Forget the 24-team College Football Playoff expansion coming in 2027, because athletic directors are already pushing for something even wilder. West Virginia AD Wren Baker just dropped a bomb on Wednesday, stating straight up, “Yes, there would be a market” for a completely separate Group of Six football playoff. Seriously, schools are already looking for a way to keep their top teams playing for a title, even as the new mega-playoff threatens to shove smaller conference teams into a seriously crowded field.
The “Second Chance” Playoff Plan That Could Change Everything
Memphis athletic director Ed Scott isn’t just wishing for this, he’s actually talked to other ADs about it. “I’ve talked to some other ADs about it,” Scott confirmed on Wednesday. He’s not trying to bail on the big 24-team field, but he absolutely sees the value in a separate tournament just for the rest of the Group of Six. The idea is to have a top team from each of those six conferences jump into an eight-team bracket *after* the main playoff field is all set. Think of it like the NIT for college basketball teams who miss the big dance.
And you know what? Scott’s got a point about the current bowl system. He noted that it’s getting super tough to get buy-in from players for those games, “especially after the holidays.” Players just want to head home for the break, which is totally fair. But a championship game? That’s a whole different story. That’s a reason to stay, a real shot at a title instead of some generic bowl matchup. This new playoff could seriously change how the postseason feels for fans in those smaller markets, giving them actual stakes.
ESPN’s Big Money Bet and the Coach Backlash
This push for more expansion is happening even though the network holding the rights initially fought against it. Pete Thamel over at ESPN reported that the network is forking over an additional $345 million per year, on average, for the expanded playoff over the next five years. That deal got locked down on Monday, and it means the Power 4 conference championship games are GONE. ESPN bit the bullet on these terms because, apparently, the conferences *demanded* a bigger field. The network didn’t want to risk some competitor swooping in with a lowball offer, so they coughed up the cash to keep control.
Even the biggest names in coaching aren’t thrilled about this whole situation. Nick Saban flat out said “there’s not 24 teams in the country that can win the national championship.” He’s also bummed about contests like the SEC Championship vanishing. Urban Meyer, who actually used to hate the idea of expansion, has reportedly changed his mind after seeing the push. But even CFP executive director Rich Clark admitted on Monday that “many fans aren’t in favor of expansion,” though he claims the committee looked at this before moving forward. So, the fans aren’t happy, the coaches aren’t happy, but here we are.
What’s Next for College Football’s Wild Postseason?
So, where does this leave traditional bowl games? This whole new playoff landscape could leave a lot of them with way less interest. Wren Baker, who’s been around the block at Memphis and North Texas, still sees a window for these events. He believes “there’s a market for all these bowl games, because people are home that time of year, and there’s a lot of clean air space.” He’s right, fans often don’t get into basketball until February, so there’s a definite gap in the winter sports calendar. The real question now is how everyone makes sure the new expanded playoff, and potentially this new “Group of Six” playoff, still gives fans a reason to tune in and truly cares about the games that are left. This whole postseason is about to get a lot more complicated.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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