Texas Longhorns' Mack Brown Pitches Restructured College Football Playoff Format

The College Football Playoff has always been a hot topic of discussion since its inception, from the debates during the four-team playoff era to its expansion to a 12-team playoff last season, and the challenges that have arisen from the expansion and ongoing talks to continue expanding in the near future.

One of the biggest issues surrounding the playoff structure is that Group of Five schools, which, compared to Power 4 programs, struggle on the football field in head-to-head matchups, and even more in the NIL landscape of college football. Recently, on the Triple Option podcast, legendary Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown proposed an idea to help out the Group of Five programs, laying out a split between the Power 4 and the Group of Five.

“They’ve got to separate divisions and have a ruling body for each division,” Brown said. “I even think that the Group of Five should have their own national championship, have a playoff, just like FCS. Their teams are not going to win the national championship. They’re not going to be able to pay $20 million to these kids.

Recent Examples Provide Evidence for Mack Brown's Argument

Brown doubled down on his take, saying that with college football being split into two divisions would be great for all parties, especially the Group of Five teams, who will be able to compete for national championships and even allow the players to garner national notoriety.

“Let them have a chance, every one of them, to win a national championship," Brown said. "Have their own Heisman, have their own Lombardi award, Butkus award. And I just think we separate the divisions and let them play, and it’d be fun. I would watch a great championship game between (two) Group of Five teams. But watching a Group of Five play Alabama in the first round is a waste in many cases.”

Last season's College Football Playoff gave the perfect example of what Brown referred to as a "waste." The second-round matchup of the College Football Playoff saw the Big Ten's Penn State and the Mountain West's Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. And even with Boise State having the Heisman runner-up in running back Ashton Jeanty, the game was not particularly close as the Nittany Lions cruised to a 31-14 victory.

The skill gap between Penn State and Boise State was evident throughout the four quarters; a playoff strictly for the Group of Five would've seen the Broncos be the heavy favorites instead of a quick playoff exit.

Additionally, there are examples of Group of Five teams being able to compete against Power 4 programs, with a great example coming just last season. As in Week 2 of the 2024 season, the MAC's Northern Illinois Huskies scored a major upset over the eventual national runners-up, Notre Dame in South Bend. The surprising 16-14 victory for Northern Illinois became even more noteworthy with the Fighting Irish's run to the national championship, touting the Huskies' victory early in the season that much more impressive.

If a team like Northern Illinois could walk into Notre Dame Stadium and walk away with a victory, or a team with a talented player like Boise State, separate divisions in college football could give a stage for teams like NIU or Boise State to compete for championships.