Mockery of Lincoln Riley is already spreading across the internet as the College Football Playoff prepares to expand to 24 teams for the 2027 season. Just three years after increasing from four to 12 teams, this move doubles the field size once again. While ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news on Thursday, fans on social media turned the announcement into a punchline about USC’s coaching staff. The new format promises 19 at-large bids, four Power 4 champions, and the top Group of 6 team.
Fans are not buying the idea that more teams means a better product. One fan joked that “Lincoln Riley and USC will still find a way to not make the 24-team College Football Playoff.” Another user replied that if Riley survives this season, he might never get fired. These comments highlight a real fear: that expansion protects bad coaches rather than rewarding the best teams. USC sits at 6-1 right now, but they face a brutal schedule against Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Maryland, and UCLA. If they lose, the jokes will only get sharper.
The Money Behind The Madness
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban sees the real driver behind this massive shift. The financial stakes are huge, but the cost to the players is high.
Saban wants a smaller field. He stated, “I would be for 16 [teams]. I think that would be a good compromise.” He believes a 16-team format would keep conference championship games as play-ins, giving 20 teams hope instead of just 12. His main worry is the physical toll on student-athletes. “My only concern about the 24-team College Football Playoff is the amount of games these guys are playing,” Saban said. He asked if the goal is crowning a champion or just squeezing more money out of the system at the expense of player health.
Winning Your Conference Still Matters
Urban Meyer agrees that this change hurts the value of winning. The former Ohio State head coach told 97.1 The Fan, “I don’t agree with that,” when asked about scrapping conference titles. He said his skin curls at the thought of the Big Ten Championship game not meaning much. Meyer believes coaches are pushing for this expansion because they want to keep their jobs. He noted, “You know why the coaches want it,” and explained that they told him they want to avoid getting fired. A bigger bracket gives more coaches a lifeline after a bad season.
The proposed plan would eliminate conference championship games entirely. Yahoo Sports‘ Ross Dellenger said on The Paul Finebaum Show that “Conference championship games will be eliminated. That’s not a question.” Instead of those games, the weekend could become an off week while the regular season starts a week earlier. Eight first-round games would take place on campus during the second weekend of December, followed by eight additional second-round matchups a week later. This turns December into a playoff marathon that strips the meaning from the games we used to watch.
The reality is that the 24-team format will likely happen in 2027 barring a surprise. Saban understands that money drives the decision, even if he hates the result. The CFP said in a statement that “Constructive discussions with ESPN continued this week.” They promised more updates later, but the direction is clear. The joke about Riley might be funny now, but the loss of conference stakes and the extra games for players are the real story.
