While it is not the reason for the college football playoff expansion, the committee hopes fewer players will opt out of postseason games. With more games, and more opportunities to go play, there is a hope that even the elite level players will stay for the games.
Postseason Games
New CFP executive director Rich Clark met with the media at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte on Tuesday. Clark recently retired as a Lt. General from the US Air Force. He also played football for the academy, (1983-86). He replaces Bill Hancock as the head of the playoff committee.
“The stakes are a lot higher now,” Clark said Tuesday. “With more teams making the playoffs, there are more opportunities. We did not design the new format with opt-outs in mind. But we can see where more players will stay to play.”
What Went Into the New System
Clark also talked about the work of the committee getting to the current format while still including bowl games for the quarterfinals through the rest of the system. The Rose Bowl was considered a sticking point by some because it has insisted on maintaining its exclusive window. The game is always on New Year’s Day, (except when the holiday falls on a Sunday). And it has a broadcast window that excludes any other games being played at the same time.
The Rose Bowl Factor
“The Rose Bowl is amazing. I went last year for the first time. It was spectacular,” said Clark, who originally hails from Berkely, CA. He said as the format was being worked on and has been decided, the committee will work with the bowl games going forward to ensure they get what they need.
“Are you comfortable hosting more semis with their dates? Do you need to host a quarterfinals so it fits within your window?” He said the committee is taking into consideration the specifics of location, history, and specific bowl tradition, while also getting the schedule they need for the post-season.
“Our bowl partners are the richness and tradition of college football.” He said the committee recognizes that the Rose Bowl is one of a very small handful of bowl games that sells out every year, regardless of which teams are playing.
More Expansion
The expansion starting this year is huge, from four teams to 12. Of course, that means the next topic is another expansion to 14 or 16. We asked Clark about that, under the premise that even with 68 teams for March Madness, there is a 69th team arguing that they belong in the tournament.
He said the committee is not in talks about going to 14. “We are firmly at 12, and that is our format going forward,” he said. But, he cautioned, at the end of this first year of the 12-team format, the committee will look back with an eye towards tweaking elements for future years. “We’re not going to be so blinded that we’re not looking at everything.”
