College Football Playoff expansion on ‘life support’ per board member

College Football Playoff expansion seemed inevitable but one university president is throwing cold water on the subject.

A 12-team College Football Playoff felt like a certainty. However, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee doesn’t think it’s going to happen.

In an interview with the Daily Athenaeum, Gee, who is also a board member for the College Football Playoff doesn’t think he’s going to vote for expansion. In fact, he thinks the notion of playoff expansion is on “life support.”

“I think it is on life support now,” Gee said. “I have one of the votes and I think it nearly needs to be unanimous and I’m not voting for it. I think the Big Ten will not vote for it and the Pac 12 will probably not vote for it either.”

“It’s one of those ideas that I think was very good when there was stability. When there’s instability, the idea becomes less appropriate.”

This goes against what Gee said previously when he said he was a proponent for an expanded playoff.

So what’s changed since?

Texas, Oklahoma leaving Big 12 for SEC could prevent College Football Playoff expansion

Texas and Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, beginning in 2025.

Essentially, this stance from Gee is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.

In no way whatsoever does a four-team playoff benefit anyone at West Virginia or any of the remaining members of the Big 12.

The recent news of the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 alliance is also believed to be done in part to gain power in an attempt to thwart any momentum toward a 12-team playoff.

Again, the current playoff system benefits the SEC more than any other conference, because it’s the best college football conference. A status quo does nothing to help the Big Ten, ACC or Pac-12 increase their odds of more than one team making the field and thus bringing millions of extra revenue to the member schools.

This is purely out of spite but feelings can change as the current playoff format is likely to remain unchanged until the TV rights are back on the negotiating table after 2026.

As we all know, things change, and over five years, a lot can and likely will be a lot different than it is in August 2021.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.