ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia head coach Kirby Smart says he would support expanding the College Football Playoff “if it’s done the right way.”
Smart addressed local reporters on several topics Tuesday as the No. 5 Bulldogs wrapped up their fall camp ahead of next weekend’s season opener against Marshall.
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The College Football Playoff Committee will select 12 teams once again this year. But some conferences, most recently the Big Ten, have pitched expanding the field to 24 or 28 teams in the future.
Smart said he knows the majority of fans want more teams to have an opportunity to compete.
“People are not excited about a mid-tier bowl game at some of these programs they’re at. I think those bowl games are great experiences. I played in them. I’ve coached in them. I love them. That’s an opportunity, but the more teams you give an opportunity to decide things on the field ... So, yeah, I’d be for that.”
But with the discussion of playoff expansion, there’s also a decision to be made on conference championship games and whether to keep them.
Smart said he loves championship games, but didn’t have a clear choice for what he would like to see.
“Can you have your cake and eat it, too? Can you move the season up, start it, get it done?’ If you can’t and you can only have one of those two, I don’t know which one I would pick because it would probably depend on the format. ”
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