A New Look For America’s Saturday Pastime: How has College Football changed with the implementation of the 12-team playoff?
Notre Dame lining up versus Ohio State.
Credit: CBS Sports
Written by Brody S. ‘27
The 2024-25 season brought immense change to America’s favorite Saturday sport as College Football officially transitioned to the 12-team playoff format. As we look ahead to the National Championship matchup, it’s time to reflect on the change brought by the new format, along with where the future of the sport is headed.
Competition has reached new heights, with more parity than ever before. Of the four Semi-Finalists this year, only one would’ve been included in the traditional 4 team format. More fans than ever get to enjoy their team playing for a national championship, which is every college football fan’s dream.
The Playoff began in the third week of December, where seven at-large(non-conference-champion) and the lowest-ranked conference champion competed for spots in the quarterfinal. The higher-ranked squads(Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, Ohio State) hosted on campus, providing an environment entirely foreign to the playoff. The home crowds fueled these squads into four dominant victories, bringing us into the quarterfinal, where all games are hosted at neutral sites. A Quarterfinal and Semi-Final round ensues before arriving at the National Championship, set to be hosted in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 20th.
As College Football continues to challenge the NFL’s dominance within the sport, the move holds immense financial motive. Introducing eight additional games, many of which overlap with the NFL season's closing weeks, allows the College Football Playoff to plead their case in front of America, fighting for precious TV time. The NFL claimed a slight victory in the initial viewership battle, while the matchup of Tennessee-Ohio State still drew 14.3 million viewers, more than all but 2 of the week 16 NFL slate. Winning the TV battle is the first step in bringing College Football to the masses, one that will be tracked in the coming years as both organizations vie for larger audiences.
While many were quick to denounce the 12-team playoff following five consecutive routings by the favored team, this year’s playoff has continued to provide classic matchups: the Arizona State Sun Devils took the Texas Longhorns to 2nd Overtime in a game that will live long in the minds of fans, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish outlasted the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24, and Columbus hometown hero Jack Sawyer secured victory for his Buckeyes after taking a forced fumble off his former roommate Quinn Ewers back to the house, ending an iconic Semi-Final series. Neither of our National Championship contenders would be here in the old system, a sign that the 12-team playoff will continue to flourish when given time.
Looking ahead to the National Championship, two of the biggest universities in the world, Notre Dame and Ohio State, will face off for a chance at glory. The Buckeyes are America’s hottest team, having knocked off #9 Tennessee & #1 Oregon by a combined 45 points, while The Fighting Irish are winners of 13 straight, holding the longest winning streak in the sport. The matchup will likely come down to a defensive battle, as both teams have limited their opponents to an average of less than 300 yards per game and will need to lock down various offensive threats to claim victory. As the Championship game approaches, only one thing remains certain: the stage doesn’t get much bigger than this!