Nick Saban says expanded Playoff couldn't 'co-exist' with other bowls
Even though his team came up short and lost in the semifinal round to eventual champion Ohio State, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said the College Football Playoff as a whole was a success in its first year.
However, beyond the teams that cracked the top four, Saban said at a coaches conference held by the Minority Coaches Association that the Playoff actually had a negative effect on the rest of the bowl teams.
From the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:
He noted the lack of attendance and interest in some of the smaller bowl games. While plenty of interest was created for the CFP, he said, it subtracted from the attention given to the other games. In his estimation, it’s a problem because it takes away the opportunities for “positive self-gratification” for a number of players on teams that do not have as much success at the end of the year.
Several FBS coaches across the country have said that they support the idea of expanding the Playoff beyond four teams, though CFP representatives haven’t budged on the four-team format just yet.
Saban says that would further detract from the rest of the bowl games.
“For the four teams that were in it, it was a great experience. It was a great experience for us,” Saban said. “I don’t know if we’re going to be able to coexist with a bowl system and a playoff system. I think you’ve got to have one or the other.
“You know, if we’re going to have an eight-team playoff, 16-team playoff, I don’t think you’re going to have bowl games. I’m not advocating either one. I’m just saying it’s going to be difficult for those two things to co-exist.”
New Florida head coach Jim McElwain agreed with Saban.
“The issue there is that I think it will lose a lot of what is college football,” McElwain said. “I’d hate to see that.”
It doesn’t seem like coaches will have to deal with the possibility of expansion any time soon. CFP executive director Bill Hancock said earlier this month that there has been “no talk of expanding” and that “we need to give (the four-team format) a chance” beyond just one year.
The College Football Playoff’s current contract for four teams is 12 years (with 11 more to go).
For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!