Expanded Playoff the Talk of Big Ten Media Days - How Notre Dame Would Benefit

Regardless of your wants for it or not, a 24-team College Football Playoff would only make Notre Dame's current stances stronger

Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua speaks with media at Notre Dame Stadium on Monday, Dec. 17, 2024, in South Bend, Ind. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Big Ten Media Days got Tuesday underway in Chicago, and among the very first things brought up was the desire for the College Football Playoff to expand to 24 teams.

This is anything but new, as the idea has long been floated, but Big Ten commissioner Tony Petetti spent a good amount of his opening press conference discussing the potential move to 24 teams, and what it would mean for college football.

While the playoff has forever changed the landscape of the sport, and the expansion from four teams to 12 only furthered that, and an explosion to 24 teams would turn the sport entirely on its head.

And it would only benefit Notre Dame in a major way.

24-Team Playoff Would Be Great for Notre Dame

While I have my own feelings on a potential 24-team playoff that I'll get to, there is no denying that it would be beneficial for Notre Dame.

Ask anyone associated with Notre Dame football, or a fan of the Fighting Irish football program, and they'll tell you quickly how important independence is.

And a 24-team playoff would only strengthen that.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the Blue-Gold spring game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Whether it be Marcus Freeman, athletic director Pete Bevacqua, or former athletic director Jack Swarbrick, all have made clear that Notre Dame will keep its independence as long as it has access to playing for a national championship and can remain competitive in terms of revenues.

A 24-team playoff would only strengthen those for Notre Dame; access to the playoff would get easier, and revenues would only grow.

It's pretty simple, really: more spots in the playoff mean easier access. It's not in stone, but essentially, finish in the top 20 and make the CFP if you're Notre Dame.

Uhh, OK.

Then, being independent, Notre Dame would keep the entire revenues from however far it went in the CFP, unlike if it were in the Big Ten or SEC.

From a strictly business standpoint, it's pretty cut and dry why a 24-team playoff would be beneficial for Notre Dame - something Bevacqua has already endorsed.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thought:

Yeah, the positives a 24-team playoff would bring Notre Dame are obvious.

But at what cost?

College football becomes more and more a shell of itself each season, and expanding the CFP to 24 teams would only continue that trend.

Sure, easier access for Notre Dame would be great for business, but has easier access for more teams from the Big Ten and SEC been a net positive overall for the sport?

Selfishly, for Notre Dame, Petetti's hope for a 24-team playoff would be beneficial from a business standpoint, but would be a negative overall to the sport of college football, as the greatest regular season in sports continues to get chipped further and further away.