Would a 24-team College Football Playoff be better forTennessee? The answer may differ between UT fans, players and coach Josh Heupel.
On this podcast episode of "The Volunteer State," beat writerAdam Sparksgoes solo whileJohn Adamsis out of pocket. He breaks down the pros and cons about the playoff expansion, which is likely to come in 2027.
Playoff expansion is a hot topic right now because the SEC leadership wants a 16-team bracket and the Big Ten wants a 24-team. Heupel and Tennessee athletics director Danny White are among a few SEC figures that have come out against their own conference, instead favoring a 24-team playoff.
Sparks also talked to former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, whoprefers a 16-team playoff for a surprising reason.
To hear the full analysis, listen to the 45-minute podcast. Here are a few highlights.
Why does College Football Playoff need to expand again?
A 12-team playoff will remain in place for the 2026 season, but it could expand as early as 2027.
Obviously, money is a major motivator for expanding the playoff. But there's also an argument that college football needs greater access to the postseason like other sports.
Less than 10% of football teams make the 12-team playoff. Almost 20% of Division I basketball and baseball teams make the NCAA tournament. That's why White says theCFP should expand to 24 teams.
USA TODAY college football writerMatt Hayeswrote that theSEC wants a 16-team playoffbecause its leadership believed that a 24-team playoff would be the first big step to the 10 FBS conferences consolidating and sharing media rights. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and the league's presidents don't want that.
Which playoff format is better for Tennessee fans?
Tennessee fans want the Vols in the playoff frequently and certainly in contention every season. A 24-team bracket would accomplish that, but it also could water down the field too much for some fans' tastes.
Let's consider how the Vols would've fared during Heupel's five seasons.
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In a 12-team format, UT would’ve made the playoff in two of five seasons (2022, 2024).
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In a 16-team format, UT would’ve made the playoff in two of five seasons (2022, 2024) and been in contention in November in two additional seasons.
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In a 24-team format, would’ve made the playoff in three of five seasons (2022-24) and made it a fourth time if it had beaten Vanderbilt in the 2025 regular-season finale.
Which expanded playoff is better for Tennessee players?
Some college football players may prefer a 24-team playoff because of the condensed calendar. There would be no conference championship games, and the playoff would arrive quickly.
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In a 24-team playoff, first-round games would be in the second weekend in December, quarterfinals around New Year's, semifinals in the first week of January and the final in mid-January. Most playoff teams would be eliminiated by the time traditional bowl games would've been played in previous years.
Of course, more games would be more physically demanding for teams that made deep playoff runs.
Josh Heupel wants 24-team playoff, but there's a downside
Self-preservation is why most coaches want a 24-team playoff, including Heupel, Georgia'sKirby Smart, Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz and others.
If Tennessee went 8-4 against a strong schedule or 9-3, it would make a 24-team field. That sets the bar one or two games lower than the current standard. Remember that Vanderbilt didn't make the 2025 College Football Playoff with a 10-2 record.
But Heupel might need to be careful what he wishes for. In a 24-team bracket, most SEC coaches would immediately go on the hot seat if they missed the playoff for one season. They would probably be fired if he missed it in back-to-back seasons.
Also, coaches would face increasing pressure to make deep runs in a 24-team playoff. On the podcast, Sparks joked that "Coach Quarterfinal" would be attached to some SEC or Big Ten coach after a few seasons of the 24-team playoff.
How Johnny Majors, Phillip Fulmer would've fared in 24-team playoff
A playoff could alter how successful coaches are viewed, which Heupel may experience if the bracket expands.
UT would’ve made a 24-team playoff in six of the last eight seasons of Johnny Majors’ coaching tenure before Fulmer took over in 1993.
And then the Vols would’ve made a 24-team playoff either 12 or 13 times in Fulmer's 16-year tenure. His 1994 squad was ranked 24th in the coaches poll but unranked in the AP poll going into the postseason, and there’s no way to know where a CFP selection committee would’ve placed it.
Fulmer’s teams would’ve made a 16-team playoff eight times in 16 seasons.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel:Josh Heupel, Tennessee football benefit from CFP expansion to 16 or 24 teams
