As it was announced earlier this week, the College Football Playoff management committee will consider expanding the current four-team field to a 12-team format when it meets in Chicago next week. This proposal calls for the six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the six highest-ranked at-large teams as determined by the CFP’s selection committee to advance to the postseason.
If formally approved, as it is expected to be later this year, this new format will have far reaching impact throughout the college football landscape, and it will certainly impact Liberty. Liberty Director of Athletics Ian McCaw was a guest on The Fast Lane with Ed Lane on Friday, and he addressed how this might affect the Flames.
“Absolutely, this would be tremendous for Liberty,” McCaw stated when asked if CFP expansion would be a win for Liberty. “It would give us much greater access than we currently have now. Obviously, it is very difficult to be top four in the country, but if they’re taking 12 teams, that would give us a much better opportunity. I think it’s great for college football, and certainly there will be more meaningful games and more teams competing for the college football playoff.”
Liberty, as an Independent, would not be able to get one of the six conference champion slot and would have to be one of the top six ranked teams outside of those champions to be included in this new format. Could this push the Flames to want to pursue a conference home for its football program.
“We’re very happy being an Independent,” McCaw said when asked about Liberty’s conference affiliation. “We’re situated like Notre Dame and BYU. I think that’s sustainable long term, but we’re always going to evaluate conference opportunities if they come along.”
Hugh Freeze was on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” earlier this week, and he was also asked about Liberty and its path towards making the CFP if it were expanded to 12 teams.
“If we continue to win the schedule we’re playing, I have no doubt that we’ll get some attention for these playoff spots if they expand, but you’ve got to win,” Freeze said. “It’s tough, tougher probably for us than some of the conferences because they play mostly conference games and play maybe one Power Five. Ours is going to be harder to do, but if we do it, I think we certainly would be recognized for it.”
