SMU Coach Proposed Expanded College Football Playoff
Rhett Lashlee advocated for a 24-team bracket to preserve marquee non-conference matchups.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Football
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SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee has called for expanding the College Football Playoff from its current 12-team format to a 24-team model. He argues that this change would prevent the disappearance of high-profile, out-of-conference games.
Why it matters
Lashlee believes the current selection process creates a disincentive for teams to schedule difficult opponents because early season losses carry too much weight. A larger field would provide teams more room for error, theoretically encouraging more ambitious scheduling.
The proposed 24-team bracket doubles the current 12-team playoff capacity. This structure aims to buffer against the consequences of early season losses that currently define playoff eligibility.
The players
Rhett Lashlee
Rhett Lashlee is the head coach of the SMU football team.
SMU
Southern Methodist University is a Dallas-based institution currently competing in major college football.
Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is an independent college football powerhouse with a historic national program.
The details
Lashlee emphasized that without structural changes to the postseason, the incentive to participate in marquee non-conference games will continue to decline. He suggests that larger playoff brackets would allow programs to pursue challenging matchups against schools like Oklahoma and LSU without risking immediate disqualification.
Timeline
November 21 marks the date SMU plays Notre Dame in South Bend.
Season Trajectory
This proposal highlights the ongoing tension between playoff accessibility and the traditional scheduling of elite non-conference games. If adopted, such a format would fundamentally shift the competitive balance by allowing top programs to maintain their playoff viability despite challenging September schedules.
An expanded playoff format would remove the immediate pressure of early season losses for top teams, effectively altering the stakes of upcoming non-conference games. Fans and analysts would see less reliance on undefeated records for qualification, shifting the focus toward a broader pool of contenders.
The takeaway
The debate over playoff size underscores the difficulty of maintaining high-stakes non-conference play in a post-conference-realignment era. Coaches and administrators continue to weigh the benefits of increased postseason revenue against the traditional prestige of regular-season matchups.
Further reading
For more updates on the Mustangs, visit the Dallas Football section.
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Do you support expanding the College Football Playoff to preserve major non-conference matchups?
