Most sports fans love the president. They may love him even more if he’s able to fix this problem.
And Marco Rubio begged President Trump to fix this major sporting event.
Fans, players, and even members of Donald Trump’s own cabinet are openly asking him to intervene in the College Football Playoff selection process.
It started Tuesday when Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia went on X and tagged the president directly. After a regular season-ending win over Tennessee that still left the Commodores ranked No. 14, Pavia made a straightforward request: “MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PLEASE!” He wants the playoff expanded from 12 teams to 16.
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea quickly backed his quarterback. Speaking to The Daily Wire, Lea described the current system as “flawed” and said he would welcome clear direction from the top.
“If they’re willing to listen, we will make our case,” he said. “If we can have someone come in from over the top and say ‘this is what we are going to do,’ at least there’s clarity in that.”
The Commodores are not the only program feeling overlooked. The University of Miami, currently on the outside of the 12-team field despite a 10-2 record, has drawn the attention of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
During this week’s cabinet meeting, the former Florida senator told the president that if Miami is left out, “the whole thing should be scrapped and (Trump) is gonna have to take over next year.” Trump replied simply, “That’s good.”
No one seriously expects an executive order before the bracket is released on Sunday, and the legal authority of the president to force changes on the NCAA remains questionable. Still, the idea is not as far-fetched as it might sound.
President Trump has already used executive action to address two major issues in college sports. When he first got into office for his second term, he signed an order protecting women’s sports from biological males, and he issued another designed to preserve non-revenue Olympic sports.
College football fans have been asking for a fairer path to a national championship for decades. The old Bowl Championship Series was replaced by a four-team playoff in 2014, which was then expanded to twelve teams last season. Many believed twelve would finally settle the arguments, yet the complaints have only grown louder.
Coach Lea expressed the frustration shared by many when he said, “We’ve tangled the wires too much. I am baffled by the process … the movement of teams up and down.”
For Vanderbilt, this season has been historic. A program long considered the doormat of the Southeastern Conference now finds itself with a realistic chance at its first playoff appearance. Lea is adamant that his players have earned that opportunity. “This team deserves to be in the playoff,” he said. “They deserve to compete for a national championship.”
Across the country, fans of several borderline teams feel the same way about their programs. The playoff committee’s weekly rankings have become a source of endless debate on talk radio, social media, and family text threads.
Whether President Trump ultimately gets involved remains to be seen.
The louder voices come not from Washington insiders but from players on the field, coaches on the sideline, and millions of fans who still believe college football should be decided by what happens on the field.
For now, the requests from Diego Pavia, Clark Lea, and even Marco Rubio serve as a reminder that few things stir American passions quite like college football.
And if the president ever does decide the playoff needs fixing, he will have no shortage of grateful supporters wearing team colors from coast to coast.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
