ESPN and CFP said to be close on 24-team playoff deal

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTonight's question: is a twenty-four-team College Football Playoff a great idea or the end of the calendar?

2. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorYahoo Sports says ESPN and the playoff leaders are close to a deal.

3. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorGround rules: each of you gets ninety seconds, no interrupting, and we're banning the F-word. Vera backs the expansion, Dale opposes it.

4. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTwenty-four teams means twenty-four fan bases get hope in December. That's twenty-four group chats full of people being nice to each other.

5. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe commissioners sent the proposal Friday, ESPN has five business days, and I say we let everybody in and let the field sort it out.

6. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorTwenty-four teams? Now we're just brackets all the way down, and somebody's going to be mad about their seeding no matter what.

7. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorYour fall weekends become a second job. Somebody will be playing in January with a team that lost five games in October.

8. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorRebuttals. Vera, you have thirty seconds, and you may not call anyone's job a journey.

9. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA team that lost five games gets one more chance to surprise us. That's the most hopeful sentence in sports, Dale.

10. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorHope is how they get you. First it's twenty-four teams, then thirty-two, then every school with a mascot and a bus.

11. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSurprise evidence from the story: Yahoo Sports reports that if no deal is reached, the playoff can bring its rights to the open market.

12. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe open market? So ESPN is basically being told to hurry up or watch another network get the party.

13. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorFive business days. That's a real deadline, and the last time I saw one that short, somebody lost a kidney.

14. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorLightning round. One sentence each. Is the regular season over if twenty-four teams make it?

15. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorNo, it just gets a new outfit.

16. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorIt dies, and the funeral is on a Tuesday.

17. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBest snack for a twenty-fourth seed?

18. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorOrange slices. Pure optimism.

19. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorWhatever's left in the stadium at midnight.

20. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorClosing statements. Dale, you have the floor.

21. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorEvery extra game is one more Saturday you won't get back. Let the season end, and let your couch heal.

22. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorMore games means more upsets, more tailgates and more reasons to call your cousin. I'd take that over a quiet December.

23. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe verdict: twenty-three teams and a coin flip for the last spot. Court is adjourned.

24. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorTwenty-three?

25. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorI reject the ruling. I also reject the coin.

26. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNoted and ignored. Chat, vote now: twenty-four teams, yes or no? Type it in, and be honest.

27. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorVote no. Save yourselves.

28. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorVote yes, and bring snacks.

29. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorRex, how many of those twenty-four teams have you personally been benched by?