Key keywords: Scott Stricklin, Florida Gators Athletics Director, NCAA softball handshake ban, 12-team College Football Playoff format, SEC collegiate sports, 2024 NCAA softball postseason, Florida Gators softball program The remarks from Florida Gators Athletics Director Scott Stricklin came during his scheduled media availability at the 2024 SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida, where he addressed two of the most debated topics in collegiate sports this year: the recent NCAA softball postseason handshake line suspension, and potential tweaks to the still-new 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) format. Last week, the NCAA announced a temporary ban on traditional postgame handshake lines for all remaining 2024 softball tournament games, replacing them with optional fist bumps at mid-field, following three separate high-profile altercations between players and coaching staff across D1 softball conference tournaments, including a verbal confrontation between Florida Gators softball players and Auburn coaching staff after their SEC tournament semifinal matchup. Stricklin noted that while he understands the NCAA’s priority on protecting student-athlete safety, he does not support a permanent elimination of the handshake tradition. “I’ve talked to every single player on our softball roster, and every one of them told me the postgame handshake is one of the parts of the sport they value most,” Stricklin told reporters. “A small number of bad actors shouldn’t erase a decades-long tradition that’s core to sportsmanship. Instead of banning handshakes entirely, we should be investing in more on-site security staff for postseason games, and clearer penalties for individuals who initiate confrontations during postgame ceremonies.” He added that he has already shared feedback with the NCAA Softball Committee, urging them to reverse the temporary ban before the 2025 regular season begins. Turning to college football, Stricklin weighed in on the 12-team CFP format, which completed its first official run earlier this year with record viewership numbers across all rounds. While he praised the expanded format for giving more programs a shot at a national title, he argued that the current automatic bid structure needs adjustment to reflect the competitive depth of power conferences like the SEC. Under current rules, only five conference champions earn automatic bids to the CFP, with the remaining seven spots reserved for at-large selections. “This past season, the SEC had four teams ranked in the top 10 of the final CFP rankings, but only two of them made the tournament,” Stricklin explained. “That’s a disservice to the student-athletes who put in months of work, and to fans who want to see the best possible teams compete for a championship. We’re working with other SEC athletic directors to propose a tweak that would reserve one additional at-large spot for teams from conferences that have three or more programs ranked in the final top 12.” He also added that he’s received feedback from fans and student-athletes about the travel burden of early-round CFP games, and is pushing for the committee to consider hosting first and second-round games at neutral sites closer to both participating teams to cut down on travel time for student-athletes who also have academic commitments to uphold.