This week’s meeting in Dallas produced an interesting lead on the playoff expansion plan. As Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported, the White House has stepped in to coalesce for a 24-team playoff format. And now, college football is stuck between what it was and what it’s clearly becoming. But surprisingly, head coaches aren’t as divided as you’d think.

Start with Georgia’s Kirby Smart who told On3 that he’s 50-50 in his decision for either a 16 or 24 team format. 

“I’d split it right down the middle, and most coaches are going to say more is better than less,” he said. “But I can live with either one of those two. I don’t think there’s a huge difference.” 

The only thing that really matters right now is that there should be more than the current 12 teams in the playoffs. And that stance is getting more popular each day as programs feel that expansion is inevitable. Tennessee’s Josh Heupel leaned all the way in saying 24 teams “probably makes the most sense” in a fast-changing sport. But then there’s Texas’ Steve Sarkisian who’s drawing a line.

“I was adamant in our meeting that if we’re not going to go to 16, I’d rather go back to four,” he said. “But if we’re going to go to 24, if we’re going to go up, OK. But 12 is the worst number. Go to 16 or go to 24.”

Sarkisian is speaking with context because he’s lived it. The Longhorns went 9-3, lost a close one to Ohio State, and still got left out. That’s why he feels like the current format satisfies nobody. And just when you think the SEC is ready to sprint toward 24, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer somehow slows it down. The reason is not because he’s against expansion but because he sees the math problem coming.

With nine conference games and a P4 non-conference opponent, SEC teams are loading up their schedules. Meanwhile, recent national champs from the Big Ten didn’t take that same risk outside their league.

“You want every game in the regular season as meaningful as possible,” he said. “But I think there’s some easy math to figure out how to make it work for 16 for sure. It’s probably a little more complicated beyond that, but 24 is something we should be looking at.”

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, meanwhile, wants a redesign. Forget conference title games and give him play-in games.

“Then determine on the field who are going to be the 12 teams that make the playoff,” he said. “If we’re going to cross-compare games or we’re going to cross-compare teams and resumes, let’s just take that out of the equation.”

Still, not everyone is fully bought in. Texas A&M’s Mike Elko dropped his views on how it affects the regular season. Right now, the CFB firmly believes one loss can ruin your season. 

“But if you’re going to turn over half the coaches in this conference when they don’t make the playoff, then yeah, let’s put it at 40,” he added. 

Now what about voices outside the SEC?

Big Ten coaches weigh in on the 24-team format

Outside the SEC, Ohio State’s Ryan Day is looking at this from a calendar POV. His issue isn’t just how many teams get in but how the whole thing flows. Because right now, it doesn’t as bye-weeks are backfiring and layoffs are too long. 

“We’re trying to combine a model that was traditional in terms of the way that we scheduled college games and crown a national champion with a playoff system, and the gap in the middle of that playoff, the way it’s organized, is really clunky,” he said. 

That’s coming from a coach who’s been in the playoff five times in seven years. If he’s calling it clunky, it’s a problem. His point is that college football wasn’t built for a 16- or 17-game season. Rosters, recovery, and depth have all been stretched. His main take is to expand the playoff, but fix the foundation while you’re at it.

And just when you think you’ve heard every angle, Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham comes in and flips the whole table. He’s not just thinking about 16 or 24. He’s thinking about a super league featuring 48 to 60 games with an NFL-style structure.

“To me, 16 is the right number,” he said. “But only in a super-conference structure. You govern yourselves. The NCAA is not involved, and you have your own commissioner.”

And whether you like it or not, it’s a future more people inside the sport are preparing for. Because underneath all these opinions, there’s a bigger standoff looming. The Big Ten pushed 24 while the SEC leaned 16. So the playoff stays at 12 for now. But it’s more like a pause before a major move because there’s already talk of a stepping-stone approach. 16 teams by 2027, then 24 shortly after. As ACC’s Jim Phillips pointed out, teams are still getting left out that could win it all.