The debate over whether or not the College Football Playoff needs to expand from four teams to eight or even 12 teams has been going on for as long as it’s existed. All signs seemed to point to the four-team model going away in favor of an expanded field, which was backed up by the recent move of Texas and Oklahoma to the crowded SEC. The assumption was that the SEC would want to expand the field in order to get even more teams in the playoff than they already do while the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, and Pac-12 would like to see expansion in order to give their teams more chances to qualify. And ESPN has long been considered a driving force in expansion in order to create more games and bigger ratings.
However, that has not been the case. Reports of expansion were greatly overexaggerated. A recent opportunity for the conferences to agree on expansion went nowhere.
Friday, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips spoke with the media and laid out the clearest sign yet that CFP expansion is not in the cards anytime soon, essentially saying that the ACC “is very much aligned in its position that now is not the time to expand the College Football Playoff.”
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips: "The membership of the ACC is very much aligned in its position that now is not the time to expand the College Football Playoff."
There you have it.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 14, 2022
And one more thing: The ACC now publicly joins the SEC is basically saying, "We are fine with four."
I imagine the Big Ten, given their stance, feels the same.
We are barreling toward the expected: four more years at least of a four-team playoff. https://t.co/spEAYHYxLn
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 14, 2022
As some have pointed out, this is likely less a stake being driven into the sand and more of a leverage play by a conference that needs some.
3. This is almost certainly a leverage play. Once ACC/P12/B12/G5 vote for expansion, what is the motivation for everyone to come to the table on other issues, let alone to consider what the ACC has to say on those issues? This is ACC's trump card.
(3/x)
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) January 14, 2022
There’s also a lot of other information to be gleaned from what Phillips is saying, including an assumption that conference realignment is far from over.
ACC has had more playoff teams & wins than anyone but the SEC under the 4-team model. And while expansion could = more $ than current model, in relative terms, it almost certainly means less $ compared to what the SEC gains. SEC/B1G will have *more* sway after expansion. (fin)
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) January 14, 2022
As you might imagine, the news that one of the major conferences is effectively saying CFP expansion is dead, for now, caused a bit of a reaction around the college football world.
ACC blocking playoff expansion is such an ACC thing to do
— Mike Farrell (@mfarrellsports) January 14, 2022
The ACC’s pitch to Notre Dame of “You can’t make the playoff unless you join us but you also probably can’t make it even when you join us” is certainly a bold one
— Pregame Empire (@PregameEmpire) January 14, 2022
In other words, a four-team playoff until at least 2026, fine for the SEC … but if you're Texas and Oklahoma, less reason to push to join sooner than that. Much easier path to a 4-team playoff in the Big 12 than beefed-up SEC. https://t.co/fhEoGtDo1Y
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) January 14, 2022
One league has the power to block all expansion prior to the 2026 season. So hunker down for four more years of the four-team model https://t.co/xAYeVFBQ8W
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) January 14, 2022
Yep, as I predicted, they will screw it up https://t.co/A0iafnRXof
— Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) January 14, 2022
Is this a line in the sand or simply a negotiation tactic by the ACC to make sure it (and the Big Ten) gets what it wants before handing over the keys to the SEC in an eight-team playoff? Time will tell. Until then, it’s going to remain a hot-button issue for a lot of college football fans who desperately want to shake up the playoff and get some fresh blood in there to lose by 30 to Alabama (even if Nick Saban is fine with how things are now).
