Swinney: There aren't 12 teams good enough for CFP expansion

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is against the proposed expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams.

"Our team wasn't for it," Swinney said, according to The Athletic. "They don't want to play more games, and to be honest with you, I don't think there's 12 teams good enough.

"So you've got to play more games just to play more games, and I think the more you expand it, the less important the season becomes."

The current College Football Playoff field includes only the nation's four highest-ranked teams, but a sub-group of the management committee recently proposed a 12-team format that would include the six highest-ranked conference champions and six remaining highest-ranked programs determined by the committee.

No conference would be granted automatic qualification under the new proposal, which also includes no limitation on the number of teams that can qualify from one conference. The changes could take effect as early as 2023.

Clemson isn't the only ACC school against the idea. North Carolina head coach Mack Brown recently said his players would prefer a playoff model featuring six to eight teams instead.

Swinney added he was also against the four-team playoff format when it was introduced in 2014.

"I love the college game and I loved it when it was a big deal to be top 25, top 15, top 10, go win the bowl game," he said.

Clemson has earned a playoff berth in six straight seasons after missing it during the four-team format's inaugural year. The Tigers have appeared in the national championship game four times since the 2015 season and won two titles.