College Football Playoff expansion is again a hot topic, but not all coaches are on board with a proposal that would increase the field to 24 teams.
Memphis football coach Charles Huff said May 19 at a Tigers on Tour event in Germantown that he sees both sides of the debate but isn’t personally in favor of expanding the CFP.
“The competitor in me says if you can’t be one of the 12, then you’re not a national champion,” Huff said. “That’s coming from a person that’s probably in the worst spot as far as trying to get in. Being a Group of Six school, a little bit on the outside, we have an automatic bid but it’s not as guaranteed as some of the others. Win all your games. Win all your games, you’ll get in. It’s just hard for me to see an 8-4 national champion. Are you really a national champion, or did you just survive the longest?”
More administrators and coaches have started to come out in favor of an expanded playoff this offseason. The American Football Coaches Association said in a statement earlier this month that it supports playoff expansion, and conference commissioners have signaled they support it as well.
An expanded playoff would likely also come with significant changes to the college football calendar and with more autobids for teams from power conferences. Even a 24-team playoff might only include one spot for a team from the Group of Six. Huff referenced NCAA Tournament expansion for basketball from 68 to 76 teams and said he didn’t want to see the football playoff field expand in the same way.
“If they go to 16, they’re going to go to 24 and then it’s 48, and next thing you know, it’s where we are in society, everybody gets a medal,” he said. “I think the 12 system is perfect. I think it makes every game valuable and I promise you, if you go undefeated, they can’t keep you out. So win every game.
“That’s what I tell our guys, right? Don’t leave it up to a vote, don’t leave it up to who gets in, who doesn’t get in. You play every Sunday, every Saturday, Thursday, Friday like it’s the only opportunity you’ve got. And give it everything you’ve got. And at the end, if you haven’t lost a game, you’re in.”
The playoff is still set to feature 12 teams in 2026, but the format could change after that.
Memphis, which will be considered one of the top Group of Six teams in the preseason, opens its season on Aug. 29 at UNLV in a game that could ultimately have playoff implications.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Charles Huff says College Football Playoff should stay at 12 teams
