Danny Kanell rips critics of 24-team Playoff, dismisses concerns over regular season quality
By David Wasson
Published:
Count CBS Sports college football pundit Danny Kanell as a proponent of the impending 24-team College Football Playoff.
Although no official plans are in place for the CFP to double from its’ current 12-team format, there has been a groundswell of belief that such a move could take place as early as 2027 – a change that not only would potentially offer 8-4 teams a chance to compete in the postseason but would certainly spell the end of conference championship games.
Kanell, who played at FSU from 1992-95 and had an eight-year run as an NFL quarterback before moving into broadcasting, argued against keeping “the regular season special” by citing Alabama’s 2018 season.
What a riveting run to the title game for 2018 or Alabama (Before getting smoked by Clemson). Not ONE game was “special”.
CFB has always been about just having the best regular season record regardless of schedule to get the invite to the playoff. That doesn’t make the regular season great – if anything it made it worse.
Kanell referenced Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide team that rolled to a 12-0 regular season despite not turning in any unforgettable moments along the way – though it could be argued at Alabama pasting then-No. 3 LSU 29-0 in Baton Rouge and then slapping around Auburn 52-21 in the Iron Bowl was pretty memorable.
A decision on the 2027 College Football Playoff format is expected to be made in the coming months. For 2026, the CFP will remain at 12 teams.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
