BIRMINGHAM — Former Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was never shy in sharing his opinions.
Asked in 2021 about the College Football Playoff expanding, Leach, who died in December 2022 from complications related to a heart condition, made it known he was ready to go full steam ahead in growing the postseason tournament: “I think 12 teams is a huge step in the right direction,” he said. “I personally would like to see 64, and you could map it out pretty easily.”
Auburn athletics director John Cohen, who hired Leach in 2020 to coach the Bulldogs, isn’t fully there. But he’s still in favor of an expanded field.
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“I don’t think a 12-team system or a 14-team system is perfect by any means,” Cohen said Monday at an APSE region meeting. “I think one of the things you notice about football versus other tournament sports (is) the percentage of teams that get to participate in a postseason tournament type of play is much lower in football than other sports. I would like to see that grow. …
“I think it will evolve, because I think partipcating in postseason is an incredible experience. You want as many kids to experience that as possible. But at the same time, it’s a difficult sport. It’s a violent sport. You keep adding teams to the tournament, you’re going to add more games to the tournament. … There’s going to be a balance there.”
The CFP will feature 12 teams for the first time in 2024. It was previously set at four since its formation in 2014.
“I worked with Mike Leach at Mississippi State, who proposed a 64-team football tournament. I don’t think that’s practical. Boy, you guys look shocked that Mike would’ve said something like that,” Cohen joked.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly on Twitter, @rich_silva18.