It won’t be the same after this. Well, that’s the way of the world. The people don’t always get what they want, but they do get what they pay for, and there is enough economic demand for an expanded College Football Playoff to bring it to fruition.
As soon as 2024, the CFP will feature 12 teams. That means if undefeated Ohio State plays undefeated Michigan, as they will Saturday, it will be winner-take-very-little. For most of the 20th century, these kinds of showdowns were the best drama in sports, the stakes both enormous and clearly defined. Conference championship games and a four-team playoff diluted them a bit.