College football legend Brian Bosworth says he supports the controversial 24-team expanded playoff
College football legend Brian Bosworth is a fan of the controversially expanded playoff format.
The 24-team format will begin in the 2027–28 season and run for five seasons, but fans don’t like it because it dilutes the impact of the regular season. However, Bosworth likes the new format because it gives more programs opportunities to compete on bigger stages.
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"It just gets bigger and better, and it deserves to be bigger and better because there's so many college programs that deserve the opportunity to show who they are," Bosworth told OutKick in a recent interview.
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Brian Bosworth speaks onstage during weekend two, day one of the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on Oct. 8, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (Rick Kern/WireImage)
The Oklahoma football legend talked about the incredible parity in college football and how top teams lose nearly every weekend . Bosworth also said the expanded playoff gives more fans a reason to stay invested later into the season.
"To expand to include colleges that otherwise would be forgotten. They're on the edge and you say, ‘Oh, maybe next year, maybe next year.’ It gives the fans some more hope. It gives them a dream. It gives them a destination and it keeps their passion alive," Bosworth said.
When asked whether 24 teams realistically have a chance to win the national championship each season, Bosworth said not to discount the longshots.
"There could be 10 or 12 really good teams, but there could be another 10 teams behind them that are just hungry and want an opportunity. So, yeah, it extends the season and it gives more teams an opportunity, but there's something to be said about the long shot or the hungry dog," Bosworth said.
Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth visits with fans during the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2016. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Wild West of the NIL
Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is returning to the Bulldogs next season on a $7.5 million deal that could reach $9 million with incentives, according to multiple reports. Bosworth has said the exorbitant amounts of money involved in some of these contracts are a "head-scratcher."
"The money has gotten to a point where it's just a head scratcher. I'm a firm believer of putting some fences around it and controlling the fact that not every school is going to have the deep pockets in which to go deep into," Bosworth said.
"I think the fairness of it should be across the board that every team has the same pool so that they can manage the team across the board. Everybody's doing the same thing on the same page and you don't have somebody that's funneling money into it and then you can have these crazy contracts the way they're going about it now."
Bosworth noted that Taylor is an amazing player, but football isn’t a one-man show. If the team doesn’t invest in the players around him, it will struggle to play well.
"But it's not a one-man show (because) great quarterbacks can fail based upon their offensive scheme, the play calling, the injuries on the offensive line. If you've got a defense that's super porous, you know. It really does take a team to be an elite team to get into the conversation to be a championship in the conference and then maybe get to the playoffs," Bosworth said.
Bosworth knows what it takes to have a winning team, as he won the 1985 national championship and three Big Eight titles. He won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in both 1985 and 1986. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Bringing Fansville to Life
In addition to being a star linebacker during his playing days, Bosworth has also brought the iconic "Sheriff Boz" to life in Dr Pepper commercials. In Norman, Oklahoma, Dr Pepper is bringing Fansville to life with the Dr Pepper Water Tower Park.
More than a landmark, the park gives fans a new gathering place to connect, celebrate gameday traditions and experience a piece of Fansville . Bosworth, who knows the passion of Oklahoma fans well, said bringing Fansville to life is a dream come true.
Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners greets former star linebacker Brian Bosworth before the team's spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on April 23, 2022. (Getty Images)
"It's really a dream come true," Bosworth, who spoke on behalf of Dr Pepper said. "College football is perpetual. It's been with us, it's here now and it will always be with us. And to be part of that is really an honor. And to have Fansville come here and then put up their iconic water tower in a spot, it's just cherry. You couldn't ask for anything better."
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