Nick Saban endorses further College Football Playoff expansion as SEC, Big Ten push for automatic bids

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A second wave of College Football Playoff expansion is potentially around the corner, and Nick Saban is on board with the idea of constructing a larger postseason bracket. The legendary former Alabama coach said further expansion “is probably a good thing” as the sport continues to map its path forward into uncharted waters. Despite the CFP having already expanded three-fold from four teams to 12 just last season, stakeholders are in the process of determining a possible new format for 2026 and beyond.

Leaders from the SEC and Big Ten in particular are proponents of a 14- or 16-team playoff with multiple automatic bids divided among the conferences. Those two leagues could receive as many as four automatic bids apiece under the proposed models.

“Back in the years, I was never for expanding the playoff because I thought bowl games were really important to the history and tradition of college football, but now that we have expanded the playoff, now the bowl games have taken a less significant role,” Saban Tuesday said at a charity event. “So I think expanding the playoff and having as many teams involved as we can without playing too many games for the players — I think that’s a little bit of a concern — is probably a good thing.”

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/nick-saban-endorses-further-college-football-playoff-expansion-as-sec-big-ten-push-for-automatic-bids/

Author : Carter Bahns

Publish date : 2025-05-21 22:04:00

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