Uncertainty surrounds the future of marquee nonconference games. Can playoff expansion help save series such as Ohio State vs. Alabama football?
and Alabama football, in more ways than one, gave fans a dose of excitement in 2020 — a year otherwise filled with difficulty. The historic programs put together successful seasons while navigating COVID-19 restrictions.
The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide made it to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the backs of thrilling players such as DeVonta Smith, But before the teams met in Miami, they had already scheduled future matchups. Ohio State and Alabama agreed to a home-and-home series. The programs would meet in Columbus during the 2027 season before facing off in Tuscaloosa the following year.“I have not heard from my colleagues at those schools that they’re interested in not playing those games, even though they’re going to nine games,” said Bjork when asked about the Alabama series and a future home-and-home with Georgia. “I think they view those high-power matchups — if anything, right now you play them and you win, and then you’re in a great spot.”Ohio State, Michigan and a creative way to rank the Big Ten 2026 hierarchy : Buckeye Talk podcastWhat Ohio State fans need to know about Michigan’s revamped 2026 roster, coaching staff While disappointing, it’s not surprising that a marquee nonconference series might be canceled. Under the 12-team College Football Playoff, it’s clear programs across the country are afraid of unnecessary losses in an era where a 9-3 team has yet to earn an at-large bid into the postseason.Would expansion incentivize teams such as Alabama and Ohio State to preserve a nonconference series? The answer may still be complicated.The Alabama-Ohio State series, under the Big Ten’s “24 team CFP Format Compromise,” would be played during the two years of a 16-team playoff. The field would likely be comprised of five automatic bids and 11 at-large berths.AP To its credit, the Alabama has faced a Power Four nonconference opponent every year in the CFP era. However, that 12-season stretch comes with two caveats: Alabama played eight conference games, a number that’ll jump to nine moving forward, and the program was led by Two of Alabama’s three worst finishes in the CFP rankings have come under Kalen DeBoer. In each of his two seasons, Alabama has finished with three losses before the final rankings. It’s reasonable to suggest the Crimson Tide could go 8-4 or worse with a schedule containing nine SEC games and a matchup with the Buckeyes. A four-loss team has finished in the top 16 of the CFP rankings only three times . The highest-ranked four-loss team last season was Iowa at No. 23.Amid the plethora of playoff expansion ideas, a 16-team format with more automatic bids was proposed. The Big Ten and SEC would each get at least four teams into the field, making conference records a priority compared to overall records. There would still be three at-large bids up for grabs, disincentivizing difficult nonconference games a bit. However, the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide routinely finish in the top four of their respective conferences. “If you don’t have those automatic qualifiers, you’re less likely to play a game like we’re playing this year against Texas, because it just won’t make sense,” he told ESPN.Ohio State and Texas played a memorable home-and-home series two decades ago. The winner of each respective game went on to play for a national title while the losers’ season was essentially over. Such high stakes for an August or September nonconference game no longer exist, which would only become more evident with a 16-team bracket built primarily off automatic bids.A 24-team playoff would likely yield similar results. If Ohio State, Alabama or Georgia are unlikely to lose more than three games in a season, and making the CFP is seemingly a guarantee, what would the stakes be for a nonconference game? Do you remember watching Duke vs. Michigan State in December, a college basketball matchup between two teams sure to make the Field of 68? Probably not. However, the teams still played hard and there was excitement around the matchup, which will be the case Saturday when No. 1 Michigan faces No. 3 Duke. College football teams will still play 12-game schedules, and while the stakes may not be as high, fans would still rather watch Ohio State against Alabama than Ohio State against Northern Illinois. Ultimately, risk aversion will determine whether high-level nonconference games remain a fixture in college football. An expanded playoff lowers the risk of a nonconference loss keeping Ohio State or Alabama out of the postseason, but losing is still more harmful than beating a lower-level opponent. For every fan who sees a marquee nonconference game and thinks, “It won’t hurt you anyway,” there will be a coach or athletic director who asks, “Why bother risking it?” Both sides could be right, and perhaps at some institutions, the roles could be reversed. But in a constantly-evolving sport, high-level nonconference games are not immune to change. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
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