Matt Rhule believes the Big Ten should have a CFP spot for every time zone it touches

It has been all sizzle and no steak when it comes to Matt Rhule and Lincoln Riley leading their Big Ten teams. Rhule is entering year two at Nebraska, but is acting like the Huskers reign supreme over college football like they did in the 1990s under Tom Osborne. Live by the wishbone, die by the wishbone. While I think he possesses some levels of self-awareness, unlike Riley, Rhule also said this.

During his meeting with the media during Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, Rhule took it upon himself to count chickens before they hatched. He said this league should have four playoff teams.

"I think four teams from this league should get in College Football Playoff every year. This is the best league. This is the NFL of college football, in my mind. We stretch from coast to coast in different time zones."

Since when has the Big Ten embraced Manifest Destiny concepts so shamelessly? Rhule is suggesting that the Big Ten should have as many teams in the playoff as the league touches time zones. I knew about the Eastern, Central and Pacific Time Zones, but did you know the western third of Nebraska was in Mountain Time? I had no idea! Lloyd Christmas had thoughts about John Denver.

The only Manifest Destiny the Big Ten has is for Rhule's alma mater of Penn State to be the first team to lose a home playoff game in the 12-team format. No. 5 seed or No. 8 seed, it doesn't really matter.

I know the Big Ten will be getting three teams in this year, but who will be the fourth after Penn State?

Matt Rhule wants one Big Ten CFP team for every time zone it touches

In truth, Rhule may be proven out right this season, but I am more inclined to take the under than go with the over in five in this regard. When it comes to who will be making the College Football Playoff this season, there will be at least three Big Ten teams, at least three SEC teams, at least one ACC team, at least one Big 12 team and at least one Group of Five team. That leaves us with three spots.

For the sake of simplicity, I will say these six teams are locks to make it in out of the Big Ten and SEC, respectively: Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State out of the Big Ten and Georgia, Texas and Ole Miss out of the SEC. In most playoff machinations, you are going to have those half-dozen teams in the field. That feels like chalk. Most of us should be cool with that. But what about other at-large teams?

Even though they don't play in a league, I would venture to guess that Notre Dame will be getting in as an at-large team, so that drops us down to two available spots. To me, Notre Dame essentially occupies a potential seat at the table that would otherwise go to an ACC or a Big 12 at-large team. Those two leagues will get between two and four teams in annually. So who are the other at-larges?

To be fun, as well as further celebrate the most sacred Pop-Tart Bowl, the two teams who played in that monumental event for college football win their respective Power Four conferences this year and get in. I am talking about North Carolina State in the ACC and Kansas State in the Big 12. Keep in mind teams like Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Utah are all playoff-viable, too.

Those six teams, plus the likes of Alabama, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee out of the SEC are all non-Big Ten programs that could be vying for those two at-large spots. As far as other Big Ten playoff contenders are concerned, I will give you Michigan, USC and I guess Iowa, but even that feels like a stretch. I would say if a fourth Big Ten team gets in this season, it would have to be USC, maybe?

What I am getting at is the lower upper and the upper middle of the Big Ten needs to level up. If Kalen DeBoer had not left Washington, that might have been enough to tip the scales in most certainly getting four teams into the first 12-team playoff. Again, it could still happen, but the SEC has eight or nine playoff contenders, depending on how you view Texas A&M, whereas the Big Ten has maybe six.

One way for Rhule to make his prophecy come true is for Nebraska to become Big Ten Tennessee.