Last month, a proposal was proffered to the College Football Playoff Board of Managers for expansion to 12 teams. This caught just about everyone by surprise because, although playoff expansion has been a popular topic for years, no one had ever bandied the idea of 12 teams. The discussion was always about 6, 8 or even 16. The idea of 12 teams on its face seems illogical because it creates the inequity of 4 teams receiving a bye in the first round. In reality, you can thank SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey for coming up with the idea of 12. He wants 12 because he knows that with 12, the SEC would get 4-6 teams in the playoff every year, whereas the SEC would only get 2 teams with 8. Why the other conference commissioners agreed to 12, I have no idea, but that is what is before the 11-member Board of Managers, which incidentally includes Clemson President Jim Clements, who recently joined. Clements or any other member of the board could block expansion with just one vote, so don’t listen to ESPN, saying that the 12-team model is a foregone conclusion. We still have a long, long way to go, and even if it passes, we will still have a 4-team playoff until at least 2023. The question that Clemson fans should be asking themselves is whether a 12-team playoff is beneficial or good for Clemson.
Before I answer that question, let me share my own personal preference. Since the playoff was first formed, I have always been an advocate of 8 teams and felt like that is where we would inevitably land. To me, that is the perfect number, just like the College World Series in baseball. It is big enough to give a chance to every team that actually has a chance to win the national title and has earned a chance by its play on the field. In 2017, UCF was the only undefeated team in the nation and deserved a chance to see if it could win the whole thing. I don't care what you say about their mid-major schedule; they handily beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl (Auburn's back yard), and that Auburn team beat Alabama, which wound up winning the national title. UCF may have been snickered and jeered at for proclaiming itself National Champ, but there are many SEC programs that have claimed national titles in the past with much less merit backing them up! Anyway, the point is that UCF should have had a chance to prove it was the best on the field, and it was deprived the opportunity. With 8 teams, you have enough room for every Power Five champion, plus a few spots leftover for the UCF's, Cincinnati's, Notre Dame's or a second Power Five team. And in my opinion, beyond 8, you're just handing out participation trophies to teams that have no legitimate shot to win the playoff. Does anyone really think Iowa State, Indiana or Coastal Carolina (ranked 10 through 12 in final CFP rankings) could have come close to beating Alabama, Ohio State or Clemson last year? In all honesty, Florida, UGA and Cincy wouldn't have come close either, and they were in the top 9. With 8 teams, you also don't have the inequity of the top 4 teams receiving byes and the can of worms that creates. The one thing I do like about the top-4 bye scenario is that Notre Dame is precluded. The proposal states that in order to be ranked in the top 4 and receive a bye, a team must be a conference champion. So perhaps that annual disadvantage will force Notre Dame to reconsider joining the ACC. Probably not because stubborn, egotistical Notre Dame is completely committed to independence to its own detriment, but at least the Irish will be punished for their arrogance and ingratitude for the ACC saving its hide in 2020.
Having said all of that, the college football fan in me has always wanted an 8-team playoff, but as an alumnus with 2 degrees from Clemson, I have to consider the fact that what's best for college football might not be what's best for Clemson. And perhaps even what's best for Clemson University isn't what's best for Clemson Football or its fans! Obviously, the Tigers are doing just fine under the current format and are dominating the sport. Clemson has the most wins since 2015, it's the only program to make the playoff six straight years and has won two national titles in the last 5 years. The Tigers have played in the National Championship Game in 4 of the last 6 years. What's that old axiom? If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Adding more competition to the playoff could only hurt Clemson in my opinion. Perhaps it would not hurt, and the Tigers would not be upset by a team ranked below No.4, but why risk it at all? Well, an expanded playoff means more money for all involved, and that would benefit Clemson. However, I think if you include more programs into what, so far, has been elite status for Clemson and just a couple other programs over the last 6 years, you open the door for parity and other programs begin to recruit better and shrink the gap. I can tell you that Dabo has told me personally several times that he is against playoff expansion. In fact, he told me years ago that he didn’t even want to expand from the BCS model of two teams to the four-team playoff. So President Clements is in a precarious situation. He has to consider what’s best for college football, what’s best for Clemson University and then what’s best for Clemson Football, which may not even align with the former. Clemson University may profit from the additional money of an expanded playoff, but its football program may lose its stranglehold on the sport. Shortly after the proposal, Clements told me he planned to gather a lot more information and listen to every perspective before forming an opinion. I know Jim to be a man of integrity, so I’m sure he will do what he thinks is right for college football without letting his own bias and agenda get in the way, but I hope he or someone else will veto 12 in favor of 8. Again, all 12 would accomplish would be more money and power for the SEC over all the other conferences and a participation trophy so teams 9 through 12 can say they “made playoff.” However, making the playoff won’t be the same accomplishment as it has been with 4 teams, and that will diminish the greatness of what Dabo and the Tigers have accomplished for the last six straight years and likely seven.
The Board of Managers will next meet in September to either pass the proposal or make changes. Stay tuned, because this is only the beginning!
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