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Post being replied to

1) stop expansion, but in the absence of "1" being possible, by VaDblDmr

then 2) minimize expansion. I absolutely do not buy that 8 teams would have been unworkable. From what I have heard, the SEC was supposedly the obstacle there, but I'm not sure why that would be. The most they can get in now is 2, which has happened once in 7 years, whereas 2 would have been readily attainable if they went to 8. With 8, I don't see why they couldn't have guaranteed the 5 major conference champions a bid along with 3 at-larges. But even if it were 6 conference champions and 2 at-larges, so what? The SEC and ND would each still have had a decent shot at 1 of the 2 at-larges.

Doing it this way would also have added one less week to the post-season, given the top 4 seeds a home game instead of a bye, and benefited ND in terms of competitive advantage.

Finally, perhaps if Swarbrick had pressed 8, knowing that there was evidently not much support for it, that might have scuttled expansion altogether, which should have been the real goal.