As the College Football Playoff era continues to twist and turn, there is continued uncertainty about the future of the sport. This biggest change made this offseason is a move to a straight-seeding model rather than rewarding conference champions. However, college football is just scratching the surface when it comes to different formats.
That got us thinking — what if college football used the common format seen in soccer around the world?
Let’s take the FIFA Club World Cup as an example, as it’s currently the largest tournament going on (sorry, Gold Cup fans). How would the 2024 college football season have turned out if they used the structure of the Club World Cup?