Nick Saban opposes 24-team College Football Playoff expansion, says money is 'the bottom line'

The former Alabama coach is okay with postseason changes, but wants something different The College Football Playoff is in the process of expanding to 24 teams starting in the 2027 season, much to the chagrin of Nick Saban, who says doubling the number of teams in the current bracket is far too many. "I would be for 16 (teams) – I think that would be a good compromise," Saban said Friday on ESPN. "I would be for keeping conference championship games as maybe a play-in for the 16? Which, now, you have 20 teams that have hope. But I don't think there's much support for that. I don't think anybody really likes that." The new format is expected to feature a "19+4+1" model with 19 at-large bids, four reserved for Power Four champions and one for the highest-rated Group of Six champ.

Theoretically, that would mean almost every team in the final top 25 rankings would play in the playoff. That also means the likely end of conference championship games. For the SEC, an expanded bracket to 24 teams would need to offset the league's financial losses from losing its title game, which is estimated around $100 million. "The bottom line is money."Nick Saban discusses potential reasons the CFP is considering expanding to 24 teams on the @PatMcAfeeShow. pic.twitter.com/JUZFUrCeXd "The