Brent Venables Pushes Back On 24-Team College Football Playoff Expansion

DESTIN, Fla. - Brent Venables spoke candidly about the future of the College Football Playoff during the SEC Spring Meetings, and his comments struck the right balance between realism and tradition.

While some coaches and administrators seem eager to push for more expansion, Venables isn’t jumping on the “bigger is always better” train.

“I’m not a ‘more is better,’ I’m not a ‘less is better.’ Whatever enough is — enough is best. That’s my mindset. That’s how I run our team,” Venables said.

“Right now, I think college football is trying to figure that out, too. Whatever it is, it isn’t going to stay the same.”

That’s a refreshingly grounded perspective from a head coach in today’s chaotic landscape. Venables went on to talk about productive conversations with the College Football Playoff committee.

“We had some great discussions with College Football Playoff Committee people,” Venables said.

“I think our job as a conference is to challenge that, to be in that environment and say, how does it all work? What are some of those things that matter the most?”

He emphasized that winning your games, especially late in the season, still needs to be the ultimate separator.

“If you want to be in complete, total control, win your games. It worked in our favor in November, where we had a really challenging last four games and we took care of business. That ultimately was a separator for us to get into the playoffs. Had we not gone 4–0, we probably didn’t deserve to be in, and I’m good with that.”

This lines up perfectly with what Bob Stoops said earlier on the topic.

Stoops was blunt about not believing more is always better and admitted he liked it better when it was two teams or even eight.

One thing Stoops pointed out was how expansion to 24 teams would make life easier for coaches chasing bonuses and job security, but it also lowers the standard of success.

Being a top 25 team has never been the expectation at Oklahoma. They have much high goals than that. Venables made it clear that even with expansion, the regular season must remain king.

“Even if they do expand it, as you said, you’re still playing for seeding,” Venables said.

“The better seed you get, the more strength and leverage you have on the front end. You get more home games. Eight–nine is a tough game, but a two and a seven, things are more in your favor. I still think you’re earning your staying power and leverage with what you get into the playoffs with. To me, the regular season has always mattered and always will, and those games are critical.”

He also touched on the inconsistencies that come with any ranking system, referencing last season’s debates.

“I’ve not been in Clark Lea’s 10–2 argument,” Venables said of Vanderbilt’s head coach.

“How did that happen, and Texas at 9–3 that played five teams in the top 10… Texas played five teams in the top 25. Another team played one team in the top 25. They got in; Texas didn’t.”

Venables understands the human and computer elements will never be perfect.

He even went all the way back to the BCS era to drive his point home.

“I go all the way back to the BCS era,” Venables said. “And I remember that vividly… It’s still a game about taking care of the football and playing your best football when it matters most… Don’t be on the wrong side. That’s all I can say. Don’t leave it up to the officials to make a decision or to anybody else. Win your games when you have an opportunity.”

This is exactly the mentality Oklahoma fans want to see.

Whether the playoff stays at 12 teams or eventually expands, the message from Norman is clear: control what you can control. Win the games in front of you, especially the tough ones in November.

Venables’ comments, paired with Stoops’ earlier honesty about the money grab and diluted standards that come with massive expansion, show that Oklahoma’s coaching voice carries weight on this issue.

They both understand that what makes college football special is the grind of the regular season.

Expanding too far risks turning it into something that looks more like March Madness, and that’s not good for the sport long-term.

The bottom line is that Oklahoma is focused on building a team that can go win tough games when it counts.

That approach won’t change no matter what format the playoff takes.