Pac-12 releases statement on CFP expansion model, pushes for automatic bid for Power 5 champs
The college football world received news that the push for expanding the College Football Playoff will move forward Friday, though one conference had something to say about the current proposal.
The CFP released a statement Friday saying that the process for expansion will move forward with in-person discussions set for next week. Those meetings are set to take place in Dallas on June 22.
According to the statement, the proposal for a 12-team Playoff would include the six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the six highest-ranked other teams as determined by the College Football Playoff selection committee. Additionally, no conference would be guaranteed an automatic qualifier and there would be no limit on the number of participants from a conference.
Under that model, it is possible – though would appear unlikely – that a Power 5 conference champion would be left out of a 12-team model. However, the Pac-12 was not a fan of not having an automatic qualifier, putting out a statement from commissioner Larry Scott Friday afternoon.
“The Pac-12 supports expansion of the CFP and believes that the Autonomy Five champions should annually qualify for the CFP…We now look forward to reviewing the expansion proposal more thoroughly with our members, student-athletes, partners, and other key stakeholders,” wrote Scott.
Statement from Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott: pic.twitter.com/VKWx0gprzG
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) June 18, 2021
On the one hand, the CFP will likely be at its best with every Power 5 conference represented annually. On the other hand, is the Pac-12 really worried that they may be in a position of wondering whether or not a team will qualify for a 12-team model? If the conference is worried about that, it would seem to say more about the current state of the Pac-12 than anything else.