College Football's Gatekeepers Set the Playoff Terms

Cody Campbell, a Texas Tech booster, suggested boycotting a local sports station after criticizing the team on social media. “Appreciate the thought, Larry, but we have actually had the worst coach in the Big 12 a couple of times in the last 15 years, so we know what that looks like. Joey is great, and we are lucky to have him,” Campbell posted on Oct. 26, 2026. A booster can threaten a boycott; the playoff race, coaching market and television schedule show who else gets to set the terms of college football.

Who Gets a Playoff Seat

With six weeks remaining in the season, the College Football Playoff argument centered on who could claim its final spot: a 10-2 Notre Dame, a second Big 12 team with a 10-2 or 11-2 record, or a fifth SEC team, likely the conference's second 9-3 team. The AP Poll had seven SEC teams ranked from No. 9 to No. 17. Notre Dame was considered the likeliest candidate because its schedule had proved stronger than expected.

The Big 12 could send two teams. One likely scenario has Utah and BYU splitting two meetings, with the winner in Arlington receiving an automatic berth and the loser, at 11-2, getting an at-large spot. Texas Tech, Arizona or Oklahoma State could also reach and win the title game while BYU or Utah finishes 11-2 with at least one top-10 win.

The SEC's route to four playoff berths could depend on several teams finishing 9-3. Georgia was the only team considered likely to avoid three losses before the conference title game. A rough ranking of current résumés put Texas first, with three top-25 wins, including current No. 2 Ohio State, and one or two more ranked opponents ahead. Florida followed because of head-to-head wins over Ole Miss and Texas in a possible one-on-one tiebreaker. Ole Miss had two top-25 wins, including a head-to-head win over LSU, but its blowout loss in Gainesville hurt its case.

The mailbag noted that expanding to a 24-team playoff wouldn't end the arguments; next year's discussion could concern the SEC's 8-4 teams. More seats, same gatekeeping.

Money, Jobs and the Apparatus

The coaching market ranks Baylor, NC State and Maryland as the top open jobs, measuring their chances of success through program upside, recent results and money. Baylor's record over the previous five years was 26-31. The Athletic estimated its 2026 valuation at $267 million, 56th among 68 Power 4 schools, and its roster budget at $20 million to $23 million, with a midpoint ranked 45th among Power 4 programs. Baylor has three Big 12 titles and five top-15 finishes since 2011, but also five losing seasons in the previous nine years; its roster spending trails the top Big 12 schools and most Big Ten and SEC jobs.

NC State's five-year record was 34-25, with an estimated 2026 valuation of $480 million and roster budget of $22 million to $26 million. The article described a high floor and low ceiling: the Wolfpack had 11 bowl appearances in 12 years under Dave Doeren, but hadn't won 10 games in a season since 2002. Maryland's estimated valuation was $359 million, with a roster budget of $21 million to $25 million. It ranked last in Big Ten revenue, while its roster spending sat far below top programs.

The coaching churn also exposes how staffing choices shape the product. Oregon fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer after the offense struggled and lost projected high first-round quarterback Dante Moore in the fourth game. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko lost both coordinators from the previous year's 11-2 playoff team, then promoted Holmon Wiggins and Lyle Hemphill from within. Wiggins was a first-time play caller; quarterback Marcel Reed struggled under Wiggins and Joey Lynch, another in-house hire.

The Schedule Belongs to the Networks

The mailbag said television networks largely control college football kickoff times. Conferences can negotiate for schools to have some say, but would likely have to accept less money. For the Nov. 7 BYU-Utah game, a noon ET ABC window could offer exposure, while a 3:30 p.m. slot would likely place it on ESPN opposite LSU-Alabama and Oregon-Ohio State on CBS. More than 51,000 Utah fans were expected at Rice-Eccles Stadium; a noon game rather than a 10 p.m. start could mean 4 million to 5 million viewers instead of 1 million to 2 million.

The mailbag described the Big Ten as largely a television bundle, with traditional rivalries replaced by manufactured ones and long travel for non-football sports. It proposed that Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Texas, Alabama and Georgia could join Notre Dame as independents and sell games to networks. Its example Ohio State schedule included Bowling Green, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas State, Virginia, Texas, Iowa State, Georgia, Pitt, Penn State, Youngstown State and Michigan.

This week's viewing guide distributes 11 games from Wednesday through Saturday across ESPN networks, ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, The CW and other channels. ABC and NBC were described as free over the air; some other games require subscriptions or streaming plans. The athletic programs, conferences and broadcasters keep bargaining over playoff access, roster budgets and kickoff windows. Players and fans meet the schedule already made.