Michigan Football: Jim Harbaugh is right about 16-team playoff
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has a lot of opinions, but he is definitely right about the College Football Playoff being expanded.
When Jim Harbaugh talks about Michigan football, it’s never dull. And one interesting tidbit that came out this week, was the head coaches desire to see the College Football Playoff expand from four teams to 16.
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Of course, Harbaugh is hardly alone. Washington State head coach Mike Leach wants to see the playoff expand to 16 teams too or even 64. Either way Leach and Harbaugh want to see more and among coaches, they aren’t alone.
There is a lot of resistance. Some think it would wreck the regular season, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, it would enhance it.
Think about how exciting college football got with a four-team playoff. With one month left in the season, there are about 15 teams that still have a chance at making the final four. That right there has ramped up excitement.
But imagine, if the field was 16 teams, meaning 30-40 teams still had a legit chance, even Michigan football. That would be exciting and it would add a lot to the final month of the season.
Instead of playing for bowl position, Michigan football could still hold out hope for a playoff berth. If the Wolverines beat Minnesota, Maryland and either Wisconsin or Ohio State, it would be 9-3 and hypotheically hard to leave out.
And it wouldn’t just be Michigan. Heck, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa would all be in the running. To make things even more interesting, the first round or two could be played at the home field of the higher-seeded teams. That would give teams plenty of motivation to finish in the top eight or the top four.
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The on-campus atmosphere would be incredibly exciting. However, even if a pod system was used like in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, it would reward teams with the best regular seasons, who could have the benefits of playing a playoff game in a bowl close to home.
The tournament could be split into four regions: West, Midwest, South and East. While the major bowls like the Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach and Cotton could remain semifinal and quarterfinal games, yet other bowls could get in on the action.
The Motor City Bowl for instance, could be the site of a playoff game in the Midwest Region. And if a team like Michigan football was a top seed in the region, it would play there. More bowls would get games that matter and more teams would have a chance to make the playoffs, everybody wins, especially in the pocketbook.
It also would be the best way to determine a champion. There would be no more guesswork and a lot less arguing. The regular season could be reduced to 11 games. That way teams that make the championship game, would still play just 15 games or 16 (conference championship), which is about the same as now.
Someday, the College Football Playoff should make this change. It simply makes too much sense not too. Michigan football would have been a playoff team in 2016 and would still have a chance to be one in 2017. And be honest, how great would that be?
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That’s probably a big reason why Harbaugh is making that argument. But still, that doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Someday, when expansion finally happens, we will all look back and ask ourselves, what took so long? And for his part, Harbaugh will look like a genius.