August 19, 2025 – College Football Playoff expansion continues to generate debate, with prominent analyst Paul Finebaum strongly advocating for the current 12-team format. Appearing on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ on Tuesday, Finebaum argued that the CFP should remain at 12 teams until further data is gathered, dismissing concerns raised by Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti regarding a potential 26 or 28-team model.
Finebaum, citing the inaugural season’s experience, expressed reservations about the proposed expansion. “You were there every step of the way last year and, by the end, it felt exhausting, and that’s primarily because we had never done it before,” he stated. “But, I mean, there were, there were times where you just when, you know, going from week two to three, you’re like going, ‘Is this ever going to end?’ and that’s not how it should feel.”
He criticized Petitti’s apparent urgency, characterizing it as overly driven by television networks. “Listen, it seems TV-directed,” Finebaum explained. “Let’s be honest. We all work for television networks, but I think you have to be realistic when you’re involved in these types of conversations. I think it’s fair to say that Championship Saturday is in danger if the playoff gets expanded.”
Finebaum further questioned whether the Big Ten, in particular, possesses sufficient quality teams to populate a significantly larger playoff field. “Listen, it seems TV-directed,” he reiterated. “Let’s be honest. We all work for television networks, but I think you have to be realistic when you’re involved in these types of conversations. I think it’s fair to say that Championship Saturday is in danger if the playoff gets expanded.”
He argued that Petitti, with his background as a Harvard-educated attorney and former Wall Street and television network executive, lacks an understanding of the nuanced dynamics of college football and basketball. “He doesn’t understand the nuances of college football and college basketball and things like that. And I think, when you just parachute in from Madison Avenue or Wall Street, you are not going to be prepared for how the game is really played where you have other commissioners – (Greg) Sankey, Jim Phillips in the ACC and the SEC – who have been in intercollegiate athletics their entire life.”
Finebaum also referenced instances such as Indiana’s strong performance last season to highlight the difficulty in predicting sustained success and the potential for expanding the playoff to include teams with lower regular-season records.