After ACC and others throw support behind 24-team CFP, the ball is now in the SEC's court
The ACC and others back a 24-team CFP, awaiting SEC's decision.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips advocates for expanding the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams, citing support from coaches and athletic directors. He emphasizes the need for adjustments to the playoff format to include deserving teams that have been overlooked.
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ACC commissioner Jim Phillips supports CFP expansion to 24 teams
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips is in favor of the College Football Playoff expanding from 12 teams to 24.
"The desire with the coaches and ADs is to go to 24," Phillips said May 13 at the ACC spring meetings in Amelia Island, Florida, according to The Athletic.
Phillips added the CFP format needs to be tweaked when worthy teams miss out of the playoff like Florida State in the four-team format in 2023 and Notre Dame in the 12-team format last season.
The playoff format will remain at 12 for 2026. However, in the latest proposal from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), there is a chance the playoffs can expand in 2027 with popular options being 16 or 24.
The 12-team format is in its third year with the 2026 season. The CFP's management committee will meet in June to discuss the future of the playoff.
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said he was "indifferent" about potential changes to the College Football Playoff format.
According to The State, Swinney said he isn't focused on any changes too much because "(he doesn't) have any control over it" and "it doesn’t really matter what I think."
Jim Phillips expressed support for expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams, highlighting the desire from coaches and athletic directors.
The format needs adjustments because deserving teams like Florida State and Notre Dame have been excluded from the playoffs in recent years.
Jim Phillips made his comments regarding the CFP expansion on May 13 during the ACC spring meetings in Amelia Island, Florida.
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Under Swinney, Clemson has had success in various postseason formats, including making the BCS New Year's Six bowl games in 2011 and 2013, reaching the four-team CFP from 2015-20 and clinching a bid to the 12-team CFP in 2024.
The ACC announced in December that the 16 teams in football will play a nine-game conference schedule annually, with one team each season playing eight league games and scheduling two Power Four opponents outside the league to accommodate the 10 Power Four games requirement.
Since teams will play an uneven number of conference games, the conference will update its tiebreaker policy for the championship game.
Phillips said there has been discussion regarding the tiebreaker change but no change has been made. He expects the CFP committee to discuss creating a national standard for tiebreakers for the power conferences.
He added he expects to have a resolution by June and wants to have the "best teams in the championship." Phillips also said CFP rankings could be a metric used to determine who makes the coveted title game.
In 2026, 12 ACC teams will play nine conference opponents starting in 2026, but Clemson is among five teams in the ACC that will play eight conference games next season "due to contractual obligations and scheduling balance," according to the league.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: ACC in favor of expanding College Football Playoff to 24 teams