During a press conference on Monday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said that expansion to the College Football Playoff won't lead to more competitive matchups, adding that he doesn't "see the logic" in adjusting its current four-team format.
Saban's opinion on the CFP carries some weight. Although this year's bracket featured two new schools -- Michigan and Cincinnati -- both semifinal games were lopsided, and since 2015, only four semifinal games have been decided by 14 points or fewer. In the semifinals (14 total games), the average margin of victory has been 21 points.
"If people have 'Bama fatigue,' expanding the playoff is only going to allow Alabama to make even more mistakes, still get in there, and have a chance to win more national championships," Crimson Tide reporter Charlie Potter told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Wednesday. "The SEC is going to get more teams in there, you're going to have more opportunities to have this SEC final.
"I really agree with Saban in that, the playoff has taken some of the shine off of those... If people are wanting to do that solely to keep teams like Alabama from dominating the postseason like they have since this inception in 2014, it's probably not going to be the news they want. I think Alabama is still going to be there, and be there on a more consistent basis... I'd just go ahead and start booking the CFP in advance, because I know Alabama would be there."
During the summer, the CFP board of managers approved a proposal for a 12-team playoff format, which would include the top-six conference champions and six more at-large teams, based on rankings. According to an ESPN report, leaders of the CFP will soon have an in-person meeting to discuss expansion, although it's still unclear when the committee will come to a resolution.
For the second time in five years, Alabama will face SEC rival Georgia in the national championship game, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Crimson Tide currently have a 44-percent chance to repeat as college football champions.
The entire CFP conversation between Potter and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.