The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will battle the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff championship game Jan. 20, capping off a wild CFP full of dramatic finishes and memorable moments.
Last year’s finale was much less climactic. Leaving Florida State out of the CFP made the four-team field feel incomplete – like the best teams weren’t being offered a fair shot at the title.
Now, in the 12-team bracket and the name, image and likeness era, there’s much more parity and entertainment. While there are still dominant squads, the path to the National Championship is as wide as ever – and the sport is healthier for it.
This year’s bracket saw a healthy mix of blowouts and thrillers, showing that teams previously left out of the four-team final could’ve easily made a title run. Before this year, Ohio State would have been left out of the CFP, as their embarrassing loss to Michigan had them ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll. They’re now the favorites to win the championship.
Beyond widening the playing field, it’s much more difficult for schools to go wire-to-wire as the top team in the nation, smashing everyone in their way. While 2019 LSU and 2012 Alabama were fun teams, there wasn’t really any uncertainty about who would win the title – the National Championship game was a formality.
Going into this year’s playoff, that couldn’t be less true. Even the undefeated Oregon Ducks had question marks, and it seemed like anyone, from Big XII newcomer Arizona State Sun Devils to the Ashton Jeanty-led Boise State Broncos, could get hot and win it all. NIL deals play a large part in this, as schools that once couldn’t dream of a championship were just three or four wins away from one.
Because of the rise of NIL deals, top recruits are encouraged to commit to wherever they get the best offer. While, at first, this may seem to favor blue bloods, it actually entices four and five-star prospects to go to schools that will give them larger chunks of their donor funds, spreading blue-chip talent across the nation.
These NIL deals allow previously-weak teams to turn into juggernauts. Before this season, SMU had barely been ranked since the 1980s. This year, because their wealthy alumni could donate to players, they fielded a No. 12 squad that almost won the ACC.
Though that talent gets spread out, powerhouse programs can adapt, thanks to the increased use of the transfer portal. For example, Notre Dame’s quarterback Riley Leonard spent three seasons playing for middling Duke squads, and the Buckeyes’ QB Will Howard played four years at Kansas State. Struggling programs become farm teams, and NIL deals allow the highest bidder to reap the rewards.
Still, not all is well with an expanded playoff. Some schools will play 16 games – a new high – which raises questions about players’ health and stamina. The 12-team bracket is a grind, and players have to compete at the highest level for over a month of playoffs, often right after finishing a conference championship run.
Even more, the star players have to turn around to prepare for the NFL Combine, which demands them to be in their top physical form. Any injuries can mean losing millions of dollars in contracts, and playing extra games with added pressure means risking health.
Though the expanded playoff might increase risk of injury, it gives the fans eight more games of fantastic football, showing one of the nation’s most popular sports in an even grander spotlight. It gives more chances for players to cement their legacies with programs that, before this year, never had a shot at winning it all.
Perhaps most importantly, though, it’s just plain old fun.