Spencer Hall on the Absurdity of the proposed 24-team College football Playoff | 05.21

Spencer Hall delivers a blistering critique of the proposed 24-team College Football Playoff, calling it a soulless, TV-driven monstrosity that undermines the sport’s regional identity and charm. He argues that college football’s magic lies in its localized, community-rooted nature—where schools like LSU, Texas A&M, and Indiana aren’t just teams but cultural institutions tied to place, history, and identity. The expansion, he warns, will turn football into a corporate spectacle, erasing the unique rivalries and underdog stories that make the sport special. Hall traces the shift to the Big Ten’s spreadsheet-driven expansion into lucrative markets, which has given them financial dominance despite lacking traditional recruiting real estate. He celebrates Indiana’s 2023 season not just for its record, but for proving that cohesion, discipline, and a clear identity can beat raw talent. He also skewers the hypocrisy of calls for social justice in college sports, noting that boycotts targeting the SEC ignore the reality that many Southern schools are already diverse and that the real issue is systemic inequality, not conference affiliation. Finally, he delivers a hilarious yet pointed takedown of Kim Mulkey’s middle name—Dwayne—using it as a metaphor for the self-made, unapologetic ambition that defines modern college athletics.