Historians would say baseball is America’s national pastime. TV executives know that football moves the needle more than anything else. I would argue, however, that the nation’s defining pursuit is ruining good things in search of bigger profits. (See: Social media, representative democracy, Whataburger).
That’s why I read with horror but not shock the recent reports of a meeting between Big Ten and SEC athletic directors regarding changes to the College Football Playoff as it enters its second year with an expanded 12-team format. You see, leaders from Big Ten and SEC schools seem to think their universities need both easier access to the playoff and a bigger slice of the revenue pie those berths entail.
Under their proposal, the playoff field would expand to 14, first-round byes for conference champions would be eliminated and the Big Ten and SEC would each be automatically awarded four playoff berths, leaving two each for the ACC and Big 12, one for the Group of Five representative and one at-large berth. The 13-member selection committee would be in charge of seeding the brackets based on their rankings, effectively eliminating the possibility of an ACC, Big 12 or G5 school earning a bye (and an automatic $8 million payout for a quarterfinals appearance).
It’s a power grab in every sense, turning the CFP into an invitational of sorts, where the big boys of the Big Ten and SEC get first dibs and everyone else waits patiently for whatever crumbs might fall to the floor. Thank you sir, may I have another?
With “conference champion” no longer the deciding factor in automatically qualifying for the CFP, the Big Ten and SEC would quickly eliminate those games in favor of a “Championship Weekend” of play-in games (four each in the Big Ten and SEC) with those eight winners “earning” playoff bids. Essentially, conferences will decide which teams are eligible for playoff opportunities based on…well, no one really knows, but I’m betting the metric is “eyeballs.”
In terms of 2024 TV ratings, those eight SEC “Championship Weekend” participants would have been: Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, Oklahoma and Florida. Book those teams into four games and you’ve got a guaranteed ratings bonanza, where the word “deserve” never factors in. They earned their way in by simply existing.
Marquee nonconference matchups would vanish – why risk a loss when you really need to stack wins before conference play? – and unbalanced conference schedules (like those currently favored by the SEC) would be major factors for a team’s playoff potential.
Where does that leave Mississippi State and Ole Miss? In the same place we usually find them – as afterthoughts. MSU’s path to the playoff, which probably only exists in theory considering the state of the program and the money required to compete, would be basically eliminated. MSU doesn’t rank in the top 50 for viewership. Ole Miss, which ranks 39th, had maybe its best possible shot at the CFP in 2024, and we know how that turned out.
I think State has probably found its lane in the current SEC; a back-of-the-pack program with occasional bumps to the middle. Ole Miss, however, is on borrowed time, as yearly $8 million deficits are unsustainable, especially with revenue share looming. Once that balloon bursts, well, welcome back to earth, Rebels, we missed you.
I love the idea of the expanded CFP and I enjoyed the heck out of last season’s imperfect-but-still-awesome version. Modifications to seeding and automatic qualification are to be expected, but change for change’s sake is unnecessary, especially when those changes only stand to benefit a select few.
But, there’s still hope. Nothing being floated has been codified, and there’s still time for the non-Power Two conferences to fight back. And, since we’re allowing folks completely uninvested in an equitable college football landscape to run things, maybe Elon Musk has some ideas for fixing the CFP.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
