After 4 Weeks With His Son at Notre Dame, Ryan Clark Asserts Some CFB Teams “Weren’t Supposed to Be in the Playoffs”

The 2024 college football season was historic — not just for the action on the field, but for what it revealed about the newly expanded College Football Playoff (CFP). For the first time, the field grew to 12 teams, with a clear intent at that: include more contenders, spread the excitement, and boost revenue.

However, not everyone is convinced that the new framework worked. Take former NFL safety Ryan Clark, for example.

Appearing on The Pivot podcast, Clark, whose son plays for Notre Dame, offered pointed criticism based on first-hand experience. He apparently spent a month on the sidelines following the Fighting Irish. But the ESPN analyst had to walk away unimpressed with how some playoff teams were selected.

“It almost feels like… some teams weren’t supposed to be there,” Clark said. “The games wouldn’t be as competitive based on the way things were chosen.” In other words, the expansion may have allowed too many undeserving teams a ticket to the postseason party.

Clark then delved deeper, questioning the logic behind both the selection and seeding of teams. He suggested that the system was trying too hard to please everyone.

“They’re almost trying to say, okay, we gave—now that there’s 12 teams—we can give everybody a little piece. And in trying to do that, I agree,” Clark said. His experience from watching Notre Dame’s playoff campaign firsthand only reinforced that belief.

Channing Crowder, Clark’s co-host, added fuel to the conversation by pointing out that the expanded format risks diluting the quality of matchups. He also added nuance to this concern, questioning the effectiveness of solutions like automatic bids and the potential dilution of competition.

“We can’t just let everybody in… it can’t be the NCAA basketball tournament in football; it’s just too many games,” Crowder said.

Lane Kiffin, a guest on the show, heard the takes from Crowder and Clark and offered a solution to the issue. According to the Ole Miss head coach, focusing more on a dedicated committee to evaluate team selections is the best way to address the problem.

“I think you’d have to get a really good committee that really spends a lot of time and watches the game with some football people in there to figure out… get the best teams in there.”​

Kiffin also suggested expanding the playoff to 16 teams to eliminate byes and provide home-field advantages, ensuring that every game remains competitive and meaningful.​

“I only say [expand it to 16 teams] because you can get rid of the byes. And so it’s the same amount of weeks. If 16, just start playing from the beginning, but give home field because as you saw, that’s a huge deal that time of year. So it’s still a lot to play for, to be one of those in this, whatever, top eight seeds and get home field.”

All said and done, the expansion of the CFP, which was supposed to bring more revenue and an enhanced fan experience, has brought to light the need for a more discerning selection process.

Ensuring that only the most competitive teams are included will preserve the integrity of the playoff and uphold the high standards expected in college football — standards that matter more than financial gains.