Pete Nakos and Brett McMurphy from On3 surveyed every Group of Six coach in the country. The results shed light on the schools left out to dry.
40 of 61 coaches favor a separate playoff outside the College Football Playoff. This is not breathtaking because of the newly expanded 24-team playoff coming in 2027. The CFP format is 19 at-large bids and 5 automatic bids: the 4 Power 4 champions and the top Group of Six champion. That’s 1 guaranteed spot for the whole Group of Six.
“There’s no ability for any of us to realistically win the national title. That’s the truth,” a Group of Six coach said.
NEW: Nearly two-thirds of Group of Six head coaches (40 of 61) favor a separate playoff outside the CFP, according to a survey by @Brett_McMurphy and @PeteNakos🏆 “There’s no ability for any of us to realistically win the (CFP) national title. That’s the truth,” a G6 coach said. Story: https://t.co/zX3mUOQ7OL
— On3 (@On3) October 29, 2026
According to Brett McMurphy, this would apply if the Group of Six still get their long bid in the CFP.
It’s no surprise that the Group of Six coaches feel this way. The new playoff format idea was always about granting the blue-blood schools more room for error and widening the financial gap between Power Four schools.
If there were a Group of Six playoffs, no longer would there be days of watching a school like Boise State or James Madison get squashed in the first round of the playoffs. The games would be much more competitive and be an exciting entity. Similar to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in college basketball, where teams that don’t make it to the big tournament can still compete at a high level and keep the sport competitive and entertaining.
However, there’s been no discussion on how the calendar would be rearranged and who would pay for it. Will the commissioners listen to the coaches and grant their wish? It could make for an eventful weekend in college football and add a new element.
