The college football introduced the 12-team playoff structure in 2024. But according to the reports, they are already planning another expansion to 16 teams. The Michigan Wolverines head coach, Kyle Whittingham, is not in favor of another change and shared his thoughts.

The playoffs were just four teams selected by a committee from 2014 to 2023. As the number may not stop at 12, Whittingham shared how the 16-team structure would pay off only on one condition. The Michigan head coach believes the current NCAA structure limits how much revenue the biggest programs can generate

“There’s too much money being left on the table, and that’s what it’s all about,” Whittingham said. “Unfortunately, that’s the bottom line, the dollars. And so to me, 16 is the right number, but only in a super-conference structure. You govern yourselves. The NCAA is not involved, and you have your own commissioner.” 

Whittingham only sees the 16-team model as the ideal setup only within a "super-conference." The concept is that bringing the biggest and most popular teams together would create more marquee matchups. It would draw larger audiences and ultimately lead to richer TV deals and increased overall revenue.

“Again, we’re talking about minor league NFL, salary cap, the whole thing, I don’t see it going any other way. Now, I could be dead wrong, but I think the odds are that’s what is going to happen,” he further added.

Collegiate athletics is no longer about a scholarship to play at a certain university. Name, image, and likeness (NIL) has changed the playing field. 

So, instead of a simple expansion, Whittingham envisions a breakaway model where top programs operate independently under a centralized structure. For a Big Ten giant like Michigan, the thinking aligns perfectly.

Schools like Michigan would likely sit at the center of a 16-team playoff model that could transform conferences.

What did Michigan Wolverines' arch rival head coach say?

The Ohio State Buckeyes head coach, Ryan Day, is in favor of an expanded playoff. To him, the NCAA should look at the NFL and mirror that strategy for college football. 

“I do think adding more teams right now is a good thing,” Day told On3. “I go back to, when you look at a lot of this stuff, that there’s an organization that’s been around for a long time that really knows what they’re doing, the NFL."

Not to forget, Michigan's arch rivals, the Buckeyes, made it to the playoffs five times in the last seven years. According to Day, for a 16- or 17-game structure, putting pressure on depth and players' health.

While he’s in favor of expanding the playoff, but only if the concerns are addressed.

"We’re trying to combine a model that was traditional in terms of the way that we scheduled college games and crown a national champion with a playoff system, and the gap in the middle of that playoff, the way it’s organized, is really clunky," he said.

Till now no concrete decisions has been taken. But we know what the leading college football head coaches feel about the expansion.

What are your thoughts on the 16 team format? Drop in the comments.

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Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar