TCU is ‘100%’ behind proposed College Football Playoff expansion. Here’s why.
Count TCU officials among those in support of expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 teams.
A proposal has been submitted this summer and the expectation is for the expansion to be approved. The earliest season for the expansion would be the 2023 season.
“We are 100% behind it,” TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati said. “It makes our conference more valuable from a media rights standpoint. It makes our university more valuable from a media rights standpoint. Again, we’re 100% behind it. There’s a couple of kinks I’d like to see worked out but overall it’s a great step.
“I hope this is adopted and implemented as soon as possible.”
The CFP has featured the top four teams since its inception in 2014. It has been regarded as the best model in college football yet, although it left out at least one Power Five conference each season.
College officials viewed that as a positive, though, since it provided inherent drama. However, the new model would likely always have at least one team from each Power Five conference represented as well as room for a possible “Cinderella” from a Group of Five conference.
From TCU’s perspective, an expanded playoff would have meant the Frogs would have been CFP-bound in 2014 when they won the Peach Bowl and likely in 2015 and 2017 when they won the Alamo Bowl.
“We would’ve been in it three times,” Donati said. “Just think about the opportunity and exposure there for us.”
Donati’s biggest issue when it comes to the CFP expansion proposal is playing on-campus games. He’d prefer neutral-site games.
Yes, Donati would love Amon G. Carter Stadium to host a playoff game but feels neutral-site games would even the playing field more for the Nos. 9-12 seeds to have a legitimate chance to win a national championship.
“Think of their path,” Donati said. “A road game and an extra game before they face the 1-4 seeds.”
At the end of the day, though, an expanded playoff with on-campus games is better than a four-team playoff. TCU will be in the mix more often.
It’s important to note that the proposal does not guarantee spots for conference champions; rather, it calls for the six highest-ranked conference champions plus the six remaining highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP selection committee.
There is no limit to the number of teams from each conference.
While most college football fans embrace the idea of an expanded playoff, it could dilute the bowl system. After all, playing in a bowl game may not feel like much of a reward for teams that missed out on the CFP.
However, Donati feels there will still be a place for the bowls with an expanded CFP.
“I do. The bowl experience is special,” Donati said. “A number of bowls still do it well and I think it’s a great reward for our student athletes and fans. I think there’s always going to be a place for the bowl games.”
Full capacity returns
Like every college, TCU felt the blow from the COVID-19 impact to live sporting events. The school has become known for its tailgate scene before games and has put plenty of resources into making the in-game experience as enjoyable as possible.
But last year saw no tailgating and limited capacity crowds due to COVID-19 protocols. That changes this fall with TCU returning to a traditional game-day environment.
“We’re all excited to get back to that,” Donati said. “We’re excited about the team. We’re excited about the fans coming back. We’ve been working on a number of new adjustments to enhance the overall experience. As we sit here in July, the season can’t get here fast enough.”
