Column: It’s time the NCAA stops expanding playoffs across sports

Q: Why is the NCAA expanding playoffs in sports?

The NCAA is expanding playoffs to increase revenue and fan engagement, particularly benefiting larger programs.

Q: What teams are likely to benefit from NCAA playoff expansions?

Most beneficiaries of the NCAA playoff expansions are Power 5 teams, which have larger fan bases and higher revenue.

Q: How does the new NCAA playoff format affect team selection?

The new format prioritizes the top teams while potentially excluding smaller programs that could use the exposure and financial benefits.

Q: What are the criticisms of the NCAA's playoff expansion?

Critics argue that the expansion leads to mediocre matchups and undermines the competitive integrity of college sports.

Inside NCAA Headquarters located in Indianapolis on Friday, March 10, 2023. Ncaa President Charlie Baker | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images I remember a time not too long ago when fans were clamoring for a College Football Playoff system. The BCS had major flaws with a computer deciding the two teams to be in the National Championship when there could be multiple that deserved a spot. A single loss essentially meant the end of the season. Then the NCAA adopted the four-team CFP, and while it was flawed, it also satisfied the desire of giving multiple teams a shot at the title. For the most part, the four best AND most deserving teams were consistently in the dance. I can’t help but think of this clip from Madagascar 2 for what has unraveled since: Fans were grateful for “the sacrifice” of a playoff structure in college football. Now, the NCAA is force-feeding fans with a giant “Give Us Your Money” stamped across their forehead. The worst part is it has expanded beyond football. Now, the NCAA Men’s Tournament is expanding from 68 teams to 76 beginnign next season. The programs that will benefit are mostly all Power 5 (basketball) or 4 (football) teams that have massive fan bases. Think about what’s happening here. The NCAA is feeding into the idea that good games will still happen when bad teams are involved. You don’t have to look far to understand it’s just not going to be the case. We’ll use the examples of the 2025-26 school year to look deeper into the teams that would make the playoffs in their respective sports with these expansion plans. First, let’s look at basketball. According to the NCAA Tournament committee’s rankings, these are the additional programs that would have been in the tournament.

Oklahoma (19-15, 7-11 SEC)
Auburn (17-16, 7-11 SEC)
San Diego State (22-11, 14-6 Mountain West)
Indiana (18-14, 9-11 Big Ten)
New Mexico (23-10, 13-7 Mountain West)
Seton Hall (21-12, 10-10 Big East)
Virginia Tech (19-13, 8-10 ACC)
Stanford (20-12, 9-9 ACC) Six of those eight teams come from a Power 5 conference, and not a single one had a conference record above .500. According to the NCAA’s own NET rankings, those teams went 54-77 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games. None of these teams deserved a spot in the tournament. It just so happens that four of those schools are in the Top 40 in revenue, according to a 2024 NCAA Tournament report. Navigating over to football, things get even uglier. Look at the teams in the playoffs in a 24-team format based on the CFP rankings following Week 15 (conference championship games) of last year.
Indiana (13-0)
Ohio State (9-0)
Georgia (12-1)
Texas Tech (12-1)
Oregon (11-1)
Ole Miss (11-1)
Texas A&M (11-1)
Oklahoma (10-2)
Alabama (10-3)
Miami (10-2)
Notre Dame (10-2)
BYU (11-2)
Texas (9-3)
Vanderbilt (10-2)
Utah (10-2)
USC (9-3)
Arizona (9-3)
(9-3)

No. 9 Alabama vs No. 24 James Madison (although, let’s be honest, it probably a team like 8-4 Pittsburgh)
No. 10 Miami vs No. 23 Iowa
No. 11 Notre Dame vs No. 22 Georgia Tech
No. 12 BYU vs No. 21 Houston
No. 13 Texas vs No. 20 Tulane
No. 14 Vanderbilt vs No. 19 Virginia
No. 15 Utah vs No. 18 Michigan
No. 16 USC vs No. 17 Arizona This is a bunch of mediocre teams, and Michigan is the perfect example. They were dead weight against Ohio State and lost basically every game against teams with a pulse. Even if they do manage to beat Utah, the Wolverines had no shot at the national title last year. You know it, I know it. It’s a waste of time for everyone. But it all boils down to the same thing — money and greed. The biggest programs (even with Michigan being a beneficiary in 2025 for football and maybe someday for basketball) are basically going to be defaulted into the tournament because of name recognition alone. Regular-season games are going to be severely diminished, and long-standing traditions and poignant moments that make college sports great will no longer be savored. As fans, there’s not much we can do. If you’re reading this article on a specific team-focused website like Maize n Brew, it likely means you are on of the top 10 percent of fans. You and I aren’t going to not watch, the only way the NCAA actually would feel this pain. They took feedback in creating the CFP, realized how much money it made, and are now weaponizing the sports and our fandom for money. It’s a sad attack against the fans that don’t want and have never asked for a situation like this to develop.