Steve Sarkisian Warns Against Further College Football Playoff Expansion

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian has been one of the more outspoken coaches in the SEC so far this offseason.

He has made comments about other SEC schools, former rivals, and the state of college football in general - each of which has gone viral to its own degree.

On Tuesday, Sarkisian was back on the microphone. This time, at the annual SEC meetings in Destin, he was asked about the potential of further College Football Playoff expansion.

And suffice it to say, Sarkisian is not on the side of those who wish to make the tournament bigger and fears there could be negative ramifications if that is the direction the sport chooses to take.

Sarkisian speaks firmly against expansion

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is interviewed by the media after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

"I've voiced my opinions on when we were at four, I didn't want to leave four. Now we're at 12," Sarkisian said at SEC Meetings in Destin on Tuesday. "We're in such a rush to grow and go further, I just think we've got to think of the unintended consequences when we make decisions to move in whatever direction we decide to go. Change is inevitable. It's just a matter of what that change is. That's something I hope we're conscientious in the decision-making when we do decide to change."

Of course, this isn't the first time Sarkisian has spoken out against playoff expansion, either.

Just last week, when speaking at the Houston Touchdown Club, Sarkisian voiced that he was vehemently opposed to the proposed 24-team expansion idea.

“I think there are so many factors,” Sarkisian said. "Here’s my issue: I understand why people want to go to 24, but we are now in a world where fanbases are living under this umbrella of playoff or bust.”

In fact, earlier this month, Sarkisian even proposed the idea of decreasing the number of teams allowed into the postseason, in favor of returning the format to its original four-team model.

“I’d go back to a four-team playoff,” Sarkisian said on May 12. “And have your own conference playoff to get the four teams if you want more inventory for your television partners.”

Obviously, the idea that college football would even entertain the idea of decreasing the number of teams allowed into the playoff is beyond far fetched. That would mean less television and less revenue for the sport as a whole.

Regardless, the powers that be would be wise to listen to Sarkisian's words, as there is a real danger of further expansion diluting the product that we see on the field going forward.

After all, the decreasing pageantry and urgency surrounding regular-season games and the dissolution of conference championship games are real concerns facing the sport.

And if the quality of the sport on the field continues to decay, there could be other negative effects as well.

Another warning from Sarkisian

In fact, Sarkisian already believes the health of the sports is in a decline.

"I watched a coach get fired five games into a season last year after being in the semifinals the year before," Sarkisian said. "That's concerning to me about the health of our sport."

Sarkisian, of course, was speaking in reference to former Penn State coach James Franklin, who after making the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024-25 and barley missing out on playing for a national title thanks to a last second field goal by Notre Dame, was fired after a 1-point loss to Northwestern in October of last season.

That loss was Penn State's third in a row, dropping them to 3-3 after starting the year ranked No. 2 in the country behind Sarkisian's Longhorns in the AP Poll.

It was also another stark example that college football has quickly evolved into a sport where there is no patience for development and no room for error.

When those kinds of precedents are set, any coach in college football's job could be on the line in any given year.

And that is far from a healthy product.

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