Throughout the weekend, the images were stunning in remote areas dotted around the country.
It was 25 degrees in Missoula, Mont., on Friday night when Montana hosted Furman (SC) in an FCS quarterfinal playoff game. The wind chill in Brookings, S.D., for Saturday afternoon’s FCS quarterfinal game involving South Dakota State and Villanova was about 11 degrees. By early Saturday evening in Waverly, Iowa, northwest winds were blowing at up to 30 mph in the Division III semifinal between Wartburg (Iowa) and North Central (Illinois). Weather wasn’t always a factor, as in the South Dakota-North Dakota FCS state quarterfinals, which were held inside the Dakota Dome.
I watched the Division II tournament up close for six years and covered the final in 2005. That year, Northwest Missouri State was the last team to qualify for the playoffs, which then consisted of 24 teams in four regions. The Bearcats won four straight road games to advance to the national title held at that time in Florence, Ala.
Northwest Missouri State faced top-ranked Grand Valley State, which was just two years away from Brian Kelly leading the Lakers. On paper, it was 1 versus 24. In other words, there was a mismatch. Reality presented an equal contest. The game came down to the final seconds when a Bearcats receiver dropped the potential game-winning pass in the end zone. Grand Valley State held on for a 21-17 win.
All of the above games were challenging, competitive and entertaining. Next year, FBS programs will see similar environments in the first round of the College Football Playoffs. The on-campus atmosphere at Power 5 venues will immediately grab the public’s attention, just as it does at a smaller level for lower-division programs. But what if the FBS version lasts more than just four games — like the first round of the CFP in 2024 — and instead takes up multiple weekends? What if the CFP had a 24-team tournament like the FCS does? Or 28 teams as in Division Two or even a 32-team bracket as in Division Three?
Let’s imagine a 24-team playoff bracket in the FBS this year with four six-team regions. The field includes every conference champion. Teams are ranked based on the CFP Selection Committee’s final rankings. Every effort is made to avoid teams from the same conference meeting until at least the Regional Finals. All matches are played on campus up to the national semifinals.
With eight games in the first two weekends, the bandwidth is too much for a single network to handle with high-quality broadcast teams and do it justice. In this case, splitting the tournament between four networks makes sense for the first two rounds. The first two weekends include two Friday night games plus six Saturday games in three separate viewing windows. Each round includes at least one disturbance.
Does this interest you? Here’s a look at how the FBS playoff could go in 2023.
first round
Zone 1
Bye: 1. Michigan, 2. Oregon State
5. Oregon State at 4. LSU, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
6. SMU at 3. Missouri, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Zone 2
Bye: 1. Washington, 2. Ohio State
5. Liberty at 4. Louisville, 6 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN/ABC
6. Troy at 3. Ole Miss, Noon ET, ESPN/ABC
Zone 3
Bye: 1. Texas, 2. Georgia
5. NC State at 4. Arizona, 9:30 PM ET Friday, Fox
6. Miami (Ohio) at 3. Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Zone 4
Bye: 1. Alabama, 2. Florida State
5. Iowa at 4. Notre Dame, No. 1, Fox
6. Boise State at 3. Oklahoma, 8 p.m
Notes: Region 1 was the only region with two groups of conference partners. But they line up on opposite sides and neither does the No. 1 seed. Liberty was the top-seeded Group 5 champion and the only one with a No. 5 seed. Iowa and Notre Dame have played once each November but have not met since 1968. Boise State and Oklahoma have not played since the January 1, 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Regional semi-final
Zone 1
LSU at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Missouri at Oregon, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Zone 2
Freedom in Washington, 9:30 PM ET Friday, Fox
Ole Miss at Ohio State, Noon ET, CBS
Zone 3
Arizona at Texas, 6 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN/ABC
Penn State at Georgia, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Zone 4
Notre Dame at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Oklahoma at Florida State, noon ET, ESPN/ABC
Notes: Many sports fans consider the first two days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament a hint at the most exciting weekend in sports. A weekend like this with a variety of great venues and premium brands vying for a national title could rival this iconic venue.
Regional finals
Zone 1
Oregon at Michigan, noon ET, Fox
Zone 2
Ohio State at Washington, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Zone 3
Arizona at Georgia, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Zone 4
Oklahoma at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Notes: Each game moves to Saturday for the final on-campus round. Next year, all but one of these teams will compete in either the Big Ten or SEC. In this scenario, Arizona became the Nationals’ Cinderella team after two wins, including a shocking championship.
National semi-final
Michigan vs. Michigan-Alabama, 3 p.m. ET in Pasadena, Calif., Fox
Georgia vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m. ET in New Orleans, ESPN/ABC
Notes: There are no comments here. Just imagine the amount of buildup and emotion invested in these matches.
championship
Michigan vs. Georgia, 8 p.m. ET in Arlington, Texas, ESPN/ABC
Notes: I’ll let you use your imagination as to which team will win.
Overall, a system like this is likely at least a decade away. The ball is deeply ingrained in college football, and that’s not a bad thing. But at some point, the teams that receive a bye in the upcoming CFP structure will watch the games on campus and want it for themselves, too. Three trips to destination sites for national title contenders will also have financial ramifications for fan bases.
Ultimately, more teams and playoff runs will generate more interest and revenue. As with the NCAA basketball tournament, it seems only fair that each conference champion should earn a CFP bid. The only remaining question: Would officials in northern regions prefer cold-weather games that are logistically challenging but have significant home-field advantages, or would they prefer to travel to current warm-weather environments that become working vacations? A committee has not yet been formed to study this proposal.
(Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The College Football Playoff has revolutionized the way we view and crown a national champion in the FBS. However, what if the format was expanded to include 24 teams, similar to the FCS playoff structure? The thought of 24 teams battling it out on the gridiron for the ultimate prize is an intriguing concept that would undoubtedly bring even more excitement and drama to the college football landscape. With the potential for underdog stories, upsets, and a more inclusive approach to determining a national champion, a 24-team playoff format would certainly shake up the current college football postseason system.