By Jimmy Hyams

HOOVER, Ala. — It’s apparent the College Football Playoff will expand from four teams to 12 teams within the next few years.

Players at North Carolina have voted against expansion.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney isn’t a fan, either, citing the extra games.

What does Tennessee coach Josh Heupel think about adding eight teams and potentially having a squad play 16 games in a season?

“The center of everything we do in college football has to be the player experience,’’ Heupel told The Sports Animal at the SEC Football Media Days. “We need to put them in the best position to have a great experience.

“The more teams that have an opportunity to compete for a national championship that’s awesome.’’

There is a caveat.

“Obviously,’’ he said, “we don’t want to take away from the general bowl experience that might not be part of playoff.’’

That’s a unique balancing act.

Many will suggest the College Football Playoffs have rendered other bowl games meaningless.

If you believe that, then you believe many of those bowls were already meaningless because they had no impact on a national championship.

While many contend there are too many bowls, I haven’t heard many players attending bowls complain.

And that’s more important that fans or media complaining.

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