CFB analyst tags a massive dig at both James Franklin and CFP with a single tweet
Not everyone is thrilled with the 12-team College Football Playoff. After the first couple of games were complete duds, some voices are pushing back against having so many teams playing for the National Championship.
Among those who are unimpressed is Jon “Stugotz” Weiner from the “Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz."
“If James Franklin is winning playoff games. You have too many teams in the playoffs.” Weiner posted on X.
The post was a double jab. First taking a shot at Penn State coach James Franklin, known for not being able to win big games with the Nittany Lions, while slamming the new CFP.
Franklin has a 3-17 record against AP top-10 teams during his 10-year tenure in Happy Valley. Sadly for him, the 38-10 rout against SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff will not count on that record, as the Mustangs were ranked No.11.
Despite this being the Nittany Lions’ best win under Franklin, some of the talk focused on whether SMU belonged on the playoff field in the first place. The Mustangs were part of a heated debate when the CFP field was announced.
After losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, the Mustangs (11-3) fell to No. 10 in the CFP ranking, just ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3). At that point, SMU had one fewer loss than Alabama but also no wins against teams ranked in the top 25.
Following unimpressive performances by SMU and the ninth-ranked Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, strength of schedule might carry more weight in the future. However, decreasing the number of teams in the CFP doesn’t look like a real possibility.
What would a smaller CFP look like in 2024?
Between 2014 and 2023, there was a four-team College Football Playoff. Under that system, conference champions were not guaranteed a spot. There were a couple of times two teams from the SEC made the playoffs.
Under that system, Oregon would play Penn State and Georgia would face Texas for a chance to play for the title. It’s worth wondering whether teams would be valued differently in that situation, as it would feature two SEC and two Big Ten teams.
But what if instead of 12, the playoff expansion stayed at eight teams? If conference champions weren’t guaranteed a spot in that scenario, and using the current CFP rankings, it would look like this:
- (1) Oregon Ducks vs (8) Indiana Hoosiers
- (2) Georgia Bulldogs vs (7) Tennessee Volunteers
- (3) Texas Longhorns vs (6) Ohio State Buckeyes
- (4) Penn State Nittany Lions vs (5) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
However, despite the one-sided affairs, the College Football Playoff is more likely to grow to 16 teams rather than decrease the number of teams.