College football is preparing for another playoff shake-up after just three seasons with 12 teams. CFP officials and ESPN reportedly have a handshake agreement for a 24-team expansion, but nothing has been signed yet. Nick Saban, however, sees a darker side, warning coaches that the fallout could put their jobs at risk.
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The former Bama head coach sounded the alarm on College GameDay, warning that the expanded 24-team College Football Playoff could intensify pressure on coaches rather than save their jobs.
“We’ve now lowered the bar to get in the playoffs: 24 teams. We’re going to raise the expectations of the fans to get in the game, and where lots of coaches think this is going to get me job security if I get in the playoffs,” Saban said during his October 17 appearance on GameDay from Provo. “It’s also going to create an expectation that if you don’t get in the playoffs, we’re going to fire your a–.”
His comments came just a day after ESPN and CFP officials reportedly reached a handshake agreement to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams starting in 2027.
Under the proposed deal, ESPN would pay an additional $345 million annually on top of its existing average annual payment of $1.3 billion over the five years. However, the expanded format still awaits final approval.
Saban’s warning is certainly not unfounded. With 19 at-large spots, four Power Four conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six champion making up the proposed 24-team field, even an 8-4 team could potentially earn a playoff berth.
However, that raises a bigger question for coaches: what happens if they still fail to make the cut? Missing the Playoff could put their jobs under greater scrutiny, as athletic directors and boosters would have even more reason to question their performance and demand results.
The current 12-team playoff format has done little to ease the pressure on coaches. Florida Gators’ head coach Jon Sumrall is already facing questions about his job security despite a 4-2 record in his first year at the program.
If that is the reality now, imagine what awaits coaches when the field expands to 24 teams.
The concern extends beyond coaches, as Nick Saban believes a 24-team playoff could also test the fans’ patience. In his view, expanding the field that far risks diluting the competition, especially when he believes there aren’t enough deserving teams to justify such a massive playoff.
“People want to see the best teams in the playoffs,” Saban said. “There aren’t 24 teams in the country that deserve to be in the playoffs. There were 12 teams last year. There were a couple teams that got in that probably shouldn’t have. So, you know, I don’t think there’s 24 teams in the country that can win the championship.”
The former Alabama head coach believes the decision is driven purely by financial interests, making it clear where the real priorities lie. “The bottom line is money. That’s the bottom line,” said Saban.
So, the question now is, how much expansion is too much for the seven-time national championship-winning coach? Well, he has an answer.
“I would be for 16 (teams) – I think that would be a good compromise,” Saban said Friday on ESPN. “I would be for keeping conference championship games as maybe a play-in for the 16? Which, now, you have 20 teams that have hope. But I don’t think there’s much support for that. I don’t think anybody really likes that.”
Sixteen might seem like the ideal number, but ESPN and the CFP appear set to expand the field to 24 teams starting next year. How will the move sit with fans, coaches and players? That remains to be seen.