The biggest debate in college football right now centers on the future of the College Football Playoff. Should the playoff expand again, or should it remain at 12 teams? Expansion feels inevitable, and it may happen sooner rather than later.

Every college football program wants a path to the playoff. Whether it’s the Texas Longhorns or Miami (Ohio), the goal remains the same. That ambition will continue to drive the conversation until college football leaders make a final decision. However, the push for expansion creates a complicated future for the sport. Just ask Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Conference championships are already facing questions about their long-term value. Expanding the playoff to 24 teams would only intensify those concerns. It could also diminish the importance of regular-season games — especially the sport’s biggest rivalries.

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The Iron Bowl, Ohio State-Michigan, and other marquee matchups could lose some of their significance. Why? According to Sarkisian, college football is losing sight of the smaller accomplishments that once defined a successful season.

“That’s part of the problem in college athletics. Everybody is chasing one end goal and we’re losing sight of the small victories along the way,” Sarkisian said.

What he said next may sound obvious, but it highlights a growing issue that many believe is eroding the sport’s foundation.

“We live in an era of college football that’s playoff or bust.”

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Recently, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko warned that college football could be headed toward a financial crisis. Schools are spending aggressively through NIL in pursuit of playoff appearances, often stretching budgets to keep pace with competitors. As long as fan bases maintain a playoff-or-bust mindset, that spending is likely to keep rising.

“The disappointment for the majority of these fanbases is because they all live with a playoff or bust mentality.” Sarkisian said.

The collision of the NIL era and the expanded College Football Playoff may have created consequences few anticipated. Professional sports have systems and structures designed to manage these pressures. College athletics does not.

At a time of unprecedented change, many believe college sports lack the leadership necessary to address these challenges. The question now is what it will take to bring college football — and college athletics as a whole — back under control before the consequences become even more severe.