Nick Saban has criticised the College Football Playoff’s expansion to 24 teams, arguing it sacrifices the SEC championship game and player welfare. The former Alabama coach, now an ESPN analyst, spoke on the “New Heights” podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce on Friday, calling the new playoff format too large and driven by money.
“There’s not 24 teams in the country that can win the national championship,” Saban said when asked about the expansion by Travis Kelce. Jason Kelce added, “Money,” to which Saban replied, “You got it.” He explained that the cost is the loss of the SEC championship game, which he said was important to players and fans alike.
“Playing in the SEC championship was a big thing to our players, it was a big thing to our fans, it was a tradition, and it was a great venue,” Saban said. He noted that while only two teams can compete for the national title, more teams have opportunities to play in conference championship games, which carry pride and significance.
The 24-team playoff, set to begin next season, is expected to eliminate conference championship games. The College Football Playoff organisation issued a statement on Friday confirming that a media rights deal with ESPN related to the expansion is in the final stages of review.
Under the expansion, Big Ten teams will be required to play a non-conference game against a power conference opponent. The SEC already introduced this rule in 2026, moving to a nine-game conference schedule to match the other power conferences.
The current format will allow teams to play up to 17 games if they reach the national championship, down from a potential 18 games under the previous structure that included conference title games. Saban pointed out concerns about the number of games players will face under the expanded playoff.
“We played 15 games, I think three times, and I thought that was too many games for college players to play,” Saban said. He suggested that a smaller tournament would be more appropriate, referencing the 12-team playoff that was introduced earlier.
“If we just put the right 12 teams in and didn’t go through all the political BS that we went through so we could have a 12-team playoff, and ended up putting a couple teams in that shouldn’t be in and then some other teams that should have been in didn’t get in, that was a good tournament,” he said. “And maybe you go to 16 if you want to include some other people, but 24’s a lot.”
Saban’s criticism highlights a tension between expanding the playoff for broader participation and maintaining the traditions and physical demands of college football. ESPN will broadcast most of the new playoff games, as Saban’s current employer, but his remarks show he is not convinced the expansion benefits the sport’s competitive or player welfare aspects.
The CFP’s official statement on Friday focused on the media rights arrangement with ESPN but did not address concerns about the playoff size or the future of conference championships. The final agreement is reportedly close to completion, paving the way for the expanded format next season.
According to Yahoo Sports.
