Mississippi State football's Mike Leach on CFP expansion: Step in the right direction
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach has mocked college football for its inability to find a postseason structure.
While every level of the game from local city park leagues to the NFL have developed a playoff to determine a champion, Leach joked in 2017 that college football has spent years scratching its head and showing a befuddled face when it came to the subject.
PAC-12 AFTER DARK: How lightning delays helped prepare Mississippi State for trip to Arizona
WINNING VS. MEMPHIS: MSU unsatisfied with blowout win, which is a good thing
Once the NCAA figured it out, implementing a four-team playoff in 2014, Leach still felt it wasn't as inclusive. He wants a 64-team format similar to that of college basketball.
Matters got one step closer to Leach's dream Friday night when the CFP board of managers unanimously voted to expand the field to 12 teams in 2026.
"I'm thrilled," Leach said. "I think it's a huge step in the right direction."
The four highest-rated conference champions by the committee earn byes in the first round under the new format, which could begin as soon as 2024. The quarterfinals and semifinals will continue to fill bowl game slots while the championship game will rotate sites.
Mississippi State played a crucial role in the expansion as university president Mark Keenum, who Leach praised, serves as the chair of the CFP board of managers.
“This is an historic and exciting day for college football,” Keenum said in the CFP's release Friday. “More teams, more participation and more excitement are good for our fans, alumni, and student-athletes. I’m grateful to my colleagues on the board for their thoughtful approach to this issue and for their resolve to get expansion across the goal line and for the extensive work of the Management Committee that made this decision possible.”
Keenum's words echo what MSU athletics director John Cohen told the Clarion Ledger in July — showing a uniform front from the university's top figures.
“If you look at the amount of participation in the CFP — which is the only postseason in terms of moving toward a national championship — versus the percentage of participation in the NCAA tournament for men's and women's basketball or baseball or softball,” Cohen said, “all of those kids are getting opportunities to compete for a national championship that in football doesn't exist.”
Mississippi State (1-0) opened its season Saturday with a 49-23 win against Memphis. MSU has its first road game Saturday (10 p.m., FS1) at Arizona (1-0).
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football's Mike Leach is happy to see CFP expansion
