“The Game” has always been the nuclear center of the college football universe. However, as the College Football Playoff moves toward a potential 24-team expansion by the 2026-27 season, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg has raised alarm on the Ohio State and Michigan game.
What a 24-Team CFP Expansion Means for the Ohio State-Michigan Rivalry
Appearing on “Get Up,” Greenberg said, “If we live in a world where Ohio State and Michigan rest their starters for that game at the end of the season because they’ve got the potential of five playoff games sitting in front of them, then college football as we have known it ceases to exist.”
The buzz currently vibrating through Big Ten offices suggests that if the CFP extends to 24 teams, the traditional late-November slot for “The Game” could be moved, or worse, rendered a mere exhibition for seeding.
Cleveland reporter Stephen Means commented, “Fam, it is still the Ohio State-Michigan game. Nobody on either side of this will be cool with putting themselves in position where they might lose to each other no matter what else is going on in this sport.”
Similarly, Stefan Krajisnik said, “The first Ohio State coach to rest his starters against Michigan will be the last Ohio State coach to rest his starters against Michigan.”
NFL reporter Albert Breer wrote, “I couldn’t agree more. The 24-team playoff is an objectively awful idea. Hell, I think 12 is probably too much. Willingly killing the best regular season in sports would be insane behavior.”
The push for expansion is fueled by revenue, but the financial risk of diluting the Michigan-Ohio State brand is staggering. The game consistently draws between 12 and 19 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular-season game in the sport.
Critics argue that a 24-team field would allow a 3-loss or even 4-loss team from the Big Ten to make the bracket, effectively turning the fiercest feud in sports into a game of resting the starters.
So, as the Big Ten pushes for a larger playoff slice, the very tradition that built the conference is being treated as an obstacle. If the CFP extension forces the rivalry to move to October or eliminates the win-or-die pressure, it will be the epitaph of a century of tradition. As the sport eyes a $1.3 billion annual television deal, the question remains: Is the expansion worth the soul of the sport?
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