LISTEN: Danny Kanell argues that we need an 8-team Playoff ‘more than ever’
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Another bowl season has come and gone, and now all that’s left to play is the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which will feature Alabama against Clemson.
CBS analyst and former Florida State QB Danny Kanell has long argued for the expansion of the Playoff to eight teams, and this bowl season only confirmed that opinion, in his mind.
As you can see in the video below, Kanell points to players sitting out and a solid performance by UCF as reasons why expansion needs to happen soon:
If you think @dannykanell is changing his stance on the NEED for an 8-team playoff, you got another thing coming. pic.twitter.com/QvHpvdCXxP
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 3, 2019
“I think we learned more than ever that we need an eight-team Playoff,” he said. “Look at UCF. They’ve been asking for a chance, a seat at the table, forever. What did they do? They proved, yet again, that they can go toe-to-toe with a powerhouse from the SEC. And I get that LSU didn’t have a lot of their starters, but UCF didn’t have their Heisman Trophy-candidate QB McKenzie Milton who would have made a world of difference. And yet, UCF was still able to put up 32 points.
“You know what else I learned? Guys that want to skip their bowl games because playing in a New Year’s 6 bowl game isn’t enough to raise their draft stock — you’re telling me they would sit out if there was a Playoff at stake? A championship at stake? We need to make it enticing for players to play in the postseason, and that’s what an eight-team Playoff will do.”
There are more discussions being had about expansion every year, so we’ll see if it does happen down the line. For now, though, it’s four teams, much to the chagrin of Kanell and others.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
