As the College Football Playoff entertains yet more expansion to its postseason format, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has taken a side in the debate.
“The more spots, the better. Make that thing 40 and let’s go,” Rhule joked with a smile in comments to Husker Online.
Okay, maybe it won’t be 40, but Rhule believes there’s a case for more.
“I think, again, you’re talking about a league that we play nine conference games where some others play eight. So I think that puts you at an automatic disadvantage,” he said.
Rhule is definitely of the opinion that adding more teams to the playoff could help negate any concerns around the perceived disparity in scheduling, and that by allowing more teams in the field, they could show if they belong on a more national stage.
College Football Playoff selectors place a heavy premium on winning conference games, and by playing an extra league opponent, the Big Ten is judged a little more harshly than, say, the SEC, which plays eight conference games, according to that logic.
“I think the more spots, I think if they do go to where it’s guaranteed, hey, you get four at-large bids if you can play your way into those things, you just think about playing meaningful games in Memorial Stadium in November, December and January, where the weather starts to be a real factor,” Rhule said.
“We play UCLA every year, the first thing I do is say where is it? When is it? I want it to be as cold as possible. Now they’re smart, (UCLA and USC), they play each other at the end of the year so they’re kind of protected from some cold-weather games.
“But as we start thinking about the College Football Playoff, yeah, I want to play those games in the Midwest, in the Northeast, in the North. I want to play them in cold areas to help the Big Ten.”
Rhule’s comments come at a time when college football’s leaders are actively discussing another expansion to the playoff field, to either 14 or 16 teams.
Power Four conference commissioners met this week to discuss a proposal that would give the Big Ten and SEC four automatic bids each, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the best Group of Five school, and three remaining at-large bids.
The more the College Football Playoff expands, the more that teams can more properly be rewarded for their success on the field, the Cornhuskers coach believes.
“The more spots, the better,” Rhule said.
“We’re playing in a really, really tough league. We’re playing really, really good teams. And you know what? If you play in this league, you deserve a chance to get to the postseason and see what you can do.”
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