Kirby Smart calls for College Football Playoff to include 'best teams' amid Big Ten, SEC format debate

As the debate continues about the future of the College Football Playoff format, Kirby Smart shared what he wants to see. The Georgia coach called for the “best teams” to make the field regardless of what the bracket looks like.

The SEC and Big Ten play central roles in the CFP’s future as they discuss future formats. The sense is the SEC is shifting its focus toward a 5-plus-11 model, which includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large teams. However, the Big Ten is backing a 4-4-2-2-1 format with four spots each for the Big Ten and SEC. The ACC and Big 12 would get two bids apiece, the Group of 6 would have one and there would be three at-large teams.

Smart didn’t express support for either one, but said his stance is the same regardless of a decision. He wants the best teams to compete for a national championship, pointing out last year’s debate between Indiana and three SEC programs to make his point.

“I want the best teams to be able to go in.”@GeorgiaFootball HC @KirbySmartUGA fires back at the Big Ten and their desire for more automatic qualifiers.@ChildersRadio | @CoachNeuheisel | @DustyDvoracek pic.twitter.com/UdPIE0zpRT

— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) July 15, 2025

“I think it’s the selection process that comes about,” Smart said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “How are the teams going to be selected? The at-large teams – whether that’s 5-11 or that’s the AQ and they still have some at-large is, who’s selecting them and what are they going about to do it? I just don’t feel like it’s equitable or fair to say that the loss column is the only column that matters. I think historically, that’s what we’ve looked at.

“When you looked at the rankings of who was at the brink of getting in, we only have a small sample size of the 12-team Playoff. Super small. But when you look at it, it’s just, how many losses do they have? Let’s be honest. Who are you taking? Neutral site – Indiana and Ole Miss, Indiana and Alabama, and Indiana and South Carolina. I would love to hear you, on-air, tell me who you’re picking.”

Host Rick Neuheisel quickly said he would take “the SEC teams” in each case. Kirby Smart said that reaffirmed his point of wanting the best programs in the bracket and disagreed with the notion there would be a bias toward the SEC.

“That inherently, for me – and I’m not picking on anybody,” Smart said. “I want the best teams to be able to go in. And if that’s 10 Big Ten teams, then that’s what it should be. But they would argue, there’s going to be bias in that. I would argue history and NFL Draft picks and attendance and all the things that go into picking the best players.

“I mean, go to the NFL teams and ask them who they think the best teams are and who they want to see play each other. They want to see each of these teams play each other.”