Bill Hancock weighs in on College Football Playoff Expansion
No matter how much grumbling and hand-wringing occur, the hope of College Football Playoff expansion continues to be wishful thinking.
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“There is no talk about expansion of the field.” That’s what Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, told reporters at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “Why monkey with a good thing,” he added.
Because it’s good, but it’s not good enough Mr. Hancock.
The BCS system was a train wreck, but it worked. When its contract expired the College Football Playoff was born with the premise of a more equitable way to select a national champion. In its inaugural season in 2014 there was the Baylor and TCU fiasco, which ended up working out thanks to Ohio State’s Cinderella run. In 2016 you had three neck-and-neck teams in the Big 10 drawn out of a hat and the nation’s hottest team, USC, left out in the cold.
Hancock elaborated on the expansion hopes:
"“There are those who would like to see more teams in there to give them an opportunity for their teams, which I totally understand, but at the same time, they say, ‘But don’t take away our bowl experience.’ I think a lot of times, people who want a bigger field — which I completely understand — just want more football.”"
Think about the possibilities
That’s right. All we want is more college football. Can you imagine what the College Football Playoff would have looked like in 2016 if it had expanded to eight teams? An opening round matchup of USC and Alabama would have been plausible. Or how about Clemson versus Penn State?
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There are only so many matchups between college football’s elite throughout the season. The College Football Playoff needs to be expanded to ensure the season ends with the best possible teams playing on the highest stage. The more the better.