A little piece of my heart died when I heard the NCAA was moving ahead with expanding the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams.
Never mind that this idea is deeply unpopular with the college fan base. Never mind that we expanded from 4 to 12 teams just three years ago. What sport expands their postseason from 4 to 12 to 24 teams in just a four year span?
I’m no mathematician, but according to my rough calculations that’s an increase in eligible teams by…. (counting on my fingers)…of….one million percent? Or put in business terms, what company expands from 4 stores to 24 in just 3 years and it ends well? It’s the same old story. Short term greed over long term sustainability. Did we learn nothing about the dangers of premature expansion from Rax Roast Beef, Crumbs Bake Shop, or the rock band KISS in 1979?
But that aside, here is what the super rich guys in suits and the gambling lobby are getting wrong. College football is built on hate. Or schadenfreude if you will. College football fandom is built on brutal regular season losses that haunt programs for generations about “what if”. Oh yes, I still wake up in the middle of the night wondering how a 28 point favorite lost to Nick Saban and MSU ruined the season for the best Buckeye team of my lifetime. I still remember exactly where I was when that went down. Just like 9/11. Or the devastating losses to Michigan in 1995,96,97. Or the losses to Texas and Penn State in 2005. Or the crushing losses to MSU (2015), Iowa (2017) and Purdue (2018) each upset, denying Urban Meyer three separate opportunities to make the 4 team playoff.
To a kid growing up under the 24 team playoff system these games will be nothing because nothing was at stake. ALL these teams would have easily made the postseason. These games will vanish from memory. They won’t be discussed with their friends on Saturday afternoons 40 years later. Those painful memories are what the game is built on. What is the eventual cost of giving up the core values that make college football different from the NFL?
Or put another way. I am a big OSU fan and a big college football fan. Every Saturday afternoon I get together with a few friends and we watch games together. Here are my personal highlights of the 2026 season:
Michigan losing to Iowa
Texas losing to Oklahoma
Oregon losing to UCLA
LSU losing to Kentucky
You will notice none of my personal highlights involve an OSU victory.
All these losing teams are having disappointing seasons. They are in serious danger of not making the 12 team playoff. Their fans look so sad. This brings me so much joy. Oh the pain. It’s glorious. I may feel this way tomorrow if Indiana runs the Buckeyes off the field.
But with 24 teams in the playoff not a single one of these games means anything. Basically they are just glorified scrimmages. The only games that matter will be the playoffs. Or if Northwestern or Hawaii are the 24th team in the field.
And who is going to keep forking over outrageous money for regular season tickets? Look at Notre Dame or Miami this season. Both their schedules are an absolute joke. They made the playoffs before the season started. Now imagine double the teams qualifying? Why are we even having a regular season?
Oh yeah, for more gambling inventory. Depressing. I am going to try and enjoy this final few regular season Saturdays when the games actually matter.
Colin Gawel literally wrote this on his phone in-between serving customers at Colin’s Coffee. He also plays music solo and in the band Watershed.
Friday Bet$ For Realz
Ben Galli (Pencilstorm NBA Beat Writer)
As THE preeminent NBA blogger in all of Old Clintonville, I thought I’d focus on that sport of giants and jump shooters. With Opening Night being Tuesday, I’m liking these futures:
Cleveland Cavaliers Finals Runner-Up +1500
So OKC and San Antone are currently +240 and +270 respectively to win the Finals. Literally everyone else has +1000 or higher odds. I wouldn’t even bother.
But the Finals Runner-Up? Things get interesting there. Someone from the East has to make it and the Cavs could be their best squad on paper. But even beyond that, there’s good odds right now for any of the East teams. Pacers at +2000 anyone?
Luka Doncic MVP +500
People want to hand this to Victor already, sacre bleu!, but Luka is entering his age-27 season (athletic prime) with the kind of killer instinct that makes him the true spiritual heir to Kobe. He’ll average about 35 points and 10 assists on a team built to his specifications. And he’s gonna do his damnedest to get it.
Darius Acuff Jr Rookie of the Year +1000
No respect /photo for Bruce.
Acuff has already impressed in live game action and he’s going to be the focal point of a weak Kings team. I really like Darryn Peterson (+450) too, and barely over Caleb Wilson (+350) and AJ Dybantsa (+450), but Acuff is your top dark horse.
And look who snuck in as the last guy without even a photo to his name. Eff it, why not?! Vegas knows.
Brian Phillips (Radio Legend)
Oregon State -18 1/2 vs Washington State. My Cougs are making a QB change, and maybe by some miracle that will make a difference. That said the Beavs are a wagon.
Indiana +3 vs Ohio State. This could go either way. Ohio State can't run the ball. Indiana will try to slow this down to a crawl.
Ball St +6 1/2 at Bowling Green. BG's offense is just awful. They shouldn't be laying a TD with anyone except last week's opponent Sacramento State.
Penn State + 6 1/2 at Michigan. I'm not going to watch this shit I'll tell you that much.
Arkansas +6 at Vanderbilt. You're telling me that Vandy is a TD better than Arkansas? I doubt it.
Wisconsin ML at UCLA. Bruins coming off a huge win over Oregon for sure, but might they come out flat. They're onto QB #2 as well. Wisconsin quietly have assembled a really good defense. I smell an upset.
Ohio -15 1/2 at Sacramento State. BG beat the Hornets by 28. Worst team in FBS. (Ok maybe it's Charlotte).
Jeremy Porter (Pencil Storm Co-Editor in Chief, rock and roll musician, Mexican fast-food enthusiast, proudly representing that state to the north in hostile online territory MICHIGAN GO BLUE!)
Colin Gawel (Pencilstorm guy / musician solo and with Watershed)
I like Wisconsin ML vs UCLA. And Michigan to cover vs Penn State.