Kalen DeBoer Doesn't Care About Your Playoff Expansion

Every coach who has taken the lectern at SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, has been asked about their preferred playoff format after SEC commissioner Greg Sankey addressed it during his opening statement on Monday night.

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Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz opened the day with a shot at the Big Ten, telling reporters, "I remember last year we were told that if we went to nine games, the Big Ten would go to a 16-team playoff."

Texas A&M's Mike Elko told reporters, "What does Mike Elko want? 40. Then I won't get fired... None of us are answering for the good of the sport. We're answering for the good of ourselves."

His point was proven when Texas's Steve Sarkisian took the stand. "I watched a coach get fired five games into a season last year after being in the semifinals the year before. That's concerning to me about the health of our sport." The coach in reference, James Franklin at Penn State, was a field goal away from competing in the national championship during the 2024-25 season. After a double-overtime loss to No. 6 Oregon in week 5 and shocking losses to UCLA and Northwestern the following two weeks, Franklin was out of a job less than 10 months later.

"I've heard arguments from 12, 16, 24. I can make an argument for all of them," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Tuesday. "To me, it's all about winning games and not put it in the committee's hands."

Alabama's been at the mercy of the College Football Playoff selection committee the past two seasons, with the Crimson Tide the first team out in 2024 in favor of SMU and the first 3-loss non-conference champion to make the playoff in 2025. The Tide defeated Oklahoma in the first round of the 2025 CFP but fell to Indiana in the CFP Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.