Steve Yaros

College athletics is terrible at seeing problems around the corner. The 24-team playoff is the latest example. A lot of schools that supported this will regret it because in the end it won't be about the playoff or even the now diminished regular season. Notre Dame now has the best situation in all of football - almost 100 percent guarantee to make the playoff, freedom to schedule as it wishes, maximization of its own media value. To use the Big Ten as an example, why wouldn't Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State follow? If you can, be independent. That's the future. The 18-team Big Ten is bloated, distant and winning it carries little intrinsic or competitive value for the biggest brands. Those three schools can create a scheduling agreement that would increase their media revenue 2-3x and give the same control over everything. No sharing money. No forced TV times. Eight or even nine home games. Select your own schedule. Staying in the Big Ten now makes little and perhaps no economic sense. And yes, I do understand the league-wide research grants and so on, but there is always a way around everything. In terms of athletics, for those schools (and maybe a few more) it's lost revenue for the sake of loyalty and we know how that usually gets settled. All these middle and lower schools -- even in the P2 -- that supported this because they'll get in the "participation playoff" with an 8-4 record are facing significant risk in the future. There will come a day when they will now get a share of the Ohio State-Michigan windfall; only Ohio State and Michigan will. Maybe not tomorrow, but I believe a 24-team playoff makes it closer than ever. Thoughts?