Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze's Proposal for Playoff Change Isn't Ideal

"Talkin' season" is still in full gear for another couple of weeks, and SEC coaches are hitting the home stretch this week by going through a "car wash" at ESPN world headquarters that sends them to virtually every outlet at the Worldwide Leader.

Apparently, some coaches are taking the opportunity that ESPN's massive distribution network provides to politic for change in the postseason format.

Most notably, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze.

According to ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy, Freeze suggested a change to the College Football Playoff that will not only add teams to the mix but take away several big games along the way.

Freeze isn't the only one asking for change.

Arkansas' Bret Bielema made the rounds Tuesday and lobbied for the playoff to double in size, according to Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com.

Auburn's Gus Malzahn got into the mix Tuesday as well, according to ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg.

Guys, come on. Can we have a few years of the four-team playoff first before begging for it to expand?

Of course coaches want more access because they get bonuses and enhanced job stability for reaching the playoff. The truth of the matter, though, is that Freeze's plan won't fly.

First, there's the obvious. The only way the Power Five would ever approve of an expanded playoff—even to six teams—would be if conference champions received automatic bids. Is that really what we want college football to be? Should teams that win their arbitrarily—and oftentimes geographically—determined conference automatically be considered title-worthy?

Of course not.

And spare me the comparison to other professional leagues. College football isn't like any other sport and has a much different landscape due to the number of FBS teams. It's unique, and it should stay that way.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Did Wisconsin, a team that was 8-5 after winning the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game, deserve as much of a shot at the national title that year as undefeated Notre Dame and one-loss Alabama? Of course not. Suggesting otherwise would be insane.

Of course, in Freeze's plan, there would be no Big Ten Championship Game for Wisconsin to win. So would a Nebraska team that was 10-2 and ranked 12th in the BCS heading into championship weekend be worthy of national title consideration?

Nope.

A team that's worthy of a national title being left out of the four-team playoff every once in a while is much more acceptable than one that's not worthy getting hot in the postseason and winning the whole thing. When access becomes the most important factor in determining playoff participants, college football will have lost its way.

Zach Barnett of FootballScoop.com is with me when it comes to being against the expansion of the College Football Playoff.

Besides, in Freeze's plan, conferences would give up the programming and financial cash cow of the conference title games and eliminate the 12th regular-season game. 

Television partners and athletic directors would flip if that idea ever gets serious traction.

Whether the absence of the 12th game eliminates tough out-of-conference games, neutral-site kickoff games or cupcakes that help programs generate home-game revenue, it's simply not going to fly. Money talks, and while the addition of more playoff games would help negate some of that lost revenue, it's a lot to ask programs and television partners to give up that much regular-season inventory just to double the size of the meaningful postseason.

Tom Pennington/Associated Press

The College Football Playoff just wrapped up Year 1 of a 12-year deal and doesn't look like it's changing anytime soon.

"There has been no talk about expanding the playoff," CFP executive director Bill Hancock said at SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, in May. "We are set for 11 years. Four is the right number."

Can we just enjoy what we have for a little while before rushing to expansion?

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.