As CFP rankings punish SEC teams, do we smell bias against this proud and mighty league?

What is this strange scent I detect? A most uncommon aroma, this is. If I didn’t know better, I would say I catch a whiff of, get this, anti-SEC bias.

The College Football Playoff selection committee doesn’t seem all that impressed with the conference that touts it “just means more.”

The committee brought the hammer down on the top end of the SEC on Tuesday night, when the latest CFP rankings were unveiled.

So ends the CFP’s longstanding infatuation with the SEC.

Throughout the playoff’s history, the selection committee consistently rewarded the SEC more than any other conference. Often, this seemed warranted. The SEC houses some great football.

More parity formed within the SEC this season. Georgia regressed. Every SEC team has lost at least one conference game.

Some would argue that signals a robust, rugged league in which any team can beat any opponent, but this committee appears skeptical of the number of truly elite teams residing in the SEC.

The CFP committee is not a static group. Its group of selectors evolves, so, naturally, opinions can change from one year to the next. Conference performance evolves, too.

And yet, it felt nonetheless remarkable to see the SEC with just one team in the CFP’s top six, while the Big Ten claimed four spots within the top five.

CFP committee turns the screws on Tennessee, Georgia

Indiana and Brigham Young zoomed past No. 7 Tennessee, despite the Vols beating Mississippi State comfortably on Saturday.

Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (6) carries the ball against Alabama during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium.

Indiana shot from No. 8 to No. 5 courtesy of its 20-15 victory at Michigan, which is a .500 team.

Brigham Young, which the committee snubbed last week, climbed from No. 9 to No. 6 despite needing a last-minute field goal to rally on the road past Utah, which has…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cfp-rankings-punish-sec-teams-040750289.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-13 04:07:50

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.