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Outgoing B1G commissioner Jim Delany says 8-team playoff not imminent
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With the growing unrest with the four-team field in the College Football Playoff, the thought is that, eventually, the format will expand sometime in the near future. Whether it be eight, sixteen or even twenty-four teams, expansion seems to be in the works.
But expansion isn’t guarantee, at least according to outgoing B1G commissioner Jim Delany.
On ESPN, Delany was asked about the four-team format and the chance that the field expands to eight teams. That’s when Delany said that a movement to eight teams is not imminent.
Jim Delany right now on ESPN: "A movement to 8 [teams in the playoff] is not imminent."
I'll have a deeper dive tomorrow on https://t.co/Do0GY2YbwU as Delany's tenure ends today.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) January 1, 2020
Ohio State reached the College Football Playoff this year, snapping a two-year drought for the B1G. The idea of expanding was a big topic of conversation for the conference when it failed to reach one of the semifinal games in back-to-back seasons.
There wasn’t much controversy surrounding this year’s selection process, with LSU, Clemson and Ohio State all finishing the year undefeated and Oklahoma ending with one loss. Still, the idea of expansion has been talked about plenty since the inauguration of the four-team format.
For now, it seems like four teams is going to be the number for awhile. It’ll be interesting to see how things change in coming years.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB