The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams this year with some new rules for qualifying, giving automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions. But Nick Saban is not happy about that change.
During a recent episode of College Football Live on ESPN, the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach who is now an analyst for ESPN made it clear that he does not think the College Football Playoff should do automatic bids and should instead just put in the 12 best at-large teams.
“The downside of the [new format] is I just wish we could put the 12 best teams in the playoffs,” Saban said at SEC Media Days Wednesday on ESPN’s College Football Live. “Not worry about conference champions and all that kind of stuff. If you do get beat in the conference championship game and you’re one of the best teams, you should still get in there because you played really quality opponents and you played good football.
“That’s my only concern about it. I just want to see the best 12 teams in it, and I think most people want to see the best 12 teams in it.”
It’s worth noting that Saban’s plan would certainly help Alabama and the other perennial powerhouse teams from the Big Ten or the SEC while the current format allows other teams to make the field.
[The Spun]
