Florida AD Scott Stricklin weighs in on CFP and SEC softball handshake controversy at spring meetings

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said he was not closely watching Florida softball’s Super Regional loss to Texas Tech because he was in Indianapolis serving on the NCAA Division I baseball tournament selection committee. He later learned that Florida players did not shake hands with Texas Tech after the decisive Game 3, and he said he respected whatever decision coach Tim Walton made in a tense, emotionally charged series.

The three-game matchup was marked by heightened frustration, including a fan ejection and repeated hit-by-pitches involving former Florida player Mia Williams, who now plays for Texas Tech. Florida lost the deciding game 16-7 in five innings, and Walton was ejected before the end of the contest. Walton said he was not consulted on the no-handshake decision, but he understood why the team may have chosen that route given the atmosphere.

Stricklin’s comments came during the SEC spring meetings at Sandestin Resort, where much of the discussion centered on the future expansion of the College Football Playoff. He said he supports expanding the postseason and believes college football has a structure problem because too few teams have access to the playoff compared with other major American sports.

Stricklin pointed to the broader postseason landscape, arguing that leagues such as the NFL and NBA allow a much larger share of teams into the playoffs. He said college football, despite generating the most revenue and engagement of any college sport, offers postseason access to only a small fraction of the 68 power-conference teams. In his view, that imbalance creates a “math problem” for the sport.

At the same time, Stricklin said the exact size of an expanded playoff remains unresolved. He said he does not yet know whether the best format would be 16 teams, 24 teams or another number. He said more evaluation is needed to determine how expansion would affect media value, rights revenue and the regular season.

Stricklin said he personally does not believe expanding the playoff would hurt the importance of the regular season, but he acknowledged that the current debate is still driven largely by opinion rather than enough hard data. He said college football leaders need more research before making a final decision.

The comments highlight two major issues facing Florida athletics and the SEC: the emotional fallout from Florida softball’s postseason exit and the continuing national conversation over how college football’s postseason should be structured. Stricklin’s remarks reflected both support for Florida’s softball program and his broader perspective as a conference and NCAA administrator weighing the future of the sport.