College Football Playoff expansion talk at conference media days suggests the powers that be are increasingly looking at a 16-team playoff field.
Simply getting a four-team playoff in college football felt like an earthshaking move, even as talk of expansion followed immediately.
Now, that expansion talk is moving far beyond the initial idea of creating a six or eight-team field.
If you though a 12-team College Football Playoff was too big, then strap in for the latest murmurings from SEC and Big Ten media days.
College Football Playoff expansion rumors suggest move beyond 8, 12 teams
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told ESPN at media days that a meeting of Big Ten ADs this week had “increased conversation about a 16-team playoff,” Pete Thamel tweeted.
“Sixteen just seems to be out there. You can’t ignore it,” Smith said.
And he’s not the only bigwig in college football who is taking that way.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also talked at media days about “increased chatter” about 16 teams, per Thamel.
Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic that the idea of a 16-team field “made sense.”
As college football moves towards super conferences, led by the SEC and Big Ten, fans should pay attention to what the movers and shakers in those conferences are saying. If the SEC and Big Ten want a 16-team playoff, it’s more likely than not that they’re going to get it.
It’s easy to see why. The playoff is a revenue driver and the more spots are open in it, the more teams those conferences can place in the competition for the championship.
The conference commissioners are set to meet over the CFP in September, so expect this conversation to continue. Playoff expansion is as inevitable as more conference realignment. The only mystery is what form it’ll take.
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.