“We Need to Adapt”: Why Auburn’s Hugh Freeze Believes It’s Time to Change the College Football Playoff Format Now

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze isn’t known for staying quiet when he believes college football is heading down the wrong path. And as the College Football Playoff prepares to expand to 12 teams in 2025, Freeze has made it clear that while progress is being made, the current model still needs serious reform to serve the players, fans, and programs equitably.

In a recent conversation with reporters, Freeze emphasized a word he’s used often since arriving at Auburn: adaptation. To him, the game’s structure must evolve in parallel with the explosive changes seen across the sport in recent years—especially with conference realignment, NIL, the transfer portal, and increasing pressure on student-athletes. And high on his list of priorities is reimagining the CFP format to create a leveler playing field.

“We need to adapt. The way the College Football Playoff is structured right now, and even in its expansion, it still doesn’t address some key issues,” Freeze said. “We talk about player safety, fairness, competitive equity—but the model doesn’t reflect that yet.”

Freeze’s concerns aren’t just rooted in philosophy—they’re grounded in logistics, player welfare, and opportunity. The 2024 season will mark the final year of the four-team playoff system before the 12-team model kicks in. That expansion, while widely celebrated, is still drawing mixed reviews from coaches like Freeze who worry that it could replicate the same issues the four-team field did—just on a bigger scale.

Freeze argues that the current plan gives undue advantage to a small group of elite programs and fails to properly reward conference champions outside the traditional powerhouses. For Auburn, which competes in the brutal SEC West and faces Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M on a regular basis, even making a conference title game can be Herculean. In the new model, a team could theoretically be passed over for an at-large berth by a program from a less competitive conference, or one that didn’t face a similarly difficult path.

“It’s not just about being one of the best teams anymore—it’s about how you get there,” Freeze explained. “If you’re in the SEC or Big Ten, you might be 10–2 or 9–3 and still be better than an undefeated team from somewhere else. But will the committee see it that way? Will the system be fair to those teams grinding it out against top-five opponents all year long?”

He’s not wrong to worry. The expanded playoff model guarantees spots to the six highest-ranked conference champions, along with six at-large bids. That means a team winning a weaker conference with a lower national profile could sneak in over a program with a stronger resume but stiffer competition. Freeze thinks that needs to be revisited—and soon.

But perhaps Freeze’s most impassioned critique centers on the toll a longer season takes on players. With 12 teams, the eventual national champion will likely play 16 or even 17 games—essentially matching an NFL regular season. For unpaid athletes already balancing school, NIL obligations, and physical recovery, it’s a daunting task.

“Player health is non-negotiable,” Freeze said bluntly. “We’re talking about young men being asked to play nearly NFL-length seasons with fewer resources and less time to recover. And we don’t have the depth or infrastructure the NFL has.”

He’s advocating for more built-in rest periods, schedule flexibility, and a clearer vision for what postseason demands should look like. Freeze has proposed that a first-round bye for the top four teams isn’t enough—it should be paired with mandatory off weeks for teams advancing deep into the bracket. He’s also pushed for a return to a model where more weight is placed on the regular season and conference championships.

“We can’t forget that these kids aren’t professionals yet,” Freeze said. “They’re students. They have finals. They have families. And now they might play 17 games to win a championship?”

Freeze also touched on the fact that the postseason calendar conflicts with other vital moments in the academic year—like finals week and the start of the spring semester. Coaches are now trying to prepare for games while also juggling transfer portal activity, early signing day, and even coaching transitions. It’s a chaotic period made worse by how drawn out and disjointed the CFP schedule has become.

For programs like Auburn, where building a sustainable winner means more than just one good year, Freeze believes the system needs to provide a clearer path to national relevance. The current model, he argues, still caters to the brand-name programs that dominate headlines and recruiting rankings. While he respects the legacy of programs like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan, Freeze believes the playoff should be a reset button each year—not a rubber stamp for the same elite schools.

“Look, I get it. Bluebloods move the needle. But that shouldn’t be the reason they’re in the playoff every year,” Freeze said. “If this is truly about crowning the best team in the country, then let’s make the path fair. Let’s reward people who win tough games, who battle through adversity, who may not have a perfect record but have played a gauntlet schedule.”

Freeze’s comments come at a pivotal moment in college football. With the sport undergoing radical transformation—especially in media rights, conference affiliations, and athlete compensation—the CFP’s next move could define the next decade. There’s growing concern among coaches that the playoff expansion was more about revenue generation than competitive balance, and Freeze isn’t afraid to call it out.

He stopped short of proposing a specific alternative model but said he’d like to see coaches have more input in shaping future changes. Right now, decisions are largely being made by university presidents, television executives, and conference commissioners.

“I don’t think we’re always listening to the people who are closest to the game,” Freeze said. “Coaches know what their players are going through. We know what it takes to play 13, 14, 15 games at this level. And I don’t think we’ve been at the table enough when these big changes are being made.”

Freeze’s call for adaptation isn’t just a rallying cry for Auburn. It’s a plea for balance in a sport teetering on the edge of professionalization. The lines between college and pro football are increasingly blurred, and Freeze believes now is the time to recalibrate.

He also acknowledged that the growing money in the sport—through television deals, NIL, and postseason contracts—makes it tempting to overlook the human element. But in his eyes, losing touch with the players’ well-being would undermine the very soul of college football.

“We’ve got something special in this sport,” Freeze said. “Pageantry, rivalries, tradition. But if we chase the dollar too hard, we’ll lose the heart of what makes college football great.”

As for Auburn’s place in the evolving landscape, Freeze is optimistic. He’s building toward long-term success in the SEC, embracing the recruiting grind, the transfer portal, and the new era of roster building. But he knows that unless the postseason evolves with the times, programs like Auburn may always be playing uphill.

“We’re going to fight, no matter what. That’s who we are,” Freeze said. “But I’d just like to know that if we go out and earn it on the field, the system is built to reward that.”

The 12-team playoff will bring new excitement, new matchups, and a new chapter for college football. But as Freeze made clear, expansion alone isn’t adaptation. Without thoughtful tweaks, transparent criteria, and genuine concern for the athletes themselves, the CFP risks becoming just another revenue machine.

And Hugh Freeze doesn’t want to see that happen on his watch.