Kirby Smart Open to SEC Title Game Exit if College Football Playoff Expands

The future structure of college football’s postseason continues to evolve, and Kirby Smart, head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, is signaling conditional support for a major change that could reshape the sport’s traditional calendar.

As the College Football Playoff expands and increases its influence, questions have emerged about whether conference championship games still serve a necessary purpose in determining playoff contenders.

Smart suggested that while he is not ready to eliminate those games under the current 12-team format, a larger playoff field could change his perspective entirely. His comments reflect a growing national debate about scheduling, fairness, and postseason efficiency.

The discussion comes at a time when college football administrators continue to evaluate long-term models for expansion, with further changes widely expected in the coming years.

1. Playoff Expansion Driving Structural Debate

Smart’s position is closely tied to ongoing conversations about expanding the College Football Playoff from its current 12-team format to potentially 16 or even 24 teams. He noted that under the present system, conference championship games still hold competitive value, particularly for determining seeding and at-large selections. However, that importance could diminish if the playoff field grows significantly. A larger playoff would likely include multiple teams from the same conference, reducing the necessity of a single championship game to decide postseason access. That shift could prompt a broader reevaluation of how the regular season and conference titles are weighted. Administrators across college football have already acknowledged that expansion would require a restructuring of the season calendar, including potential adjustments to when the postseason begins and ends.

2. Smart’s Conditional Support for Change

Smart emphasized that his support for eliminating conference championship games is not immediate, but dependent on further expansion of the playoff system. “If we stay at 12 teams, I don’t necessarily agree that it needs to quit being played,” he explained, reinforcing the idea that the current format still justifies the SEC title game’s existence. However, he added that a shift to 16 or 24 teams would change that equation significantly, especially if it compresses the postseason timeline and forces earlier completion dates. His comments reflect a pragmatic approach, balancing tradition with the logistical realities of an expanded national playoff structure.

3. SEC, Big Ten Influence and Future Outlook

The broader direction of the sport remains tied to ongoing negotiations between major conferences, particularly the SEC and the Big Ten Conference, which continue to shape playoff governance and scheduling decisions. A final agreement between the two power conferences is widely seen as a key step toward any future expansion of the playoff system. Until that happens, the College Football Playoff is expected to remain at 12 teams through at least the 2026–27 season. For programs like Georgia, expansion would likely create more consistent postseason opportunities, reinforcing the Bulldogs’ status as a perennial contender under Smart’s leadership. Georgia has remained one of college football’s dominant programs since Smart took over in 2015, and a larger playoff field could further solidify its presence in the national postseason landscape.