The Auburn Tigers didn’t have their season end the way they wanted, falling to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and losing to UCF in the Peach Bowl.

However, it was still a great year, as the Tigers beat Georgia and Alabama during the regular season, helping coach Gus Malzahn land a giant contract extension.

During an appearance on “The Triple Threat” radio show in Houston on Wednesday, Malzahn said he felt the Tigers were the only team with a chance to match up with Alabama this season (via AL.com):

“We felt all along this year that we were the only team that could beat Alabama, and of course it ended up being that way,” Malzahn said. “We got a lot of guys coming back, and I know they’re very hungry. Any time you’ve been close and you have a lot of guys coming back, it really helps you. I know we’re going to be a hungry team. Now, you got to earn it in in our league. The SEC West is a monster. Every week you got to bring your lunch, but I really like where we’re at.”

Malzahn also made the case for eight College Football Playoff teams, which is fitting, because Auburn almost certainly would have been one of the eight this year:

“I would love for there to be eight teams,” Malzahn said. “I’m an old high school football coach — quarterfinals, semifinals…

“I think (eight teams is) where it’s going. We’ll see what happens, but I’d personally like to see it.”

It doesn’t appear anything will happen in terms of Playoff expansion in the near future, but it has been gaining some traction.

Whether Malzahn gets his wish remains to be seen, but the Tigers should be in Playoff contention once again next season.