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Urban Meyer not a fan of proposed 24-team CFP: 'Too much'

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko05/24/26nickkosko59

Urban Meyer doesn’t want to see a 24-team CFP if that’s the way the model goes. Initially, he thought 12 teams was too much, but he’s come on board with the idea of that bracket working the best.

But going to 24, Meyer claimed it would water down the product on the field with teams, potentially, sporting 8-4 regular season records and playing in the CFP. More and more conference officials in the Power Four are on board with the model, so 24 teams could be inevitable.

“Yeah, I think 24 is too much,” Meyer said on The Script. “But I was wrong about 12. I thought 12 was a little bit too much. Miami gets in there, they would have never gotten in, and they should have won the national title. So, I think 24 is too much. You start dipping down, like you said, (into) the teams that have very mediocre years (and they) should not be in the playoffs, so I think 24 is too much.”

Meyer conceded there is a 24-team CFP model that would work in his mind. However, he doesn’t even know if it’s possible based on current conversations around college football.

His idea is to have automatic qualifiers through the Power Four, preserving conference championship games. The conference winners get a ring, a high seed and automatically qualify for the playoff. From there, the rest of the high finishers in those conferences have “play-in games” to qualify for the 24-team CFP as well.

“The one model, I know that’s probably gone now … and I hope championship games (don’t go away).” Meyer continued. “If there’s any way to do it, make them play in a ‘Play-in Saturday,’ and that means all day long. There’s enough networks and there’s enough stuff going on that you have Power Four Conferences, one versus two, you know that the championship, both those teams are in the playoff, but one gets the ring and one gets seeded differently. 

“But then you got these other teams that you know … have six-five play against three and four, and have a play in games. Can you imagine the viewership? Can you imagine the intensity, the great players … I’d call it ‘Play-in Saturday,’ and it’s our Championship/’Play-in Saturday’ and I think it’d be as big a weekend as it is for the national championship.”