ACC Commissioner John Swofford was the most receptive of the four Power 5 commissioners who appeared on the opening day of the ’18 Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum when it came to discussing the possibility of expanding the four-team CFP. However, while even Swofford said he could see a 6- or 8-team playoff, he acknowledged that there is not an immediate appetite for expansion. “I’m open to other thoughts going forward, but I don’t think there’s imminent change coming,” Swofford said yesterday. “I’m open to the future, but the presidents who oversee this are very comfortable with four, so I don’t see anything changing. Longer term, we’ll just have to see.” He said six or eight teams “is doable.” Swofford: “It certainly requires some changes. Whether it’s starting a week earlier or doing away with championship games, which I don’t think people want. If you look at the history of NCAA championships, every one of them has expanded, given time. There’s another factor that merits watching." He added, "Five to 10 years from now there will be different people around the table. Most things evolve, but I think we’ve got it right for now.”
BIG TEN CONFIDENT IN RECENT ADDITIONS: Meanwhile, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is confident that the two most recent conference additions, Maryland and Rutgers, will find more competitive success going forward. Buyer’s remorse? No way, Delany said at the Forum. “We’ve worked hard to integrate them,” Delany said. “They’ve been embraced by the conference in every way. I’m confident, based on those institutions, what their mission is, what their location is, that they’ll ultimately be very successful in the Big Ten.” Delany said the two schools should not be viewed the same way because UMD has achieved far greater success in the Olympic sports, winning 30 conference championships, even though Terps football continues to be plagued by missteps on the field and off. Rutgers, meanwhile, has failed to find much in the way of competitive success, especially in football, where it is 7-36 in Big Ten play.
