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A hypothetical 24-team College Football<\/a> Playoff field, which was initially proposed by luminaries from the Big Ten<\/a>, seems to be gaining steam. Tennessee<\/a> coach Josh Heupel recently joined a growing list of coaches who have voiced their support for further postseason expansion. In an interview with On3’s Chris Low<\/a>, Heupel noted that he is in favor of a 24-team playoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The way college football is constantly changing, that probably makes the most sense,” Heupel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Heupel takes this position as a coach who has already made the 12-team College Football Playoff. His Vols made a run to the postseason tournament in 2024, though they lost their first-round game on the road against Ohio State<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also came close to the CFP in 2022 after beating six ranked teams in the regular season. A late-season loss to South Carolina<\/a> and an ACL tear suffered by Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback Hendon Hooker bounced Tennessee out of contention, however. The Vols still downed ACC champion Clemson<\/a> in the Orange Bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Way-too-early college football bowl projections: Picks for every postseason game, including CFP field<\/p>\n \n Brad Crawford <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Heupel isn’t the only prolific coach who has championed a 24-team playoff. Georgia’s<\/a> Kirby Smart, who has two national titles as a head coach in the playoff era, recently advocated for a larger playoff field.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I think 24 teams is good for the fan bases,” Smart said at the Steve Spurrier Awards show<\/a>. “I think when coaches and ADs look at it, we’re looking at our fan bases having an expectation that they want to be in the playoffs — it’s playoffs or bust.”<\/p>\n![\"Way-too-early](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/michigan-bowl.png\")
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