Nick Saban Shares Strong Take on College Football Playoff Expansion

The College Football Playoff is reportedly set to expand once again, this time from 12 to 24 teams. Doubling the number of teams that make the postseason, after last year’s playoff saw multiple double-digit upsets, hasn’t sat well with many college football fans. But things appear to be headed in that direction, with the new format expected to take over in 2027, pending final approval.

On Friday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” legendary former coach Nick Saban addressed the CFP expansion and what’s driving it.

“The bottom line is money,” Saban said. “Universities need it because of the way we’re spending more now for players. And there’s still a cost to having Olympic sports, which are important, I think, to be able to keep and give people opportunities to compete. But I think we also have to look at some kind of budget that we can have so that everybody is competing at the same level and everybody can plan on, ‘How much are we going to spend here?’ And I want players to make money, and I want them to have Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities. But I think we have to put some kind of budget on it so people can operate. Every business has a budget. I don’t know how any business survives if you don’t have a budget. So why wouldn’t we need that in college athletics?”

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Saban didn’t explicitly say whether he supports expansion, but his point was clear: schools need the revenue, and spending needs limits.

NIL has made roster costs soar, with some players now making more than they would in the pros. It’s justified given how much they generate for their universities, but it has made it hard for smaller schools to outbid the powerhouses. An expanded CFP would theoretically give those schools a better shot at a postseason payday through TV deals and sponsors.

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Money shouldn’t be the only driver, though. Part of what makes college football special is that every game matters, and one or two losses can end a season. A 24-team field could let in teams with three or four losses, and it might not even help the smaller schools if SEC and Big Ten programs are valued more for their conference wins.