Rich Clark, Executive Director College Football Playoffs

Is the College Football Playoff already outgrowing the 12-team format? 🏈

We had a chance to sit down with CFP Executive Director Rich Clark on ESPN Cleveland 101.3 to talk about the massive shifts happening in the sport right now. Jim Gumm and Steve Hartline spoke with Rich Clark about those wild 24-team "super bracket" proposals and whether we’re actually going to see the end of conference championship games as we know them. Clark opened up about the "out of the box" thinking coming from the big conferences and what it really takes to ensure the best teams don't get left out of the title hunt.

We also dug into the debate that has every fan divided: on-campus home games versus the classic bowl tradition. While we all love the electricity of a packed campus stadium in December, Clark explained the logistical "balancing act" of dealing with winter weather and holiday breaks, and why the New Year’s Six bowls remain such a huge part of the postseason recipe. It was a candid look at the tension between protecting the sport’s deep-rooted history and the pressure to modernize for a bigger TV audience.

If you’re wondering why your team’s schedule is changing or how the CFP plans to navigate head-to-head battles with the NFL, you need to hear this. Rich Clark gives a great perspective on why "wins matter" but why playing a tough non-conference schedule still earns you major points with the selection committee.