Plenty of people are angry that the Notre Dame football team is in the running for a playoff spot this year. Imagine they'll angry they'd be angrier if the Fighting Irish were playoff regulars? That would be the new reality should a 24-team College Football Playoff format become the law of the land.
For better or worse, it's a proposition that is gaining support among those who make those kinds of decisions. Once thought a dead in the water idea by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, upon taking a closer look, the idea might have been resurrected.
ESPN's Heather Dinich reports that while the 24-team CFP format is unlikely to be adopted by 2026, Notre Dame football fans should brace for the near future.
Notre Dame football would be playoff regulars with 24-team format
"The Power 4 commissioners met in CLT on Monday and talked about the Big Ten’s idea of a 24-team playoff field, but no changes to the current format are expected in 2026, multiple sources told ESPN," Dinich wrote. "One CFP source said the 24-team idea 'has some merit,' but there’s 'a lot of work that needs to be done' and more meetings are expected in the coming weeks. The Big Ten and SEC have the bulk of control over the future format. Each P4 director of football also attended the Monday meeting."
Obviously, how this new format would work is still being hammered out. However, it's clear that Notre Dame would benefit. Unless, of course, the Power 4 conferences used this format to try to force the Irish into joining a conference.
That's been a point of controversy for the Big Ten, especially, who want the Golden Domers to join them. Notre Dame, being one of the best teams in the country, doesn't need the help of any conferences to be College Football royalty. Expanded playoffs should only make their position stronger.