Penn State Fans Should WANT The 24-Team Playoff + How Much CFB Players Are ACTUALLY Being Paid!

College football's money era is accelerating, and Penn State is right in the middle of it. Zach Seyko and Locked On Hoosiers host Jacob Goins break down the latest College Football Playoff expansion debate, including growing discussion around 20- and 24-team formats. Then they react to ESPN's reporting on what starting Power Four players cost in 2026 and explain why programs such as Penn State increasingly have to build rosters like NFL franchises. Plus, former Penn State cornerback A.J. Harris is battling Ryland Gandy for a starting job at Indiana. What happened to Harris, and could his struggles be more about scheme than talent? Subscribe for Penn State football analysis throughout fall camp and the 2026 season. Photo credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Become an every-dayer! Subscribe to Locked On Nittany Lions on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lockedonnittanylions?sub\_confirmation=1 Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. . The Game Don't miss this chance to celebrate 40 years of The Game with 40% off your entire order. Visit https://TheGameCaps.com and use promo code LOCKEDON at checkout. Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONittanyLions?sid=YouTube Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege Follow the show on X! https://x.com/LockedOnNittany https://x.com/zach\_seyko #lockedonnittanylions #pennstate #nittanylions #pennstatefootball #collegefootball #bigtenfootball #ncaafootball #lockedon #weare #football 0:00 Intro 1:00 College Football Playoff expansion debate 3:27 Would a bigger playoff kill bowl games? 6:41 The case for more high-stakes playoff matchups 9:19 What college football starters cost in 2026 13:35 Penn State's NFL-style roster budget 15:49 Will player prices ever come back down? 20:13 Are $100 million rosters coming? 24:31 AJ Harris vs. Ryland Gandy at Indiana 25:27 What happened to AJ Harris? 28:17 What role still makes sense for Harris? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.