Nebraska HC Matt Rhule thinks four Big Ten teams should make College Football Playoff

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule wants to see the Big Ten proportionally represented in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. He expressed his desire for the conference to get four annual bids during his appearance at Big Ten media days on Wednesday.

After including just four teams from 2014-2024, the College Football Playoff disbanded its original format to include 12 teams starting this fall.

The latest installation of the College Football Playoff will now comprise the selection committee’s five highest-ranked conference champions and its next six highest-ranked teams.

The top four, which would’ve been Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama, will now receive a first-round bye. The other eight squads will play in a knockout-style, first-round bracket. As opposed to playing at a neutral site, the higher-ranked seeds will host the lower-ranked seeds in the first round on campus.

Rhule, who signed an eight-year deal with Nebraska in November 2022, clearly believes the Big Ten’s depth in talent and top-end contenders should automatically warrant enough bids to comprise of one third of the playoff’s 12-team field.

With four new teams — Washington, USC, UCLA and Oregon, joining this fall, he may have a point.

In last season’s final poll, Washington finished No. 2 while Oregon was ranked No. 7. Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa also cracked the top 25, while Michigan finished 15-0 and won the national title.

Fortunately for Rhule, his blueprint may naturally come to fruition this fall. Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Penn State all landed within the top 12 of ESPN’s post-spring Top 25 rankings in May. Iowa and USC also project to be competitive this fall.