OXFORD — The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand, and Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said it's a good thing for the sport.
The CFP is expected to double in size in 2027 by going to 24 teams. It has been a 12-team playoff for the past two seasons.
The new format would change the season schedule. Power 4 conference championship games would be eliminated and the regular season would begin one week earlier.
Golding said he thinks the expanded playoff makes sense because of the SEC's decision to have teams add a ninth conference game to the regular season. That went into effect this season.
Golding said the move to 24 teams would be "really healthy for college football."
"I think once we'd gone to the nine-(game) SEC model, you know, it was going to be extremely hard if you did not expand it with the caliber of teams," Golding said.
No. 7 Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1 SEC) is in good shape at the moment to make the 12-team playoff halfway through the season. The Rebels' next game is at No. 18 Texas (4-2, 1-2) on Oct. 24 (6:30 p.m., ABC).
Their only remaining game vs a ranked team after that is home vs No. 4 Georgia on Nov. 7.
Ole Miss football's CFP history
Ole Miss has made the CFP once. That came last season when Golding was promoted from defensive coordinator after Lane Kiffin left for LSU after the Egg Bowl.
The Rebels were the No. 6 seed and won a home playoff game against Tulane and the Sugar Bowl against No. 3 Georgia. The run ended in the semifinals with a 31-28 loss to No. 10 Miami.
Ole Miss has finished in the top 24 of the CFP rankings 12 times since 2014.
Critics of CFP expansion have argued that it would make regular season games feel less important. Instead of two or three losses keeping a team out of the CFP, schools may have three or four losses on their record and still make the CFP.
Golding predicted teams would schedule tougher, more high-profile matchups to begin the season as a way to increase interest.
"Obviously I think they were concerned with watering down the regular season, so I do think you'll see some more openers, neutral sites vs. the top three conferences, in my opinion," Golding said.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss coach Pete Golding's 24-team CFP prediction that could change critics' minds