No matter how many times you say it, we aren't closer to an eight-team College Football Playoff.

Playoff executive director Bill Hancock didn't even take questions about it at SEC Media Days in July. The Playoff has extended agreements with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl through 2026.

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Given that it's just the fifth year of the four-team format, there isn't a pressing need to expand. Keep in mind that the Bowl Championship Series lasted from 1998-2013, a 16-year stretch. The Playoff isn't going to expand without compelling reason.

Here are a couple factors to watch as time goes on — elements that could be the tipping point in whether the Playoff remains as is or expands.

Players skipping bowls

Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward skipped the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic matchup against USC last year, a move that didn't hurt the Buckeyes but still could start a trend in non-Playoff New Year's Day Six matchups.

Players skipping bowls has become a hot topic the last few seasons, and it's a divisive topic between old-school and new-school fans. Still, if more players start skipping the big-ticket bowl games, that at least could be an impetus for expansion.

"We haven't had any players skip our semifinals, of course," Hancock said. "I can't imagine we ever would, but it's up to the players to decide what to do.

"If I were playing, I would consider my teammates and consider the great times we had together and try to help them win a bowl game, but I would also understand my future," he said. "I see both sides of that."

The NCAA's new "redshirt rule," which allows players to play up to four games without losing a year of eligibility, could also help neutralize the recent trend players skipping bowls, all while generating more excitement for the postseason.

"I like it," Hancock said of the rule. "I think it will help the game. As far as affecting the Playoff, I don't think there will be a significant impact on the Playoff."

Attendance/viewership

The Orlando Sentinel reported bowl attendance dropped for the seventh consecutive season in 2017-18. It's down from 41,718 to 40,508. The New Year's Day Six and College Football Playoff, however, still drew a total of 508,127 fans (average of 72,590) and had an average increase of 1,441 per bowl.

"Overall the bowls have what I would call a new normal as far attendance goes," Hancock said. "We're not seeing sellout crowds at some places, but overall attendance is fine. I think our games are in solid shape and providing great experiences for the fans."

The TV ratings followed suit. According to Sports Media Watch , the Alabama-Georgia game drew a 15.6 Nielsen rating and 28.4 million watched, despite the all-SEC matchup. The semifinals, which were moved back to Jan. 1, drew a 13.7 at the Rose Bowl and a 11.4 in the Sugar Bowl. Those are improvements from the previous year across the board.

It will be interesting to see how that changes with the College Football Playoff semifinals moving to Dec. 29 at the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl this year along with the championship game moving to Jan. 7.

Championship value

Hancock has maintained the four-team Playoff protects the regular season, but that's where the most pressure will continue to come from. For example, the Big Ten champion hasn't made the College Football Playoff each of the last two years.

In 2016, one-loss Ohio State made the Playoff ahead of two-loss Big Ten champion Penn State, and last year one-loss Alabama jumped ahead of two-loss Big Ten champion Ohio State.

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"Great conference, and conference championships are one of the criteria that the committee uses, but not the only criteria," Hancock said. "The committee's charge is to select the best four teams based on their performance during the season. … The fact is the last two years the committee just felt like a non-champion was unequivocally one of the best four teams."

Hancock also addressed questions about UCF, a Group of 5 school that was left out despite an undefeated season but still claimed a national championship afterward. The committee hasn't made a flagrant mistake so far. Ohio State proved the committee right in 2014, and Alabama proved the committee right last season.

Until there are obviously blunders within the process, the four-team Playoff should stick, but the value of the conference championship will be questioned moving forward.

"There was a debate when we created the Playoff between selecting the best four teams and selecting the best four conference champions," Hancock said. "The compromise was select the best four teams but have conference championships be a significant tie-breaker and it is."

Until that debate shifts — or any of those other aforementioned factors prompt change — expect to hear more of the same from Hancock moving forward.

The four-team Playoff — for the foreseeable future — is here to stay.