On Thursday, polarizing news arrived that the College Football Playoff was nearing a deal to expand from its current 12-team format to a 24-team format in 2027.
May criticized that change, suggesting it would hurt the overall strength of teams involved by watering down the field. However, some have been in favor of the expansion, including Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. On Friday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," Freeman explained why he supports expanding the CFP to 24 teams.
"Look, I'm biased because I'm opinionated towards Notre Dame. Right, I'm not saying this is best for college football. Like, what do I believe is best for Notre Dame? And that's the more opportunities we have to get into the playoffs, the better," Freeman said.
"So, I'm a proponent on expanding it. Twenty-four teams would be great. Now, it's probably not right to go to 64 or whatever the basketball—the March Madness has, but I am a proponent of 24 teams because it's going to give Notre Dame football a better chance to get into the playoffs and probably keep our independence," he said.
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Freeman's stance is understandable, especially considering last season's circumstances. Notre Dame finished the season 10-2 and ranked No. 11 in the final CFP rankings, but they were left out of the 12-team field.
It was considered a major snub by some, as they'd been ranked above the Miami Hurricanes for the CFP most of the season. However, the Fighting Irish didn't get in, and the Hurricanes did, eventually playing for the National Championship.
Some pointed to Notre Dame's schedule, in which they lost their first two games by narrow margins to the No. 10 Hurricanes and the No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies. From there, the Fighting Irish won 10 straight games, including victories over ranked opponents Pittsburgh and USC, but it wasn't enough to get in front of the Hurricanes.
After that, Notre Dame declined to play in a college bowl game, as they'd been more focused on reaching the CFP. Some critics, including college football analyst Joel Klatt, blasted the Fighting Irish powers that be for denying players who might be in their final year of eligibility the chance to play in a final big game and preventing other players from the opportunity to develop their skills.
While last season's CFP snub may help explain Freeman's support for expansion, he also emphasized the importance of Notre Dame remaining independent.
Notre Dame has been independent for most of its history since 1887, except for its playing in the ACC in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of this writing, they are one of two independent NCAA Division I FBS football teams, alongside the UConn Huskies, who have been independent since 2020.
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