There’s been an awful lot happen with the game of college football and collegiate athletics in general over the past few months. From the advent of name, image, and likeness opportunities, to the ability to transfer one time without penalty, to the exploration of expanding the College Football Playoff.
But it’s the last point that seems to be in jeopardy with the latest news of college football blue-bloods Texas and Oklahoma looking to break up with the Big 12 and move on to the super sexy SEC. With all the uncertainty surrounding what kind of shifts and ripple effects we’ll see once that all happens, many are pumping the brakes on moving ahead at any kind of break-neck speed when it comes to CFP expansion.
In fact, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is the latest. In speaking with Yahoo Sports, Smith said he believes everyone should be cautious about moving ahead with a preferred 12-team model for playoff expansion.
“I think the pause button should be hit,” Smith told Yahoo Sports. “We need to evaluate the landscape and what it’s going to look like. We still need to evaluate the 12-team playoff. We don’t need to rush into that when there’s legitimate concerns that need to be addressed.”
The 12-team playoff starting in 2023 looked possible a few weeks ago. That prospect is diminishing, as OSU AD Gene Smith recommends the “pause button” be hit. Also, other leaders around the sport are anxious to see multiple non-ESPN bidders. https://t.co/ga0sXiDDHg
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 30, 2021
Smith has a point. How can you set up a model of inclusion in whatever new playoff model that comes about without knowing what the universe of teams and conferences will look like. Will the Big 12 even survive? Will Texas and Oklahoma going shopping for sweet tea and grits cause other conferences to want to expand to keep up with the groceries?
Nobody knows. What we do know is that things are going to look a lot different than it does today if and the playoff decides to actually become a playoff rather than an “and one.”
If you’ve read any of our stuff here on Buckeyes Wire, you know that we’ve always been for a modest expansion of the CFP, but at this point, I don’t know how you move forward until all the renovating dust settles over the college football version of “extreme makeover.”
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