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Greetings from “Can’t Wait For Saturday,” your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He’ll give you his views each day on the game he loves.
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Just when you thought all the College Playoff Playoff changes were set, there appears to be more coming. Potentially.
Multiple reports Wednesday ad Thursday have the folks in charge of the CFP — conference commissioners and the boss at Notre Dame — looking to add two teams starting in 2026.
Obviously, it is far from a done deal. But that it is under consideration is a reason to fret.
I’m all for more playoff teams. It adds access to a system that had next to none in the four-team format. If your name was Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and Oklahoma, you were in good shape. Scraps for everyone else.
But the 12-team playoff address that. Especially, the guarantee of spots for the top five conference champions when there is only a Power Four.
Critics are pointing to too much control being wielded by the Big Ten and SEC. If that is the case, I can understand those conferences being less than enthusiastic about a system that puts their best teams at a disadvantage.
The four byes go to the top four. So, no way for the Big Ten or SEC to get more than one free pass each season.
Just as troubling, I assume, for the Power Two, are the potential road games for the final four qualifiers.
In 2023, that would have meant two SEC schools (Missouri and Mississippi) and one from the Big Ten (Penn State) traveling on the opening weekend.
With a 14-team playoff, the Big Two will hog both byes, then turn the rest of it into a free-for-all.
I have always suspected the SEC would be reluctant to agree to a system that sends too many of its teams…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cant-wait-saturday-cfp-land-155700180.html
Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
Publish date : 2024-02-23 15:57:00
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