Urban Meyer Says Playoff Expansion Will Combat Player Opt-Outs

Amid rampant speculation around the sport, the Fox analyst emphasized one particular outcome he thinks would come out of expansion.

The merits of College Football Playoff expansion have been a widely debated topic in recent weeks with the postseason field set to grow to 12 teams as early as 2024. Among those in favor of the impending expansion is Urban Meyer, but not exactly for the reason that many fans might be. 

The former Florida and Ohio State coach explained that he thinks expanding the field from four teams to 12 will help prevent players from opting out of bowl games.

"I think the powers to be look at the finances of it," Meyer told Big Ten Network earlier this week. “I think the coaches look at it a lot differently. The exposure and interest in the College Football Playoff is an A-plus. It occupies the thought-process of fans, coaches, and the most important people: The players. I think the reality is that if you don’t make the playoff, players become disinterested. That’s why you see so many teams lose players for bowl games. It’s not that they don’t want to play. It’s that for their best interest—for many of the blue blood programs—that if I’m not in the national title hunt, I’m not going to go play in some second-level bowl game.

“Back in the day, the bowl games were everything. That’s not the case [today]. The bowl games are still important. Kansas going to a bowl game would be something else. Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama? That’s like saying ‘Hello! Of course you are going to a bowl game.’ They want to go to the bowl game. So I think they are expanding that, and I am in favor of that. Now you are going to see much more interested involved in the ability to play in them, and players not opting out because that have the ability to go win a national title.”

With more teams in the mix for a championship, Meyer is right to point out that the stakes will be higher for those in the playoff field. However, for programs that are still on the outside of the top 12, there’s no telling what players will do when it comes time for bowl season.

The contract for the current four-team format expires in 2025, but CFP commissioners are exploring the possibility of implement the 12-team bracket as early as 2024. The group is expected to meet later this year to continue discussions.

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