Road To 24: Is a 24-Team College Football Playoff Happening Sooner Than We Think?

Welcome back to another episode of The Audible! Today, we dive deep into the absolute chaos surrounding postseason expansion as the looming "Road to 24" gains massive traction behind closed doors. With the exclusive ESPN media rights negotiating window closing on October 9 and a final drop-dead deadline of December 1 to lock in changes for the 2027 season, a 24-team field is quickly looking like a foregone conclusion. We break down the massive layout pushing this change forward under Jim Phillips and Tony Petitti, why eliminating conference championship weekend is on the table, and why these multi-million dollar executive power grabs make Stew "sick to his stomach."

We also look at a prominent program in crisis as the wheels completely fall off for Michigan in Ann Arbor. Despite their quarterback and offensive coordinator costing a combined $6 million per year, a broken offensive scheme is actively costing them their season following a brutal loss to Minnesota. We analyze the structural disaster under Kyle Whittingham and Jason Beck, discussing why it is far easier for Michigan to bench Bryce Underwood than it is to move on from their coordinator, and why the current offense suddenly shares characteristics with the worst of the "Rich Rod" era.

Finally, we dive into a packed edition of the fan mailbag. We tackle an engaging question from Tyler in Philly asking if rising stars like Bob Chesney or Will Stein will follow the Curt Cignetti blueprint and stay at resource-rich schools, including a breakdown of the massive multi-million dollar buyout numbers on Chesney's contract if USC comes calling. Plus, we debate whether the path to a 12-team playoff at 9-3 is strictly an SEC luxury, look at how poll voters would rank ACC clusters like Pitt or Duke if Miami wasn't separating itself at the top, and take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to discuss how our very first in-person college football experiences led to our present professions.

Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:03 - CFP Expansion Talk Heats Up…Is It Closer Than We Think 17:29 - A Program In Crisis: An Inside Look At Michigan's Spiraling Season 36:12 - Will CFB Coaches Jump To Bigger Name Programs Or Stay At Current Schools? 38:40 - Is There A 9-3 School Outside The SEC That Could Make The CFP? 42:10 - How Would AP Voters View ACC Teams If Miami Were Not In The ACC? 44:48 - What Was Your First CFB Experience?

Follow the Crew on X: 🔹 Stewart Mandel: @slmandel 🔹 Bruce Feldman: @BruceFeldmanCFB 🔹 Ralph Russo: @ralphDrussoATH 🔹 The Audible: @audible.show

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