Charles Woodson weighs in on College Football Playoff expansion
Just days after news broke that the CFP Board is opting not to expand for the foreseeable future, former Michigan legend Charles Woodson shared his thoughts on expansion. Before serving as the grand marshall for the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Woodson, an analyst for Fox, said he supports expansion.
“I think eight teams is a good number,” Woodson said. “If it can get to 12, that’d be good, too.”
Leading up to the big race, Woodson commented on the potential of becoming a NASCAR team owner.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” stated Woodson, via Matt Weaver of Racing America. “I definitely wouldn’t mind exploring it. There’s an avenue for African Americans and there’s a really strong fanbase.”
After so much success in sports, Woodson is interested in exploring a new avenue. Other athletes have taken their talents to NASCAR in the past, including NBA legend Michael Jordan with 23XI Racing, and boxing great Floyd Mayweather with The Money Team Racing.
Additionally, Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith also got into the NASCAR team owning game in the Xfinity Series. Starting in 2022, Smith will co-own Jesse Iwuji Motorsports with Jesse Iwuji — the driver for the team.
Kevin Warren explains board’s decision on expansion
Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference Kevin Warren explained the decision to vote against College Football Playoff expansion on Friday. He said that he supports expansion, however, he hopes to get it done in a manner that benefits the conference members.
“To be very clear, the Big Ten Conference supports expansion of the College Football Playoff system — for our student-athletes, member institutions and fans,” started Warren, via Ralph D. Russo of The AP. “Expansion provides increased opportunities, exposure and value for our member institutions, student-athletes, coaches, football teams and athletic programs.”
ESPN will continue to have the right to broadcast the games before their deal expires in 2026.
“I’m disappointed,” Mark Keenum, Mississippi State President and Chairman of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers said. “We [the presidents] couldn’t work it out either.”
Keenum suggests that the biggest obstacle is the fact that some conferences want automatic qualifiers for Power Five champs. The Big Ten is the staunchest supporter of the automatic qualifier, according to Keenum. Despite representing a Power Five conference, Keenum called that proposal unfair. “That is a real sticking point. I don’t know how we get it resolved.”
On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.