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The idea of a 24-team College Football Playoff is picking up more support – and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel just became the latest coach to back the concept.
Big Ten folks were the first ones pushing for it. Now Heupel’s on board too.
“The way college football is constantly changing, that probably makes the most sense,” Heupel told On3’s Chris Low.
It’s worth noting where Heupel’s coming from here – he’s already been through the 12-team playoff. The Vols made it last season before losing to Ohio State in the first round on the road.
Smart Wants More Teams In
Georgia’s Kirby Smart has been beating this drum too. The guy’s won two national championships during the playoff era, so people tend to listen when he talks about postseason format.
“I think 24 teams is good for the fan bases,” Smart said at the Steve Spurrier Awards show. “I think when coaches and ADs look at it, we’re looking at our fan bases having an expectation that they want to be in the playoffs – it’s playoffs or bust.”
Tennessee came close to making the playoff back in 2022 – they beat six ranked teams that year. Then Hendon Hooker tore his ACL late in the season (the quarterback was in the Heisman conversation at the time), and a loss to South Carolina knocked them out entirely. They still beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl, which wasn’t a bad consolation prize.
Here’s the thing though: the current format isn’t going anywhere for a while.
The 12-team playoff will stick around through at least the 2026-27 season while conference commissioners hash out what comes next. The Big Ten’s lobbying hard for 24 teams, but they’re not the only voice in the room. The SEC and other power conferences are pushing for a 16-team field instead – they want a “5+11” setup where the five highest-ranked conference champions get automatic bids and the other 11 spots go to at-large teams.
So yeah, there’s still plenty of disagreement about where this thing’s headed.
