Auburn football fans react to CFB playoff expansion proposal

After years of speculation, it seems that some football fans may get their wish for an expanded college football playoff. While having only two teams compete for the national championship was done away with after Auburn football played Florida State at the Rose Bowl, many people say that four playoff teams aren’t enough to decide a true champion.

Pete Thamel reports that currently, a 12-team model has emerged as the favorite around the industry, but it could be a long time before the process plays out and results in a change:

"The first step will come in Chicago on July 17 and 18 when the four-member working group, tasked for nearly the past two years with exploring expansion, reports its findings to the CFP management committee. The four-member working group will present the finding to a group made up of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson."

The recommendation from the group will be a 12-team playoff model including six of the highest-rated conference champions and six other spots, according to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, which means easier Group of 5 access and creates the opportunity for multi-loss teams to contend for a title.

So what does this mean for an Auburn football team that goes 9-3 on the season? That we’re going to play for a National Championship, of course. While the Tigers are currently predicted to be a seven or eight-win team next season, the following years could see Auburn competing in the playoffs sooner than expected if an expansion happens:

A playoff expansion would dramatically change college football, for better or for worse. There is a discussion for both eight and 12-team models, but we won’t know for a while which path the committee decides to take.