Peach Bowl CEO discusses Playoff expansion, Vols CFP chances, more

David Epps has worked for the Peach Bowl in Atlanta for 32 years and was recently named the event's president and CEO this past spring. On Wednesday, he sat down with Six Rivers Media to discuss happenings in the college football space, such as the expansion of the College Football Playoff, working with top seeds ahead of the Peach Bowl, and the season so far for the Tennessee Vols. Q: With the news of the 24-team College Football Playoff, what impact does that have on the Peach Bowl? Epps: "The (expanded) playoff coming ended up being the worst-kept secret of the season. I think we all saw it coming down the tracks. But, I think now that it's here, what we've seen is the six bowl games that are a part of the playoff are going to be relatively unchanged. In the sense that, we're going to host a quarterfinal, a quarterfinal and then a semifinal. The rotations aren't going to change right now. We're going to continue to do that. Unless they change the dates, we'll continue to play our quarterfinals around New Year's and the semifinals a week later. "If anything, I believe the 24 (team model) gives the perfect balance of a chance for teams to play a home playoff game, and potentially two home playoff games, and also get the thrill and excitement of going to a neutral-site playoff bowl game and pick up a win there." Q: Throughout the reporting of playoff expansion, much was made of the roles of television networks and conferences. What role did the quarterfinal/semifinal sites have in these talks? Epps: "The College Football Playoff leadership has certainly been really good about keeping the six bowl games updated on what's going on. They allowed us to express whatever our opinions were through them. But, in truth, we're just here to support the playoff system and support what the CFP and the commissioners and all the coaches decide they wanted to do. So, we really didn't have a seat at the table, but I think we were certainly considered, at least in part of their discussions from the CFP side." Q: As it stands with Tuesday's rankings reveal, Georgia would have the top choice of their quarterfinal destination. What is it like working with top seeds when they are choosing where they end up? Epps: "That's a new wrinkle this year. That opportunity for the top three seeds to have some input on where they play. When you look at a year like this, where you have the Rose, Fiesta, Cotton, and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowls as the quarterfinals, the majority of the top 25 are closer to Atlanta than they are to the other three cities. You assume proximity will come into play, and a team like Georgia or Alabama or Tennessee might look at that and say, 'That's an easier trip for us and our fans.' "But you also don't know there could be other considerations from the coach's standpoint. Teams could look and see who they might face if they make it another round and prefer to not play that team in what could be a home game. So it'll be interesting to see how the pick your path plays out. While it looks like it could be just geography, I think there may be a few hidden wrinkles in there." Q: It was a big win for Tennessee last week over Kentucky, what stands out about the Vols? Epps: "Tennessee is a good, strong, talented program. I wouldn't have been surprised either way, if Kentucky had won that game. But, Tennessee has got a good roster. I think Coach (Josh) Heupel does a really good job keeping those kids focused. To me, that's the key of a really good coach. You're able to keep your eye on the prize. "I think Tennessee has shown they're a legitimate playoff contender. The wins over Kentucky and Alabama, huge. Tennessee has shown they can play with anybody. I won't be surprised if Tennessee – with what's left of Texas A&M, LSU and Vandy, LSU is the only ranked (team) – you could very easily see this being a 10-2 team. And a 10-2 SEC team's got a legitimate shot of making it into the playoff." Note: Some answers were edited for clarity purposes.