Dabo Swinney on playoff expanding to 12 teams: 'Bring it on...We all knew this was coming'

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney knew the change was coming and he's just waiting to here when.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Sep 02 18:50:31 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney learned about College Football Playoff expansion just before he walked on the practice field Friday. His thoughts? Bring it on, but he also believes it waters down the meaning of the regular season.

The College Football Playoff's board of managers unanimously voted Friday to expand the CFP to 12 teams in 2026 but is encouraging the sport's commissioners to try to implement it as soon as 2024.

The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick will meet next Thursday in Irving, Texas, to begin discussions on possibly implementing the format as early as 2024. The rankings of the teams will continue to be determined by the CFP selection committee, which will remain largely unchanged.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four with each receiving a first-round bye. Teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on either the second or third weekend of December. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in bowl games on a rotating basis, and the championship game will be at a neutral site, as under the current four-team format.

Swinney was asked about the change shortly after he walked off the practice field.

“Yeah, Ross (Taylor, football SID) told me just before we walked on the field,” Swinney said. "Hey, bring it on, let's go ... We all knew this was coming. Tell us what the rules are, we'll go play."

However, he does believe expansion will water down the regular season.

"No question about that. It's what the NFL is. Just common sense,” Swinney said. “It's all about the playoffs. You just find a way to do well in the regular season and then go win the tournament.”

Swinney said that under the current format, every game has a sense or urgency because one loss can knock a team out of the playoff. That changes with expansion.

"It's a different mindset. Just a very different mindset. Every game now is live or die,” he said. “It will definitely change a lot of that. People can debate forever if it's good or bad, it doesn't matter. A lot of it is being driven by where the game is right now. Again, just tell us where to play. My job is to do everything I can to get our team ready to postseason.

“Just like the NFL, they don't play a lot of these guys because you got the playoffs next week. It's all about the playoffs. So you're just trying to find a way to do well enough to get in the tournament and then you try to go win the tournament. It's just a different mindset.”

Swinney agreed with the idea that moving to 12 teams will help the ACC.

“It helps everybody. If we want playoff football and college football, then certainly going from four to 12 twelve just mathematically gives everyone more opportunity,” Swinney said. “I don't think there's any question about that. But we've been there with four (teams) six times so I don't think going to 12 hurts our chances or anybody else in the league as well.