We entered the 2024 season knowing that the 12-team playoff was upon us, but the impact was not truly felt until December, after the playoff had started. Since it has now fully been felt, I expect some changes in the ways that coaches strategize their regular season. Mr. FishDuck took a break from his review of valorant upcoming events to share his thoughts on this with me. The playoff offers a chance at redemption, as in…
A Coach Can Save His Job
Ryan Day was cooked. After the Ohio State Buckeyes’ fourth straight loss to Michigan and looking like anything but a national champion team, Buckeye faithful were out for blood.
But, then, the playoff happened and Ohio State stole the mantle as the most dominating team in college football. Under the old system, the Buckeyes would have been left out and Day would most likely have been canned — proving that under this new system, redemption can be found after a less-than-perfect regular season.
The Regular Season is Not Everything
While an undefeated regular season is nice and cute (ask the 2007 New England Patriots), it is not the necessity it once was. Moving forward we can expect, much like in pro football, coaches to marshal the regular season as a means to have their team as ready as possible come the postseason.

A B1G game may not be as important? (Photo by Steven Chan)
As college football fans we have been programmed into believing that the regular season was everything, because, it was. Under the old system, you could maybe have one loss and still make the four-team playoff, but that is no longer the case as a two-loss Ohio State has won it all.
Coaches Might Rest Players
Included in the way coaches alter their strategy to the regular season is the idea that coaches might rest key players at the end of the season, or possibly even in the conference championship game as its relevancy has shrunk under the new playoff.
They say that college football has become NFL light… it sure has.
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Steven Chan
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.
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Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.