Bijan Robinson Discusses What His Ideal College Football Playoff Would Look Like

The Falcons running back has an idea different from the current 12-team format.

Bijan Robinson believes less is more for the College Football Playoff. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After how it played against Ohio State Saturday, Texas is going to need a second chance.

The Longhorns may have been cooked under the old BCS system and the formats that preceded it, but this is 2025. Texas's loss to the Buckeyes will have little to no impact on its College Football Playoff chances.

The opportunities given to his team and others by the 12-team CFP, however, did not stop Falcons running back Bijan Robinson from expressing his belief to SI on Aug. 26 that the tournament should be smaller.

"I'd probably shorten it," Robinson said. "Just from a player's perspective—the players that end up playing in the championship, they don't have enough time to train and get themselves ready for the next level, or even have a little break to just enjoy before going back to school and summer workouts."

The CFP expanded from four to 12 teams before the 2024 season, and the 12-team format was warmly received by fans—not to mention the television executives whose whims brought it into existence. As Robinson pointed out, however, there is a human toll behind the scenes that fans may not see.

"I'd probably make it like an eight-(team playoff), or maybe just take it back to four (teams)," Robinson said. "With 12 (teams), it's like—dang, that's a lot of teams. Eight or four teams, I think I'd take it back to there."

---

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

feed