The upcoming College Football Playoff is set and will feature Alabama-Oklahoma and Clemson-Notre Dame. Like the previous BCS system, there is still controversy about which teams should get in. You have the Georgias of the world who prove that they are serious contenders despite losing to Alabama and LSU and UCF who went undefeated for two straight years but a strength of schedule that holds them back.
According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, the NCAA will meet on January 7, the day of the national championship game, to discuss expanding the playoff format to eight teams. The goal is to possibly make this happen before ESPN’s contract with the playoff expires in 2026. Automatic bids for the Power Five conference champions and three at-large bids could be granted.
Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez thinks this move is inevitable and that more teams in the playoffs would benefit everybody.
“I don’t know whether we’re serving all of our people now, when you have some leagues—our league (the Big Ten) as an example,” said Alvarez. “Two years in a row, we don’t have anyone represented. The Big 12’s been the same way. The Pac-12’s been the same way.”
West Virginia president E. Gordon Gee also told The Athletic that no time should be wasted. He thinks the move to expand to eight teams needs to happen now.
“I also want to be very clear: I think that there’s arrogance of us not taking a look at someone like the University of Central Florida, just saying, ‘Well, they’re not worthy of it,'” said Gee. “Maybe they are worthy of it based upon a number of considerations that need to be taken into account.”
Expanding the CFB Playoff to eight teams seems like the right amount so there won’t be any snubs. There will still be controversy regardless of the move though. Many will still feel that all the right teams didn’t get in but expanding to eight seems much better than only having four when there are clearly many great teams within the top eight.