The College Football Playoff may have some calling for expansion after just one year of the new postseason format, but nothing has changed with the plans to keep the four-team format as it is currently molded for the time being.
Bill Hancock, the Executive Director fo the College Football Playoff, says there is no discussion about the possibility of expanding beyond four teams. Hancock says the push to expand is a media creation and nothing more. Remember, this is man who stood by the BCS system for years, suggesting tradition was important to uphold in defense of the BCS. He also says tradition is why the playoff semifinal dates will not be moved in 2015.
“I’m not hearing the drum within our business,” Hancock said in a report by AL.com. “I’m hearing it from journalists. I think we need to give this a chance. It’s such a remarkable new innovation for the game. There is no talk in our group of expanding.”
The calls for expansion have always been there for some -- I personally would endorse a larger playoff field if given the option -- but last season’s debut of the College Football Playoff raised some more intense discussions about expanding the field after Big 12 co-champions Baylor and TCU were each left out of the mix. It is all based on personal preference of course, and some would be fine with the abolishment of the new format for a return to the traditional bowl system.
The calls for expansion can also be supported by the monster television ratings the College Football Playoff games earned. More games would figure to see increased viewing interest for other bowl games included in the mix, if needed. But it took this long just to get to a four-team model. The odds of any further expansion even coming to the table of the College Football Playoff meetings may be years away, at least before being taken seriously. The current contract has 11 years remaining on it before Hancock believes any changes will be discussed.
Hope you can wait it out.