Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 NOV. 7, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED R eactions were plentiful after reports emerged Oct. 15 that the College Football Playoff was nearing a deal to expand from 12 teams to 24 beginning with the 2027 season. Supporters of the expansion insist that providing a wider path for playoff inclusion is great for college football and will make the regular season more impactful, important and interesting, espe- cially in November when the field starts to take shape. Detractors argue that doubling the size of the playoff field will not only provide bids to undeserving teams but also dilute the value of regular- season games, because schools with three losses — and perhaps even four — will still make the tournament. Both sides of the debate make valid points. But with the parity, upsets and may- hem that this 2026 college football sea- son has already provided — and pre- sumably will bring every year moving forward in this pay-for-play age of "amateur" sports — playoff expansion is the only option. Teams ranked in the top 10 suffered 11 losses over the three weekends ending Oct. 24, including No. 2 Notre Dame's defeat at BYU Oct. 17. The weekend the Irish lost to the Cougars, five of the top eight teams lost — the first time that has happened in the Associated Press poll era (since 1936). Simply put, on any given Saturday, any team can beat any other. The parity and unpredictability of this season has driven many coaches in the country to support the expanded 24- team playoff, and perhaps none more than Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman. The fifth-year Irish skipper was asked for his expansion stance Oct. 16, as a guest on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show." And instead of speaking from the per- spective of what's best for college foot- ball holistically, Freeman freely admitted to selfishly supporting playoff expansion because it might benefit Notre Dame more than any program in the country. "I'm a proponent of 24 teams," Free- man said, " because it's going to give Notre Dame football a better chance to get in the playoffs, and probably keep our independence." And perhaps just as importantly, ex- pansion will also enhance scheduling opportunities for the Fighting Irish. Under the current 12-team format, one regular-season loss can dam- age playoff hopes so drastically that elite programs began to cancel their already planned marquee nonconfer- ence matchups to keep from scheduling themselves out of playoff inclusion. Southern Cal and Indiana both re- moved future games with Notre Dame from their schedules, perhaps to stay clear of any collateral nonconference damage. The Trojans added San Jose State to fill its vacated Irish slot. (The Notre Dame-Southern Cal series was eventually renewed for 2020-33.) Even last summer, rumors swirled that the 2028 and 2029 home-and-home se- ries between Notre Dame and Texas — two programs that were narrowly left out of the 12-team playoff last season but would've been included in a 24-team model — was on the chopping block. "I don't know yet about Notre Dame," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in July when asked about keeping the Irish on his future schedules. But when it was revealed that playoff expansion was likely, be- ginning next season, Sarkisian's tone and message changed. "I know it's good for college football that we're playing Michi- gan next year and we've got Notre Dame the next two years after that," Sarkisian said. "I'm excited that we get to keep those things." And with the more forgiving 24- team playoff likely coming next sea- son — one that increases a program's room for error — expect premier nonconference games to be wel- comed and scheduled by Power Four teams across the country moving forward, much to the delight of tele- vision execs and college football fans. Part of Freeman's support for playoff expansion logically stems from being left out of the CFP last season with a 10-2 overall record, and as one of the hottest teams in the nation when invitations were extended. The same could be said for the exclu- sion of Sarkisian's three-loss Texas team after the Longhorns played one of the toughest schedules in the country and re- corded three wins against top-10 teams. Many agree that both of these pro- grams were good enough to win a national championship last season. But neither got the chance under the 12-team format. With a loss already to BYU and his- tory hopefully not repeating itself with another Irish playoff exclusion, Notre Dame likely faces a must-win game this weekend against Miami to make the 12- team playoff. And while it's understood that teams need to take care of their own affairs and "leave no doubt" for playoff con- sideration, the parity in college football in this unpredictable 2026 season will make choosing the 12 "most deserving" teams very difficult for the CFP selec- tion committee in the coming weeks. The unpredictable season may also leave committee members wishing a larger playoff field were already in place. ✦ Marcus Freeman has voiced support for a 24-team College Football Playoff, viewing a larger field as beneficial to Notre Dame as it maintains its football independence. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at toddburlage@gmail.com UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Notre Dame, Football Benefit From Playoff Expansion