DENVER — College football leaders gathered to debate the merits of expanding to 24 or 16 playoff teams. They need more time, though, to sort out the details of what could be the most important number — money.
Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, said the meetings between commissioners and a few others were “very healthy” but didn’t lead to anything concrete.
“We’ve got a lot on the table to just help us to continue to move the ball forward,” Clark said. “We have a little homework to do coming out of there. ... We have a good idea what we need to bring back to them to help them with their decisions.”
They will keep studying the impact that expanding the playoff from 12 to 16 or 24 teams could have on venues, the schedule, the future of now-imperiled conference ***** le games. And, of course, how much extra games might go for on the open market.
Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey has lobbied for 16 teams, while Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference leaders widely have agreed on their preference for a 24-team scenario that the Big Ten first put forward and still supports.