Mike Leach Draws Interesting Comparison Between Kentucky Derby, College Football Playoff
Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach is perhaps equally known for his impact on football as he is his thoughts on subjects including and beyond the sport.
Leach took to Twitter on Saturday night with his thoughts after Rich Strike, who came into Churchill Downs with 80/1 odds, won the Kentucky Derby. The horse was added to the field Friday after it had not won its most recent races.
According to the Mississippi State coach, this says a lot about a need for expansion of the College Football Playoff.
"That horse winning the Kentucky Derby today, is good example of why an expanded college football playoff is needed," Leach wrote. "That horse hadn’t won all the races leading up, but it got its chance and that’s what happened."
There is a point made here in that if Rich Strike had not been given a chance in the big race, the horse would never have won it all. That ideology can be applied to several different things, including CFP expansion talks, obviously.
Expansion of the CFP is something Leach has supported for quite some time now -- and he's made clear he wants it done in a large capacity, supporting the idea of having 64 teams in the mix.
“It’s never enough, but … I think 12 teams is a huge step in the right direction,” Leach said at 2021 SEC Media Days. “I personally would like to see 64, and you can format it out pretty easily. But I think it’s a huge step in the right direction and I look forward to it.”
Throughout recent history of college football, there are countless "what-if" scenarios where there have been teams who arguably deserved a shot at the postseason who simply didn't get in because of the way the system is set up. Perhaps they could have pulled off a "Rich Strike" if things had been different.
It will be interesting to see just how much of an expansion takes place in regards to the college football postseason in the future. But Rich Strike's unlikely come-from-behind victory certainly does make one get to thinking about the types of possibilities it could welcome if more than just four teams were given a shot.
