Greg McElroy wants to pump the brakes a bit before expanding the College Football Playoff again. While he has some valid points, most of his concerns are a bit overblown.

“Here’s the biggest thing I have an issue with. Now, we’re talking about a 14-team Playoff before we even know if the 12-team Playoff is successful,” said McElroy about reports the Playoff is mulling a 14-team model. “We don’t know that. The 12-team Playoff might crash and burn.”

McElroy did at least admit it’s unlikely the 12-team Playoff flops as he is intrigued by the potential matchups. However, he continues to question why the Playoff might rush into another change before examining the “unintended consequences” of a potential move.

“I don’t understand why. There are a million examples in college football where we have rushed into things… And every single time we rush into something in college football, there is an unintended consequence,” claimed McElroy. “And honestly, I’m kind of scared of some of the unintended consequences.”

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Why McElroy’s concerns are overblown

During his comments, McElroy even referenced how long it took to land on a firm model for the 12-team format. However, he did not appear to realize why that timeline matters for future formats.

To get a 12-team model in place, it took roughly 2 years of discussions, negotiations and debating before one was eventually agreed upon. Ultimately, that’s why it is important for discussions to already be ramping up for the future.

College football does not have the time to sit and wait to see if the 12-team model “works.” (Spoiler alert: It will, at least in terms of generating interest and offering more football.) And considering the changes of the past year or so, the new model for the Playoff was always likely to be a stopgap.

In a new era to be dominated by two super conferences, leadership needs to be forward-thinking with an eye toward making decisions faster than a two-year timeline.

Is one month an absolutely necessary timeline for reaching a decision on the Playoff? Probably not, but it speaks to the urgency in play, and that’s the only way the sport can move forward.