'40. Then I won't get fired': Mike Elko on possible CFP expansion, NIL

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Over the last month or so, the primary discussion surrounding the future of college football has focused on a possible College Football Playoff expansion, ranging from a 16- to 24-team field, following the implementation of the 12-team structure before the 2024 season.

While those in power likely believe that an enhanced field will bring even more money to the sports, Power Four head coaches have provided several quotes this offseason in stark disagreement with increasing the field, including Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who is entering his third season at the helm, and provided one of the better opinions on the topic during this week's SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida.

During his appearance on Tuesday, Elko told reporters, in jest, that "40" is the number that won't result in him or any coach getting fired, pointing out the slowly degrading standards of meritocracy that once stood firm during the four-team playoff structure for nearly ten seasons before any change was discussed.

“I don’t know why you ask us. It doesn’t matter what we think. I don’t know why we’re trying to become a trophy sport. What does Mike Elko want? 40. Then I won’t get fired,” Mike told reporters Tuesday inside the Sandestin Hilton in Miramar Beach, Fla. “… We don’t have to find a number that allows everyone to get in. It’s OK for it to be hard to get into the Playoff. None of us are answering for the good of the sport. We are answering for the good of ourselves.”

Elko's "trophy sport" comment will surely result in plenty of disagreement, but it's clear that he and nearly every one of the 16 SEC head football coaches feel that more important topics should be focused on this week's meeting, especially NIL and revenue-sharing spending, which has created a chaotic environment favoring programs with the most funding.

While congress, and even President Donald Trump have discussed the NIL issue, progress has not been made, Elko warned of some program's going "bankrupt" if regulation is not implemented, and fully understands that, if league-wide changes are made, the SEC could be affected, but agreeing with On3's Alex Byington, it's more than necessary is college athletics as a whole want go get back to its "scholastic roots and avoid further professionalization."

“College football has become very profitable, and certainly the players deserve a big piece of that,” Elko stated to TexAgs. “Unlike professional sports, though, it’s not profitable without the university. I don’t think Texas A&M football is as profitable as it is without the alumni base of Texas A&M University that shows up at games, that supports it, that buys merchandise. 

“So it’s a little bit of a unique give-and-take in that regard, because we cant’ go a-in to the business side of college football at the expense of the university, because if the university isn’t there, college football isn’t there.”

Heading into the summer, SEC Media Days in mid-July will provide reporters another opportunity to ask these types of questions, but on Tuesday, Mike Elko provided a well-structured opinion that likely won't change before the 2026 season.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Mike Elko discusses possible CFP expansion, NIL at SEC Spring Meetings

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