams.
They point out that roughly 20 percent of basketball teams will participate in March Madness.
Meanwhile, fewer than 10 percent of football teams are involved in the playoffs.
“(A 24-team football playoff) is going to create more opportunity,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said in an ESPN article. “Just like March Madness is great in the spring for basketball, it'll be good for our sport."
Let’s be realistic. Mid-major conference teams like Butler, Gonzaga, Florida Atlantic, Loyola Chicago and San Diego State have been serious national championship contenders.
Mid-majors don’t win in football. In last year’s playoff, Tulane lost to Ole Miss, 41-10, and James Madison fell to Oregon, 51-34.
Cincinnati, then of the American Athletic Conference, was in the four-team playoff of 2021. The Bearcats did not manage a touchdown in a 27-6 loss to Alabama.
But, of course, the Big Ten’s motivation is to add more Big Ten teams, not mid-majors.
That could be done without doubling the playoff field.
Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey favors an expansion to 16 teams.
That makes more sense. A 16-team field ensures every team must win the same number of games to capture a national championship.
It also wouldn’t necessarily dilute the playoff field. As much as it hurts to admit, Texas and Notre Dame deserved to be in the playoff field last year.
Strong arguments could have been made for Vanderbilt, BYU and perhaps Iowa of the Big Ten, too.
A 24-team field is too much. A 16-team field could be more inclusive and still be exclusive.
