IRVING, Texas -- The inaugural game of the College Football Playoff's four-team tournament is still more than 19 months away, but Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds says it's merely a step in the right direction.

"It's a baby step. It's a good step," Dodds said on Thursday at the Big 12's annual spring meetings. "I'm kind of an eight-team person."

Texas has grown into one of the highest-earning and most profitable athletic departments in college sports under Dodds, who has championed a playoff for decades. He argued that an eight-team playoff would lessen the controversy over teams not included in a four-team field.

"I think there'll be a lot of conversation about the fifth team and who didn't get in and an 11-1 team that didn't get in because somebody's 12-0 that maybe wasn't quite as good as 11-1," he said. "If you take eight, you're not going to have that. The ninth team is going to have a concern, but it's not like the fifth team."

The Big 12's athletic directors spoke with league commissioner Bob Bowlsby about who to recommend for the selection committee for the playoff. The committee is expected to meet four to five times during the 2014 season and will not include current coaches or commissioners but could possibly include current athletic directors.

"I'm not interested," Dodds said when asked if he was interested in serving.

Bowlsby submitted 15 names to CFP executive director Bill Hancock this week, but did not share them with the athletic directors in this week's meetings. Dodds said he had "no idea" who was on the list, but did say he'd heard from people who had expressed interest in serving on the committee.

"There are a lot of good people out there who could do it. There are people who want to be on it," Dodds said.