After Seeing Clemson, Tirico Touts Playoff Expansion

NBC Sports analyst Mike Tirico, who called the game between Clemson and Notre Dame, appeared on the Rich Eisen Show Monday to tout an expansion to the College Football Playoff. Tirico wants an expansion from four teams to eight teams.

NBC Sports analyst Mike Tirico touted an eight-team playoff for college football when he was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show Monday.

Tirico, who called the Clemson/Notre Dame game Saturday, said the College Football Playoff should be expanded to accommodate the champions of the Power Five conferences, one Group of Six team and two at-large.

The topic came up when Eisen said he would be in favor of seeing a rematch between the Tigers and Fighting Irish in the CFP semifinals. "I would take Clemson, Notre Dame Alabama and The Ohio State if that's the way it all worked out, Eisen said."

Tirico said most would be in agreement on those teams except for the fans in Cincinnati and Provo where the Bearcats and BYU are both currently unbeaten.

"This is why I really get frustrated with the sport I love," Tirico said. "It's just so stupid that whatever happens on the field must be sifted through a selection committee. The playoff should be eight teams."

Tirico brought up the financial advantages of a possible playoff expansion in the time of pandemic when athletic departments are losing money.

"Athletic departments losing eight figures in their athletic budgets this year, I think it may hasten the conversation for expansion of the playoff to eight teams to get more playoff generated money," Tirico said. "Especially the sports people are trying to hang on to. Clemson just cut its track and field program, and no (football) program is making more over this stretch than Clemson and they just had to cut a program that has turned out some good athletes."

If both Clemson and Notre Dame each win their remaining ACC games, the teams are expected to meet in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. Tirico said if Clemson were to win, Notre Dame's chances at a playoff could fall away.

"If Trevor Lawrence plays, if everyone else plays, Clemson wins...there might be a good argument to keep Notre Dame out of a playoff if Cincinnati or BYU is unbeaten," Tirico said. "So they split, it would just be the timing of it. It's kind of odd to watch the system work that way."