College Football Playoff: Should we expand the tournament?

The College Football Playoff is three years in and so far, it’s been okay. With a changing College Football landscape, however, some are calling for tournament expansion.

There are numerous opinions out there since the four-team College Football Playoff format was established in 2014. Some pundits out there have said the Semifinal games have underwhelmed.

Look at the Clemson Tigers’ games so far in these past two College Football Playoff Semifinals. The Tigers have outscored their opponent 67-17 in back-to-back appearances. Their recent 31-0 victory over Ohio State was the first ever shutout in Urban Meyer’s coaching career.

Then there’s the defending National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide has outscored their opponent 62-7 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal two years running.

In 2015, the Buckeyes upset Alabama 42-35 in the inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinal. But that’s been the closest semifinal to date. The margin of victory in the College Football Playoff Semifinal without that game sits currently at 29 points per game.

Then there’s the player’s viewpoint. While playoff expansion is theoretical in nature, adding extra games means added risk. With injuries possible on every play, one wrong move could cost a potential NFL draft pick millions of dollars.

Michigan tight end Jake Butt tore his ACL in the Wolverines’ Orange Bowl loss to Florida State. As a result, he likely will not be ready for the 2017 NFL season. Butt is the second-ranked tight end in the 2017 NFL Draft class.

We saw numerous players sit out their respective bowl games too. LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey sat out to avoid further injury. After all, as unpaid athletes, there are risks that come with playing college football.

The overall opinion is the College Football Playoff is just fine and I agree with those sentiments. The College Football Playoff Committee got the final four teams correct this season and that’s all that matters.