Paul Finebaum 'not opposed' to further College Football Playoff expansion to 14 teams

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum is not opposed to further expansion of the College Football Playoff. The committee recently broached the possibility it could go to 14 teams in a few years.

The 12-team playoff is supposed to be instituted this season after clamoring for more playoff games for years. But without seeing how it looks, the committee already decided that 14 could be a good idea.

With nothing set in stone yet, it left many wondering if it’s a big deal or even a good idea. Finebaum seems on board, if it happens of course.

“Yeah, I’m not opposed to it,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “I frankly think at this point, Greg, what’s the best number? Is it 12? Is it 14? Is it 16? I think once we’re in double digits, it really doesn’t make any difference what we’re talking about now, or probably the amount of money that can be made, which is important. Because this is the biggest revenue supplier outside of individual television contracts.” 

As it’s currently constructed, the top four teams get a bye and then seeds No. 5 through 12 play in the first round. Afterwards, everyone plays (those who remain of course) in the quarterfinals and so on and so forth.

With 14 teams, perhaps only the top two get byes and then 12 teams battle it out to widdle down to six, plus the two teams with the bye, getting it to an eight-team quarterfinal.

“And what does it really mean? That two or four teams now play in the first round versus sitting out which doesn’t bother me,” Finebaum said. “I mean, there ought to be some advantage to being the number one seed but we see how the NFL has successfully done this with additional wildcard games.

“So what are we arguing about in the future? We’ll be arguing whether the 14th and 15th team deserved to get in as opposed now, what would have been the fifth or the sixth or in the upcoming season, the 13th or the 14th? So I don’t think it’s a big deal overall.”

As Finebaum said and noted above, does that really change much other than less teams getting a bye? That’s pretty much all it does.

An expanded College Football Playoff does mean more money though, essentially. Since it’s a money game, more big brands could get in, which is essentially what the committee wanted.

“Fourteen teams was discussed – it is a possibility,” American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco told On3 after the meetings. “You have some large conferences with a lot of members, and there are a lot of marquee teams.”

If there is a 14-team playoff, it would be instituted as early as the 2026 season.