It's been years since Kentucky Football so much as sniffed the College Football Playoff, and even then, it never really felt like Mark Stoops' Wildcats could really find a way in. Between late-season collapses and what felt like weeks without a touchdown at times, it was always more a "what if" in Lexington.
Yet, Will Stein, since his hiring in December, has brought that hope back to the bluegrass - at least to some extent. His success on the recruiting trail and tireless confidence in rebuilding this program has revived the BBN's interest in the football team. And yet, Stein shooting for elite stars could mean very little if a new postseason change passes.
The SEC is currently the lone holdout, per The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, against the Big Ten's push for a 24-team playoff. Doubling the number of contestants is bound to have a brutal effect on the importance of regular season games.
Would this technically make it easier for most often mid-level teams like Kentucky to get in? Sure, but at that point, what about Stein's revival is even particularly special? An 8-4 Kentucky team making the cut is much different than a 10-2 Kentucky team doing the same.
Cats fans, alongside the rest of the SEC, should stand against this seemingly unstoppable tragedy.
Tne ACC, Big 12 and ND now support the B1G’s 24-team Playoff. The SEC is the last holdout.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) May 14, 2026
If they cave, say goodbye to the greatest regular season in sports.
If you love college football, it’s time to stand up and make your voices heard.https://t.co/bq2fAhVl8E
An Unstoppable Tragedy
According to Mandel, "Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti (not a billionaire, but certainly a get-rich-schemer) has somehow convinced a growing number of fellow power-brokers —ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua and Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks — that a 24-team College Football Playoff is the answer to all their problems."
Spoiler alert: It isn't.
To me, it's sort of like the NBA Play-In on a much larger scale, or like doubling the Wild Card entries in the NBA Playoffs. Allowing fringe teams the chance to make a case for themselves is one thing, but wasn't that the point of expanding from four to 12 entries in the first place?
Bloating that number once again seems almost obviously like overkill, and yet, we're standing on the edge of it actually happening. So what can Kentucky fans do? Get loud.
Get Loud, BBN
I don't have to tell you that college football higher-ups aren't scrolling social media looking for fans reactions. Of course they aren't; if those people cared what fans thought, we wouldn't be in this position in the first place.
Even so, it wouldn't hurt for perhaps the most vocal fanbase in the nation to sound off in support of the SEC's old western standoff with the rest of the sport. At the very least, we'll have said our peace and can live with knowing we fought a change that could shift the integrity of the sport forever.
If that sounds serious, that's because it is.
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