Stano says 24-team playoff would further weaken Ohio State’s regular season

The College Football Playoff is set to expand to 24 teams, and a Scarlet and Game columnist argues that the larger field would further reduce the significance of Ohio State’s regular season. The article cites ESPN’s Pete Thamel as reporting the expansion. Central Oregon Daily’s headline says the change is expected to start with the 2027 season.

The argument in Scarlet and Game is about what the expanded tournament could mean for Ohio State’s regular-season games. Its author says that, under a 24-team format, Ohio State’s regular-season results would matter less.

The piece poses the possibility of a team finishing 8-4 and still having a chance to play for a national title; it does not say that a team with that record has qualified or will qualify. The columnist places the change in the context of the playoff’s earlier growth from four teams to 12.

The author says that first expansion had already nearly erased the regular season’s value for Ohio State fans. They also say they opposed the 12-team format even though Ohio State won the first playoff played under it. The article expresses opposition to the latest change, describing the broader trend as driven by money.

That is the columnist’s characterization; the excerpt does not identify who made the expansion decision or provide statements from those involved. The piece focuses on the perceived effect on Ohio State’s season rather than explaining the format’s terms or the process behind the decision. Other headlines characterize the expansion differently.

Heavy says the latest playoff update will change college football, while The New York Times headline says the 24-team format has an approval rating comparable to New Coke and is proceeding anyway. Those headlines do not provide details about how approval was measured.

Yahoo’s headline concerns Lane Kiffin’s standing as a coach and does not state a fact about the playoff expansion. The central question raised by the Scarlet and Game article is whether a larger playoff field would leave Ohio State’s regular-season games with fewer consequences.

Its 8-4 example illustrates the columnist’s concern, but the article does not establish an eligibility threshold or spell out how the expanded field would select teams. Central Oregon Daily’s headline identifies 2027 as the expected starting season; no further schedule or selection details appear in the account.