Just before the start of the 2022 season, a vote was passed by the College Football Board of Managers which will expand the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12 teams, with the expected starting time in 2026.
The new format will feature the six highest-ranked conference champions as well as six at-large teams, a large cry from the four teams involved in the current process.
The timing on this announcement, less than one week before the first week of college football games, means many coaches haven’t given much, if any, thought to what this means for their program in the future.
Count Oregon coach Dan Lanning among those who are focusing on the here and now, especially after a less-than-stellar first week for the first-year head coach.
“I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into it just because it doesn’t affect us right now,” Lanning told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m trying to live in the right now. But I think it’s a great you know, it’s great to have opportunities to go compete at the end of the year and it makes things important.”
Lanning is no doubt concerned about getting through this season before he worries about a new rule change that may not happen for four years, but it is worth noting the Ducks would have benefitted more than a vast majority of programs had this rule been in place previously.
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