Lane Kiffin Makes Stance Clear on 24-Team CFP as Ohio State, Michigan Could be Forced to Leave Big Ten: Report
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LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry said it first, and football head coach Lane Kiffin is on the same page. They are backing the 24-team College Football Playoff. In fact, the coach backed the proposal during a Sunday teleconference following LSU’s 31-0 win over Mississippi State, arguing that the SEC’s nine-game conference schedule makes a larger playoff field necessary.
“When the decision was made by the league to go to nine games, I felt we have to go to 24,” Kiffin said during the teleconference, according to LSU Tigers on TigerBait. “Because we’re going to play these nine conference games, we’re going to have seasons with a lot of nine-win teams that may be really good teams.
“So, you need to go to 24, or else you’re just going to knock out teams that might be really good. And that year they have five road games and play three hard, really hard ones, that might be top 15 teams and not make the playoffs because of it.”
Kiffin believes the current 12-team format fails to account for the SEC’s depth and the difficulty of its schedule. Automatic qualifiers also reduce the number of at-large spots, potentially leaving strong teams out despite facing tougher competition than programs from other conferences.
“I think my point of going to 24 just gives you a better chance to get the right teams in.”
Kiffin pointed to Miami’s run to last season’s national championship game as an example. The Hurricanes entered as the No. 10 seed and reached the title game against Indiana despite questions about whether they deserved a playoff berth.
However, the coach stopped short of advocating for eliminating the SEC Championship Game, even as he questioned whether additional physical matchups help teams prepare for the postseason.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been an advocate for it,” Kiffin said. “I’ve never said it should. The value of where that puts you in the position to make the strongest run in the playoffs, which I said is like it’s why you don’t want the super hard schedule in season. People say battle-tested. No, no, no. You want to be in the best shape. You want to win those games, be in the best shape as you get in the playoffs from a health standpoint.”
Winning the SEC Championship Game can improve playoff positioning, but it also means facing another physical opponent before the postseason. For teams already dealing with demanding schedules, that extra matchup could come at the cost of injuries and exhaustion.
But Kiffin’s push for expansion could create an entirely different problem for the Big Ten.
The proposed format would feature 19 at-large bids and five automatic qualifiers, including the four Power Four champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six team. The top eight seeds would receive first-round byes. But the problem is that with significantly more postseason spots available, programs like Ohio State and Michigan could have less reason to depend on conference membership for playoff access.
That’s where journalist Dan Wetzel sees an opportunity for the Big Ten’s biggest brands to follow Notre Dame’s independent model.
His argument comes down to money and control. Ohio State and Michigan currently share television revenue with 16 other conference members, despite potentially being able to earn far more independently.
Wetzel suggests the Buckeyes, Wolverines, and Penn State could establish their own scheduling agreement and potentially double or triple their media revenue. They could also gain greater control over television arrangements and schedule eight or nine home games.
With a 24-team playoff diminishing the importance of conference championships, Wetzel sees little financial sense in sacrificing that potential revenue for Big Ten loyalty. Notre Dame already operates independently, and he believes Ohio State and Michigan could eventually do the same.
LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry is also looking at finance
On Friday, he openly supported the 24-team format. He has his own reasons.
During the LSU Board of Supervisors’ scheduled meeting, Ausberry argued that the 12-team College Football Playoff format puts SEC programs at a disadvantage because the selection committee does not give enough weight to strength of schedule.
After all, the conference has its schools play nine conference games and also a non-conference matchup with a Power Four school. However, the Big Ten doesn’t do the Power Four-side of things.
“For the last three years, they won the national championship in football, and they have not played a Power Four,” Ausberry argued. “That’s why we feel that it helps us. It helps us financially. The first two games would be on campuses. So you could have two playoff games on your campus here.
“Then there’d be a quarterfinal game, a semifinal game, then a championship game. So we feel that’s why the 24 was best for us.”
No wonder Ausberry and Kiffin are pushing for these changes.
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