Lane Kiffin can play coy sometimes, as many trolls choose to do, but the LSU head coach is making it perfectly clear where he stands on the proposed 24-team College Football Playoff.

Kiffin is not just in favor of this expected format change. He believes it is essential, particularly for an SEC that is brimming with parity and deeply passionate fan bases.

“I think it had to happen,” Kiffin said, per On3's Jonathan Wagner. “You could say 12 is better, but not when you take into account the way college football is set up now. The conferences are so different, the four conferences. They are. They’re different stadiums, they’re different environments, they’re different middle to bottom of them. So you’re not playing equal schedules, they’re not even close.”

On the off chance that people did not know what he was implying, Kiffin explained why it just means more in the league he has called home for more than a decade of his coaching career.

“If you took an SEC team and gave them another one of those conference’s schedules, they’d average two more wins,” he argued. “Well, that’s a big deal. So, I say all that to say you had to go to more teams, because the system’s broke in how they pick them. And nothing against the committee. Humans can’t see football for whatever reason because it’s been this way for so long.”

Lane Kiffin, LSU could certainly benefit from a 24-team CFP this year

An expanded field, which is projected to take effect starting in 2027, could do wonders for both Lane Kiffin and LSU football. The former finally broke through with Ole Miss last season following an established track record of losing big games, and the latter has not appeared in the CFP since its all-time great 2019-20 campaign.

The 2026 Tigers are probably on the outside looking in after losses to the Rebels and Kentucky Wildcats, but a strong finish can still earn them a potential spot in the 12-team bracket. Think about the suspense that will be pulsating through the SEC in November. Doubling the number of CFP participants could greatly diminish that feeling.

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Nobody said it was supposed to be easy. Kiffin claims that the current system is inherently unfair to the SEC, though, which is raising countless debates on social media. There is no denying the added pressure that comes with competing in the raucous venues that reside down South. Auburn earned a stunning road victory over Georgia, Florida beat Texas in Austin and South Carolina escaped Knoxville with a win versus Tennessee.

Bedlam is becoming the norm in the SEC, making it extremely difficult to choose squads for the upcoming College Football Playoff. Such a task would probably be far less stressful if there were 19 Power Four at-large bids to hand out. Lane Kiffin and fellow SEC coaches are not focused on building drama, however.

They want to join the party.