The College Football Playoff, with its expanded 12-team field, was exciting this past season. However, conversations about changing the format are heating up as the CFP management committee meets this week.
Some potential tweaks involve guaranteeing certain spots for specific conferences, determining a different seeding method, and increasing the total field to 14 or 16 teams.
There was some pushback from fans when they went from 4 teams to 12, but most fans loved having more teams involved. Even so, we’re wondering how many teams are too many. Do they really need to expand again?
Similar conversations are also happening in college basketball regarding the NCAA Tournament. Since 2011, the field has included 68 teams, but the discussion is heating up for the tournament to add as many as eight teams for 2026.
In 1985, the field doubled from 32 to 64, so it wouldn’t be as large an increase as that, but it would still be a big deal if an expansion happened again. Do fans need more teams and games during March Madness? Will additional teams make the tournament better or worse?
Meanwhile, the NFL competition committee is discussing potential additions to its replay assist system. The in-game reviews could include roughing the passer, facemask fouls, and other vital penalties. While this change would help refs make fewer incorrect calls, it could also slow the games down. Will fans and players view this expansion as a good thing?
Every sport continually considers ways to grow the game and make more money, so it discusses what it can expand, increase, and add. However, the decision-makers must be wise when determining what will be best for its sport because expanding in the wrong ways or adding the wrong things can be detrimental.
When it comes to our lives as followers of Jesus, we should continually consider ways to grow in our faith and expand our impact. The desire for that kind of increase is a good approach when our motivations are aligned with God’s will and purpose. We want to grow in ways that matter and add the right things to our lives.
2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV) implores us to “...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul prays this in Philippians 1:9-10 (NLT): “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NIV) says, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
Similarly to sports, there are good ways to expand and increase, while other times, adding something is not wise or the right timing. Our challenge is not to get caught up in adding the wrong things to our lives or increasing things that are not beneficial.
We must ask God to show us the best ways to expand and discern when not to add something to our plates. Oftentimes, we can have misguided motivations or become greedy and want more when more isn’t what we truly need.
Jesus says in Luke 12:15 (NLT), “‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’”
Proverbs 30:8-9 (NLT) says, “First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”
Today, let’s ask God to increase our love for others, expand our impact, and strengthen our faith. As we discern when to say no to unnecessary expansion and increase, let's choose contentment and gratitude instead of greed.
I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the ways You continue to grow my faith. I pray that my knowledge and love for You will continue to increase. Please expand the impact You have on others through me. Thank you for providing my needs, and please help me be content and filled with gratitude. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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