Herbstreit’s solution — which he now endorses heading into the 2018 college football season — is to split the difference.
“Since we’ve got into this Playoff, people would ask me, ‘When are we going to eight? I would say, ‘Four is perfect. I love it,’” Herbstreit told Sporting News. “Now, after living through it for a few years, I would have no problem if this thing went to six.”
MORE: 2018-19 bowl projections
Herbstreit’s views on expansion are in line with Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, who on Aug. 21 told CBSSports.com he favors expanding to a six-team Playoff. That runs against the message College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock continued to reiterate at SEC Media Days, a consistent delivery that says no plans for expansion for imminent.
For Herbstreit, the problem is at the top. He looks at most College Football Playoff projections and sees the usual suspects: That’s Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma. Those five schools have accounted for 75 percent of the Playoff appearances so far. Herbstreit likes Washington and Penn State to join Clemson and Alabama in the Playoff this year, but like many others sees a fourth installment between the Crimson Tide and Tigers on the horizon.
Alabama and Clemson met in the College Football Playoff championship game in 2015 and ‘16 and played in a semifinal matchup last season. Those teams are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in every single major preseason poll.
“If you asked collectively around the nation to people who follow the sport and told them to put their biases aside, then almost everybody is going to have Alabama and Clemson in the championship game,” Herbstreit said. “It’s a done deal, and I don’t know if that’s healthy for the sport. I just think it would be great to get a couple teams that would be a little bit different each year. I think with six, you could create that.”
MORE: Sirius XM host Rachel Baribeau changing the narrative
The six-team model would have allowed Baylor and TCU to get into the College Football Playoff in 2014. It also would have rewarded the Big Ten’s strength the last two seasons. Penn State and Michigan would have made it in 2016, and Ohio State and Wisconsin would have made it last season. Herbstreit said a model similar to the NFL conference playoff tree would work. He does not want to see an eight-team Playoff, saying he wants the regular season to be protected.
“I still think you’d have the arguments,” Herbstreit said. “I still think you’d have people that will be offended and be subjective and nasty with some people that got left out. Even though that’s uncomfortable, I think it’s healthy for the sport. It won’t take away from the regular season at all.”
Herbstreit is continuing his partnership with Allstate this season in recognizing good works on and off the field. Herbstreit’s will feature the “Allstate Mayhem Team of the Week” which focuses on a key moment on the ABC prime-time telecast every Saturday. Said Herbstreit: “It could be an upset. It could be that Hail Mary at the end of the game. It could be a quarterback for throwing for seven TDs. Whatever that “Holy Cow” moment is, I’ll try to find that.”
