What a Twelve Team College Football Playoff Would Mean For Boston College
On Thursday the College Football Playoff's (CFP) management committee presented a new twelve team playoff format that could begin in the 2023 season.
The change from a four team to twelve team playoff would include "six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the six highest-ranked other teams as determined by the College Football Playoff selection committee. No conference would qualify automatically and there would be no limit on the number of participants from a conference."
These proposed changes rocked the college football world, because it now opened up the playoff for a number of new teams that aren't the usual suspects. This could be big news for teams that aren't Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
With more teams in the race, this will help two main groups. Programs in the G5 and teams that might not usually get a chance at the playoffs.
Enter Boston College.
For years the narrative has been that no team in the ACC will ever bypass Clemson. The Tiger have built a dynasty that put them on a pedestal above everyone else in the conference. But with this new playoff system, this will open up the playoffs for other ACC teams. Now technically Boston College could lose a game or two, most likely to Clemson, and still make the playoffs.
Clearly, Jeff Hafley and his staff still have a lot of work to get the program in any conversation for the playoffs. Boston College still has not eclipsed the seven win marker in over a decade, and that will never get the Eagles near the playoffs. But if the coaching staff continues to build up a program rises Boston College's profile, building up big wins on the field, that leads to continued improvements on the recruiting trail.
Of course on top of all this looms Notre Dame. Part of the proposal would put Notre Dame on the outside of a first round bye, something only conference champions would be privy to. There is always the possibility that this change could push the Fighting Irish into a conference, which could be the ACC. If they were to get into the ACC, that would also be a major factor in the bids and standing of the conference. The conference would get tougher, and BC again would need to elevate their program even more to get to the playoffs.
There is a lot of time between now and 2023, but with the addition of six new slots for ACC teams, Boston College's chances of being a playoff team have drastically increased.