Auburn Observer: Behind G5 teams, Auburn football should be most excited about CFP expansion
There’s an opener against Mercer tomorrow consuming the immediate attention of Auburn football fans the world over, but Friday delivered massive news that will change the sport of college football forever.
According to ESPN, the CFP’s board of managers unanimously voted to expand the CFP to 12 teams in 2026 but is reportedly encouraging the sport’s commissioners to implement it as soon as 2024.
The changes include giving a bid to the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large teams, the board announced on Friday. Of course, the Tigers could find themselves in the mix for any one of those at-large bids in the future if they were to have a season as they did in 2017 and possibly even 2019.
The Auburn Observer’s Justin Ferguson broke down why he feels Auburn football has almost as many reasons as every Group of Five school in the country to be excited about the announced College Football Playoff:
"“When the news of a proposed 12-team College Football Playoff broke late last week, the biggest cheers should have come from the Group of Five conferences — which would finally get a seat at the table when it comes to playing for a national title.”“The next-loudest ones should have come from Auburn.”"
Auburn football will always be in CFP contention due to the SEC West
Until realignment drastically changes things to become unrecognizable, the College Football Playoff will always run through the SEC — and more specifically, its more competitive and talented half in the SEC West.
Alabama and Auburn football dominate recruiting in the Yellowhammer State, LSU runs Louisiana, and Arkansas will always be the premiere program in their state. Ole Miss and Mississippi State will always keep those in-state that don’t want to leave, and Texas A&M’s NIL collective’s pockets are seemingly endless.
Auburn football will have always had a clear path to the CFP being in the SEC West, but that 12 teams will be eligible as soon as two years from now is a major victory for years in which Alabama and Georgia are simply unbeatable, which is sure to happen once again in the future.