Why Are The College Football Playoffs Made Up Of Only 4 Teams?

Posted by Tobi Tarwater on Saturday, June 29, 2024

As reported by NPR, the rationale behind NCAA Division I college football playoffs being only four teams is that this limited field keeps regular season games important, rather than shifting all the attention to the playoff season. As it stands, teams with as few as one or two losses are bumped from eligibility, making most Saturday games must-win for college football programs large and small. Some also feel that expanding the playoffs would put even more pressure on student athletes, taking their attention even further away from schoolwork and academics in favor of football than it already is. Some simply feel it would simply make the regular season far too long.

For a better competitive balance, many support an eight-team college football playoff system, according to Bleacher Report. Using the old BCS system for eight rather than two teams, an eight game bracket would be seeded, using a standard playoff system from that point onward to determine the champion — one plays eight, two plays seven, and so on. At the time of this writing, there are no official plans to change or revise the four-team system.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCDkW1vam9frLW6ecCrnGasmJp6pLvLpZygnV2bvLDAwZqjpWWgoa66u8WfqmalkZmybsHPZqafZZ%2Bjubp5k2arnpmdqHw%3D