American Football Coaches Association supporting expansion of CFP to 24 teams

(College Football Playoff/Contributed)

College football coaches are putting their support behind further expansion of the College Football Playoff.

According to a story from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the American Football Coaches Association voted last week on several key issues, and ultimately are recommending the decision makers in the sport implement a playoff system with the “maximum number of participants.”

Notably, the proposal would also officially get rid of conference title games, a move that has been coming now for several years. It would preserve the Army-Navy game’s exclusive time window while allowing other games to be played on that same day in order to allow the CFP to finish by mid-January.

Members of the association include some of the biggest name head coaches in the sport such as Bret Bielema (Illinois), Brent Venables (Oklahoma), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt), Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Joey McGuire (Texas Tech) and Pat Fitzgerald (Michigan State).

Though there are obviously additional hurdles to clear in terms of the calendar, television rights, actual implementation of the product once decision makers get on board, and countless other pieces of red tape that require years to get anything done in this sport, with coaches on board, it does seem like further expansion is inevitable.

In an ever-changing world of college sports, the financial windfalls rule all, and more playoff action would certainly mean more cash in the pockets of those who profit most here.

This is a story worth following over the next calendar year, because it does seem more likely than not that further expansion is coming.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.