The debut of the 12-team College Football Playoff format in 2024 brought a wave of excitement and unpredictability to the sport – and it delivered in a big way.
No. 8 seed Ohio State stunned the nation by storming through the bracket and capturing its first national title since 2014, defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and finally Notre Dame to hoist the trophy.
The expanded format is set to return for its second season in 2025, and while former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is a fan of the change overall, he’s voicing concern over one major downside: the decline of high-profile non-conference matchups.
On a recent episode of The Triple Option podcast, Meyer didn’t hold back his thoughts on the issue.
“I am really fearful we will never, or very rarely see, marquee nonconference matchups. You’re going to see the 50-7 preseason games for the first few weeks of the season. Big Noon will have to be at one of them, unfortunately,” Meyer said.
His concern centers around what he sees as a growing hesitancy among top programs to take early-season risks.
With an expanded playoff field, teams might opt for easier schedules to avoid early losses that could derail their path to the postseason.
“Some big programs are scared of playing other programs since they don’t want to suffer an early loss to start the season. They don’t want to be put behind the eight-ball going into conference play,” Meyer added, echoing sentiments that many college football traditionalists have expressed.
Still, fans can expect some major non-conference clashes in the upcoming 2025 season – at least for now.
One of the headliners is a blockbuster Ohio State vs. Texas showdown in Columbus on August 30, a rematch of their intense CFP meeting in the Cotton Bowl.
With both teams returning elite talent on both sides of the ball, the game is expected to carry early national championship implications.
Elsewhere, LSU will visit Clemson that same weekend, giving fans a rare and thrilling SEC-ACC clash. Additional notable matchups include South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech on August 31 and TCU vs. North Carolina on September 1.
These matchups offer a taste of what college football fans crave – high-stakes drama involving power programs early in the season.
But Meyer’s concerns hint at a possible future where those type of games become the exception, not the rule.
Having said that, fans were quick to notice that it wasn’t too long ago that Meyer was singing a different tune on this topic.
“(Ohio State is) opening with Texas next year … Why???” Meyer wondered on a previous episode of The Triple Option podcast, seemingly contradicting his current stance.
As the playoff era evolves, the balance between protecting postseason hopes and preserving the excitement of big early-season battles may be one of the sport’s biggest ongoing debates.
What are your thoughts on Meyer’s apparent flip-flop???
