Former Alabama QB blasts Big Ten’s 24-team CFP proposal

Dec 19, 2025; Norman, OK, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Daniel Hill (4) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family OK Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

After two seasons of the 12-team College Football Playoff format, the Big Ten is exploring the possibility of a 24-team format, and this is an idea that a former Alabama quarterback heavily criticized.

On The Dynasty: A Podcast on the Alabama Crimson Tide, AJ McCarron ripped the idea of further playoff expansion, saying there would be a lot of bad football games in this format.

“I just wonder what the hell we’re doing,” McCarron said. “Guys, we’re gonna hit it. It’s a shit show. Guys, there’s going to be some bad football in the playoffs if we go to 24 teams. I mean some bad football. Look at 11 and 12. The last two that made it in from a sense of when you say the group of five teams. They were blowouts, and we’re talking about adding 12 more teams? What the hell are we talking about? I understand this is money a grab, but golly. This is going to be terrible.”

The quality of the matchups was not the only thing that McCarron envisioned being bad. He also expressed that making players play even more games than they do now is an injury concern.

“We’re lengthening the season for guys to have more games on their body, higher chance of getting hurt because you’re playing more games. Like, what are we doing? What are we doing? … Is nobody embarrassed anymore to like even bring this up? Are you not embarrassed to keep throwing this stupid shit out there? You can’t be serious looking at this and saying, ‘This is a great plan,’. Like, no. What are we doing?”

The 2026-27 College Football Playoff will have the same 12-team format, but the Big Ten has stirred everyone up in the process of exploring what a 24-team playoff would look like.

The conference made a model for what this playoff would look like if the 24-team format was used this past season, and the model gave the eight highest-ranked teams a first round BYE. It had Alabama playing in Tuscaloosa against a visiting James Madison team in the opening round.