Former college football star Brian Bosworth says he supports the 24-team expanded College Football Playoff, a format that critics argue will dilute the importance of the regular season. Bosworth, who won the 1985 national championship and three Big Eight titles at Oklahoma, believes the expansion gives more programs a meaningful chance to compete for the title on the biggest stage.
The expanded playoff is scheduled to begin with the 2027-28 season and run for five seasons. Its supporters say the larger field creates opportunities for teams that have long been shut out of the national conversation, while critics warn that more postseason slots reduce the weight of each game played during the regular season. Bosworth rejects that concern, pointing to the realities of the modern game.
In his view, parity has become so pronounced that even the strongest teams are vulnerable almost every weekend. He argues that top programs lose nearly every week to opponents who are hungry and willing to take risks, and that a longshot team deserves the chance to prove itself in the postseason. By that logic, a wider bracket rewards competitiveness across the sport rather than allowing a small group of powerhouses to dominate.
Bosworth also turned his attention to the financial side of college football, specifically the rising price of name, image and likeness deals. He pointed to Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, who re-signed for a reported $7.5 million, with a potential total of up to $9 million including incentives. Bosworth described contracts of that size as a head-scratcher and said he would like to see a uniform NIL spending pool across all schools so that competitive balance is not determined solely by the wealth of a program's boosters.
He also cautioned against placing too much responsibility on quarterbacks when evaluating their value. Bosworth argues that a quarterback's performance depends heavily on the offensive line, the play-calling scheme, the defense and the health of the roster. In his assessment, the quality of the surrounding team often matters as much as the individual player, a point that becomes relevant when teams are paying large sums for a single position.
Bosworth's own career helps frame his perspective. He won the Butkus Award in 1985 and 1986, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. His connection to the sport extends beyond the field, as he has also appeared in promotional work for Dr Pepper and is tied to Fansville, a park in Norman, Oklahoma, built around a water tower.
The effect of the 24-team format on the value of regular-season games remains an open question. Supporters expect that more teams will remain competitive deep into the season, while skeptics fear that fewer games will carry real stakes. Bosworth's remarks add a voice from inside the game's history to a debate that is likely to continue as the new playoff approaches its first season.