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CFP director Bill Hancock weighs in on potential of Playoff expansion
By Cody McClure
Published:
An College Football Playoff consisting of eight teams is “not in the cards,” according to CFP director Bill Hancock.
The current landscape consisting of a four-team playoff will remain intact until at least 2025, which is when the current 12-year agreement expires — as pointed out in a Sporting News report on Friday.
“It would take a unanimous vote from all the conferences for that kind of movement to start,” Hancock told reporters at the Atlanta Sheraton Hotel in regards to an eight-team playoff. “Right now, that’s not in the cards.”
Pressure has been mounting over the past couple of seasons, and particularly this year, for an adjustment.
Not only was Big Ten champion Ohio State left out, but a dominant, undefeated UCF team also didn’t get a shot at the national crown. It showed how good it was in a 34-27 Peach Bowl victory over Auburn.
“They had a great season and great experience,” Hancock said of UCF. “I’m enjoying their exuberance.”
The Knights are planning to claim a national title. But the CFP director was clear on the committee’s stance in regards to UCF:
“It has to come down to who you play.”
Including Auburn, UCF defeated just two Power Five teams. The other was 4-8 Maryland.
Hancock also was asked about the committee’s decision to put Alabama in the playoff over Ohio State — the latter of which happened to lose a 55-24 decision at Iowa.
“That’s a fair question,” he said. “Alabama lost its margin for error when it lost. They needed help, as we all would say, and they got that help. … The committee felt strongly that they were the better team.”
The Crimson Tide will battle Georgia for a national championship on Monday night in Atlanta, regardless of what the rest of the country wants.
Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.
