Michael Katz: Don't Pick Against Trinidad Chambliss | 24-Team Playoff

Every take on a 24-team College Football Playoff says it kills the regular season. That's the wrong line. The CFP is nearing a deal to double to 24 teams in 2027, per ESPN's reporting, with five automatic bids, 19 at-large spots and the first two rounds on campus. For fans who watched bowl season die, Steven Willis says it's "the first time in a very long time that the fans got something," and for Ole Miss it makes the playoff the floor, not the goal.

Tomorrow, Missouri. Eight days to Texas.

Steven Willis and the mayor of Corinth, Tom Vanderford, break down why a 24-team playoff is good for fans and for Ole Miss, how the SEC's nine-game schedule forced the issue, and what decides Saturday against Missouri: the Ole Miss defense against Jamal Roberts. Then Tom gives his final score.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 The College Football Playoff is close to 24 teams

1:44 Why a 24-team playoff is good for the fans

2:26 Ole Miss should be a playoff team every year

4:53 How the SEC's nine-game schedule forced this

5:54 There's nothing like a home playoff game

10:30 Missouri hinges on the defense vs. Jamal Roberts

11:02 Simmons, Cayden Lee and a must-win game

13:27 Tom Vanderford's final score

📌 THREE THINGS

1. The playoff is about to double. Per ESPN's reporting this week, the CFP is nearing a deal for a 24-team field in 2027: the Power Four champions and the top Group of Six champion get automatic bids, 19 spots go at-large, and the first two rounds are played on campus. Steven's verdict: "This is the first time in a very long time that the fans got something."

2. It raises the bar in Oxford. "Ole Miss should be a playoff team each and every single year. If they don't, it's an abject failure," Steven says. Tom Vanderford's case for the SEC: the league grind is tough every week, while a Big Ten team gets "2 hard games every year." And anyone who was in Oxford for last December's home playoff game knows what the campus rounds mean.

3. Missouri comes down to one matchup. Tom: "In my opinion, the game hinges on our defense versus their run game." Jamal Roberts has back-to-back 200-yard games against Florida and Texas A&M, per the Ole Miss game notes. Tom calls it "a must-win game for Ole Miss" and expects a win at Texas next if Ole Miss gets through it healthy. His final score: Ole Miss 38, Missouri 31.

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