The introduction of a 12-team format for the College Football Playoff has been a boon for Ohio State and Notre Dame. It’s beneficial not just for them but for all of us, as it moves past the dullness of the previous four-team structure and opens new opportunities for these teams to shine on a bigger stage.

This year’s four-round playoff delivered a championship matchup that is fitting for such an intense season. Following their four straight playoff wins, it’s indisputable that the champion has rightfully earned the title.

Had it remained a four-team playoff, neither Ohio State nor Notre Dame would have qualified, according to the final committee rankings. The Irish ranked No. 5, while the Buckeyes were No. 6. After witnessing their performances in the postseason, envisioning a playoff without either team seems quite disappointing.

The NIL Era Necessitates a Larger College Football Playoff

Historically, college football didn’t necessarily require a playoff of this scale during the dominance of teams like LSU in 2019 or Alabama in 2020. However, the landscape has changed dramatically with the arrival of NIL opportunities and transfer regulations, leading to fewer powerhouse teams and a broader array of legitimate championship contenders.

In a four-team playoff scenario based on the final rankings, the semifinal matchups would have featured Oregon vs. Penn State and Georgia vs. Texas.

In essence, that would only recreate conference championship game rematches—hardly thrilling.

In reality, the playoff committee might have attempted to avoid those rematches through some creative adjustments, possibly flipping Texas and Penn State in the rankings to facilitate Big Ten vs. SEC matchups or even squeezing Notre Dame into the mix.

Regardless of how it was arranged, a four-team playoff wouldn’t have accommodated a two-loss Ohio State team.

As the Buckeyes have demonstrated recently, any playoff missing Ohio State would fail to showcase the true elite of the nation’s football teams.

When the playoff was expanded from four to 12 teams, fans and analysts voiced concerns that this larger format could lead to the emergence of a less deserving national champion.

Moving from a two-round to a four-round playoff does increase the likelihood of surprising outcomes, flukes, or injuries that could sideline a deserving favorite, allowing an underdog to unexpectedly succeed.

However, that’s not what transpired this time around. Ohio State and Notre Dame aren’t your typical underdogs; they are well-established, highly talented teams that are delivering their best performances as the season wraps up.

The committee may have undervalued Ohio State by ranking them No. 8 when they clearly had the credentials for a No. 5 seed—the top at-large team. The Buckeyes didn’t achieve this playoff berth through sheer luck—they decisively defeated their first two opponents, Tennessee and Oregon, and demonstrated resilience in the semifinals against Texas.

They are here because they truly excel in their sport, and thanks to the format change, a single rivalry-game loss in late November isn’t an insurmountable barrier for a strong team and doesn’t condemn them to inactivity in the playoffs.

Throughout their playoff appearances, the Buckeyes have showcased themselves as the most talented team in the nation, regaining their form after experiencing a few regular-season setbacks.

“Very, very grateful” for the new playoff format, said Buckeyes coach Ryan Day. “I believe this new structure has enabled our team to evolve and improve throughout the season. Although losses are tough, they provide us, as coaches and players, with the chance to critically evaluate our issues and address them.”

Coach Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame surely shares similar sentiments.

The Fighting Irish showed considerable growth over the season, bouncing back after a puzzling Week 2 defeat to Northern Illinois—a loss that might have excluded them from a four-team playoff in the past and really would have barred them from national championship discussions in the old Bowl Championship Series era.

Either Ohio State or Notre Dame Deserves the National Championship

The committee in the four-team playoff era claimed it sought to identify the top four teams, but many saw through that claim last season when Georgia was overlooked despite being one of the most talented teams and only suffering one loss to Alabama in the SEC championship.

Could Georgia’s inclusion have changed the outcome of Michigan’s win in the title game? It’s uncertain, but after watching Michigan dominate Washington, it felt like we were robbed of what could have been a thrilling playoff match between Michigan and Georgia.

Had the four-team playoff continued this season, it’s conceivable that a national championship game might have put Oregon against Georgia. That could have been a decent matchup, but the absence of the nation’s top squad would have left much to be desired.

So yes, extending the playoff field to 12 teams has involved debates over whether teams like SMU or a three-loss SEC team deserved final spots; and when the Mustangs faced a tough loss in the first round, complaints intensified.

While the drawbacks of a 12-team playoff can show in the underwhelming credentials of final at-large teams, the major advantage is that a leading team afflicted by an unexpected loss (as Ohio State with Michigan or Notre Dame with Northern Illinois) remains a viable playoff candidate.

Now we’re left with two teams that have genuinely earned their positions in the national championship game. A rightful champion will be crowned on Monday in Atlanta, and we’ll no longer have to ponder whether the committee overlooked the best team in the nation.

Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the YSL News Network. Follow him on X @btoppmeyer.