Episode Details

Ohio State Primetime Live (Call-in Show 71) – Arguments For/Against the 24-Team College Football Playoff
Host: Garrison Gaddy
Date: May 8, 2026 (Friday night live)
Length: ~1 hour 10+ minutes (full call-in format)
Main Topic Summary: 24-Team CFP Expansion
Garrison opens with mixed feelings on the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) push to expand the CFP to 24 teams. He references Brad Crawford (CBS Sports) and notes coaches are backing major changes, including possibly de-emphasizing conference championship games.

Garrison’s Personal Stance:Leans against 24 teams right now (“more negatives than positives” currently).
Strongly opposes eliminating conference championship games — believes in outright conference champions.
Prefers the SEC’s 16-team (5+11) model over Big Ten’s 24-team push.
Maximum should be 16 teams; 24 is “too many.”
Would support 24 only if structured properly: reward ranked teams only, use CFP + AP + BCS-style computer rankings, protect rivalries and regular-season importance.

Key Arguments For 24-Team Playoff (Garrison + discussion):

Financial/Money — Big Ten (and programs like Ohio State) stand to gain massive revenue with more teams in.
More Access — 134 FBS teams; ~17% make playoffs (comparable to college basketball’s ~13-14%). NBA/NFL/MLS have high playoff participation.
Rewards strong conferences (Big Ten/SEC strength-of-schedule advantage) with more at-large bids.
Creates more “Cinderella” stories and March Madness-style excitement.
Helps Big Ten overcome perceived ranking biases against them.
Doesn’t necessarily dilute regular season — every game still matters to qualify.

Arguments Against (Host + Callers):

Dilutes regular season and conference titles.
Leads to 3-4 loss teams in playoffs; lowers stakes.
“Participation trophy”/greed-driven (especially Big Ten power grab).
Too many Group of 5 teams or low-ranked squads.
Logistics (injuries, depth, transfer portal chaos) become bigger issues.
Shared conference champions historically create confusion and weaken the product.

Garrison’s Ideal Fixes (if expanded):

Only ranked teams (24th is in, 25th is first out).
No/low Group of 5 auto-bids if possible (legal/financial hurdles noted).
Keep home games for top seeds early rounds.
Multiple ranking systems for selection.

Notable Callers & Highlights

Christian Ballard (Ballard Sports Media, Alabama fan): Views it as Big Ten power grab. Supports current 12-team format (working well with upsets like Indiana). Regular season value > expansion. Loves the sport regardless.
Juju: Strongly against — “whack,” turns CFB into full NCAA tournament. Worries about injuries/depth/transfer portal. Discusses Michigan QB Bryce Underwood, offensive changes, and rivalries.
Jackson Johnson (Alabama at the Voice of College Football): Notes potential positives (reviving old rivalries like Notre Dame-USC, Pitt-Penn State). Talks Alabama/Ohio State scheduling, recruits, and optimism for both programs. Humorous Bama-Michigan banter.

Ohio State / Michigan / Other CFB Talk

Ohio State-Big Ten alignment (Ryan Day supports 24-team).
Julian Sayin / Tavien St. Clair QB room discussion.
Recruiting: Heavy push for Trey Moore (top WR target, final 3: Ohio State, Washington, Miami). Garrison emphasizes how big landing him would be.
General hype for upcoming season (Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan).
Sponsor plugs (VOCFB.com, merch, FanDuel odds).

Overall Tone & Takeaways
Casual, fan-driven call-in show with strong Ohio State/Buckeye lean but fair discussion across conferences. Garrison balances optimism about CFB growth with traditionalist concerns. Consensus among participants: 12-team is working — expansion to 24 feels greedy/premature, but some structured version could have upsides i