Lincoln Riley Shares Strong Opinions on College Football Playoff Expansion

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley backs the Big Ten Conference in their efforts to expand the College Football Playoffs to 24 teams.

Jul 28, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; USC Football head coach Lincoln Riley speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following the 2025-2026 college football season, expansion talks for the College Football Playoff seemed to be at an all time high. While the SEC has shown a willingness to expand to 16 teams, the Big Ten reportedly prefers a 24-team playoff bracket. During Big Ten Media Days, USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley offered up his opinions on the matter.

“When you get a room of 50 coaches or whatever we have in this conference together, it’s hard to get everybody to be unanimous on something. This is something where our room has been unanimous," Riley told reporters on July 28. 

Jul 28, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; USC Football head coach Lincoln Riley speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Riley added that college football is behind other major sports’ postseason structure and teams that have access to the playoffs. For reference MLB has 12 total teams in the postseason – three winners and three wild carders per league – the NFL has 14 teams consisting of eight division winners and six wild cards, while the NBA has 16 teams – top-six teams from both conferences get automatic bid, final two seeds compete in the Play-In Tournament for a spot.

“This is something that is not going to diminish the game in any way. Having more teams in a tournament to determine a champion is not going to make it worse,” Riley explained.

The Big Ten’s Case for 24 Teams

Jul 28, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During the presser, Riley alluded to “facts that were laid out” to the coaches via Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti. While the Trojans coach didn’t share exact analytics, he did share the Big Ten’s selling points for a 24-team CFP.

“You’re going to have more playoff games on college campuses which is unbelievable. You’re going to have better non-conference matchups which preserve some of the traditions and rivalries everyone loves about college football,” Riley said. “I think it's time the idea should be embraced. More and more people are coming to that. I honestly think it's only a matter of time.”

Per ESPN, the ACC, Big 12, Pac 12 and Notre Dame are in support of the 24-team expansion. If Petitti continues to garner more support, all he’ll have to do next is present revenue projections for a 24-team model at the CFP management committee meeting in August.

Other factors in the expansion would be the removal of a set amount of automatic bids. Under the current rules, the Power 4 conference winners and the highest-ranked team or conference champion in the Group of 6 get automatic bids. There is also the new Notre Dame rule that gives the Fighting Irish a berth if they finish the regular season in the top-12 in the final playoff rankings.

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans run out of the tunnel and on to the field for the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season USC finished at No. 16 in the Selection Committee's original playoff rankings. Ultimately, Tulane and James Madison advanced due to the automatic bid rules and pushed out the likes of Notre Dame and BYU.

“The idea is keeping as many teams in contention for as long as possible. Play as many meaningful games for as long as you can…The format creates all kinds of incentives,” Petitti told Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde. “If you think about a 24-team playoff, a bunch of teams are going to be ranked between 16 and 24 that are just trying to make sure they’re in. You're going to have teams playing until the very end to see if they’re in.”

Petitti also shared the belief that the traditional bowl game system has served its purpose as a reward. With programs investing more and more resources into their football programs via facilities and NIL, an 8-4 or 9-3 season should be awarded with a CFP appearance.

For now, the CFP field will remain at 12 teams, though. Can USC make the expanded postseason for the first time as a program?

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