Mississippi State coach Mike Leach is all for the expansion of the College Football Playoff — he just has a different number of teams in mind than most.
Asked Wednesday during SEC Media Days whether the current proposal of a 12-team model was enough teams, Leach said he preferred 64.
“It’s never enough,” Leach said. “But I’ll tell you what, Dr. (Mark) Keenum, our president, is on that committee so I know they’re in good hands and so I think that part’s outstanding.
“I think 12 teams is a huge step in the right direction. I personally would like to see 64, and you could format it out pretty easily. But I think it’s a huge step in the right direction and I look forward to it.”
It isn’t the first time Leach, known for his eccentric personality and off-topic tangents during press conferences, has spoken of a 64-team football playoff. In one 2012 interview, he called 64 “ideal” and justified it by suggesting the regular season be cut to 10 games.
Leach has remained pro-expansion while other coaches have come out against growing the CFP larger than four. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday that “I don’t think there’s 12 teams good enough” to deserve the national title.
A subcommittee last month recommended a proposal that would expand the field from four to 12 programs, giving the top four seeds a first-round bye and having teams 5-12 play each other in the first round at home fields rather than neutral sites.
Sixty-four is the current size of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament field, with the men at a similar number in 68.
–Field Level Media