Carr: It's Time for a 16-Team Playoff

Lloyd Carr has been one of our favorite punching bags, but the Michigan coach made a lot of sense during a recent series of appearances. Carr let it rip when talking about the NCAA, including the scheduling of night games and games during the week. "Money ... we need to make more money," he said, not disguising his sarcasm. "Let's play more games and let's make sure the players are available to play any time, any night, 24/7." Regarding the addition of a 12th game to the regular-season schedule, he said, "I think the 12th game was just the first of what's going to be a continued growth ... we're turning into a professional sport." The NCAA has failed to police teams, he said. "I think the NCAA is not spending any money in the area of enforcement." Although Carr is against a 12th game, he is adamant about the need for a 16-team playoff. "Right now, we have a playoff, but it's just two teams who are voted in. Well, I think we should have 16, you can play the first round on the home field of the highest seed, and you could still incorporate the bowl games. That's the only fair thing to do for the players now that we've gone to 12 games." And what about the new International Bowl being played on Jan. 6 and the Alamo Bowl's expected move to Jan. 7? "We need to get some bowl games played in February, so we can make more money. That's the thing we need to do." Yes, there is another side to Carr we never knew existed. As for those planned luxury boxes at Michigan Stadium, the opposition appears to have been silenced.