Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Urban Meyer is one of the greatest college football coaches of all-time.
Whether we ever see him coaching on the sidelines again remains to be seen, but the sport would be better for it if he ever decides to return.
Legend
— Scott Steineman (@scottsteineman) April 13, 2024
Despite all of the controversy and drama surrounding the current state of college football, the fact remains that the 2024 season is expected to be one of the most exciting ever.
That’s in large part because the playoff field is FINALLY expanding to 12-teams. (Of course, it will ultimately expand to 14-teams, but 12 will do just fine next season.)
Ranking Every CFB Playoff Team 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/7TwlUDgJFZ
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) April 3, 2024
Opinions vary greatly on what the ideal size of the playoff field should be.
Some fans think that 12 is perfect. Some think 14 is even better. Some even want 16 to create a true “March Madness” feel to college football.
There are some however who feel that all of those numbers are simply too large.
Some think an 8-team playoff field is best due to the simple fact that there are usually only 8 teams that are truly capable of winning the national championship on a year-to-year basis.
Urban Meyer leaving the Big House after manhandling Michigan and owning Jim Harbaugh pic.twitter.com/PmYkLoDWXI
— Levi 🇺🇲🏈 (@MadewithSteel99) April 14, 2024
While Meyer didn’t paint this exact picture, he came pretty close to doing so as he admitted that there are usually only 8 teams that can realistically hoist the national title trophy each season.
“Every year, I used to do this. I’d make circles and I’d draw – I’d call them the Elite 8. Cause realistically there are not 12 teams that can win a national title … I think every year there’s 8,” Meyer said.
Urban Meyer says these are the 8 CFB teams capable of winning a championship this year.
Do you agree?
Who’s missing? pic.twitter.com/tbPfbDI9aV
— NWOBuck (@NwoBuck) April 15, 2024
Meyer went on to name the 8 teams he expects to be true, realistic national title contenders for the upcoming 2024 season…
-Alabama
-Georgia
-Ohio State
-Ole Miss
-Oregon
-Michigan
-Texas
-Utah
When Urban Meyer shocked the world and beat Nick Saban with a 3rd string QB. pic.twitter.com/FPARus7Wx5
— Levi 🇺🇲🏈 (@MadewithSteel99) April 12, 2024
There was one glaring omission from that list – the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With star quarterback Riley Leonard joining the team via the transfer portal, Notre Dame is widely thought of as legitimate title contenders.
Duke QB Riley Leonard transferring to Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/Deap7OLwNO
— Pete Byrne WSBT (@PeteByrneSports) December 12, 2023
Meyer admitted that the Irish just barely missed his cut…
“Notre Dame was right there on the edge,” Meyer said. “But I would always evaluate those 8 teams and say what do they have that we don’t have? I don’t really look at the top 10 right there. There are so many variables of how you can get there and how you can stay there.”
Other teams that are assumed to just barely miss out on Elite 8 status are LSU, Penn State, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Urban Meyer implemented a winning culture.
Ryan Day implemented a TikTok culture. pic.twitter.com/IsD2sx45Xu https://t.co/gWrZ5bCS9Y
— JJ McCarthy Fan (@JJOneOfOne) April 10, 2024
What are your thoughts on Meyer’s list?
Do you at least agree with him that there are only 8 teams that can realistically win the national championship on a year-to-year basis?
Who would be your top 8 as we stand right now?
In a perfect world, what should the size of the playoff field be???