Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers have joined Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide as the two most dominant teams in college football. Since 2015, Clemson has played in four national championship games, winning two of them. Alabama has played in five of the seven national championship games, winning three of them. Ohio State, which has made it twice, is the only other school to make it multiple times.
So it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Swinney does not support an expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams. Why? Because not enough teams deserve to compete with them in a playoff.
“Our team wasn’t for it,” Swinney said of a 12-team playoff during an ACC Media Day on Tuesday. “They don’t want to play more games. And to be honest with you, I don’t think there’s 12 teams good enough.”
Swinney is right. 12 teams aren’t needed; that just weakens the regular season and gives more chances for the best teams to be upset.
Swinney shared further thoughts. He feels like other achievements will be minimized if the sole focus is on the playoff.
“I love the college game and I loved it when it was a big deal to be top 25, top 15, top 10, go win the bowl game,” Swinney said.
Unfortunately for him, the product almost always trends to more playoff games, because that typically results in more money. A 12-team playoff is probably coming at some point in the next few years.
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