There may be nothing in the college football world that sparks more debate than this simple question: How do we determine a national champion? For decades, there was no true title game at all, teams simply claimed championships. Then came the BCS era, where we finally had a true national title game, followed by the four-team College Football Playoff. Now, we’re in the 12-team playoff era, and somehow there’s already talk of expanding it even further.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel gave his thoughts on the playoff debate, and I'm not sure I agree, or that most people do.
Heupel told On3's Chris Low that he prefers the 24-team College Football Playoff moving forward. Heupel also said, "The way college football is constantly changing, that probably makes the most sense."
NEW: Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel tells @Clowfb that he prefers a 24-team playoff format🏆
— On3 (@On3) March 2, 2026
"The way college football is constantly changing, that probably makes the most sense."
Exclusive: https://t.co/aL4kZfDNvn pic.twitter.com/gzRzy7npq2
Josh Heupel is in favor of a 24-team playoff
All things considered, I simply don't see how this is productive. 12- teams is more than plenty, with many of the round of 16 games ending up in blowouts anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love college football and watching games, but we don't need more playoff games. I cannot think of any 24 seed that will just come in and cause havoc. For example, North Texas finished 24th in the AP Poll. They had a phenomenal season, and it earned Eric Morris a job at Oklahoma State, but does anybody think they could have topped Indiana? Or Ohio State, for that matter?
Not to mention, fans across the nation will still complain about who doesn't get in. Fans complained about team No. 5 in the original playoff format, now people complain about team No. 13, and inevitably someone will complain about team No. 25. Having more games just to see the usual suspects whoop on group of fives or mediocre power conference teams is not the fix to college football.
If Josh Heupel is saying this to get Tennessee in, this is not the way. Tennessee is more than capable of making the playoffs without an extended field. They did it once in 2024, and they can do it again. Vols fans and I have plenty of respect for Heupel, but this take? It's not the move.