Texas coach Steve Sarkisian missed out on a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff last year despite finishing with a 9-3 regular-season record. The Longhorns’ failure to be included in the 12-team field alongside the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s snub generated widespread discourse over the potential expansion of the playoff.
After the fallout of the playoff snub, the Fighting Irish were guaranteed a place in the field should they finish within the top 12 teams in the final rankings.
Steve Sarkisian Weighs In on CFP Expansion
During an appearance on this week’s segment of SiriusXM, the outspoken Sarkisian gave his verdict on the potential expansion of the 12-team College Football Playoff and the undue advantage granted to the Fighting Irish.
“I’m okay with 24, I’m okay with 16, I’m okay with going back to four,” Sarkisian said. “I really don’t care for the number that we are at right now. We’ve become a playoff or bust fan base, around the country, but there’s not enough spots for us to have that mentality. 12 is a tough number, especially when it’s really not 12.
“G-5’s getting a spot. Notre Dame’s getting a free spot, so you’re really at ten. So your number’s pretty small in a conference like ours.”
In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Sarkisian’s Longhorns have reached the Sugar Bowl and the Cotton Bowl of the College Football Playoff, falling just short of reaching the national championship game.
Why Greg Sankey Isn’t Worried About the SEC’s Stance on CFP Expansion
While speaking to reporters about the issue on Monday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey remained unbothered that his conference remains the sole holdout on the matter of expanding the playoff, further revealing the lack of a unanimous agreement among teams on the issue.
“Doesn’t bother me,” Sankey said. “I don’t know if you pay attention to college sports. Positions seem to change a lot. I’m not an opponent of 24 or 28. We have to inform the decision-making. I think we did a good job informing our position last year on 16. We’ll consider other ideas, certainly, this week and moving forward.
“It varies. We never had a unanimous vote. I don’t think you’d have a unanimous vote right now.”
While Sankey favors an expansion to a maximum of 16 teams, during the Big Ten spring meetings last week, the conference rallied behind Commissioner Tony Petitti’s drive to expand the College Football Playoff field to 24 teams or to remain at the current 12-team format.
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