College football’s credibility at stake as Big Ten, SEC aim to tighten stranglehold on playoff access

Even before Knute Rockne began breaking out the forward pass as a secret weapon, college football’s biggest advantage was its element of surprise. Its appeal is basic and wonderful — built on the uncertainty of the outcome. 

That’s because unscripted TV, in general, sells. And the unscripted TV that sells best is sports. In this age of screens and legalized betting, the games are almost DVR proof. You/me/we have to know now!

A College Football Playoff with automatic qualifiers becomes a little less unscripted — and a little less credible, actually. Perhaps even the SEC and Big Ten athletic directors who gather this week to discuss the playoff are unaware of that basic truth. 

The two conferences are in the middle of one of the biggest flexes in the game’s history, basically running away and hiding with playoff access. In a repeat of an attempted takeover last year, the SEC and Big Ten this month are expected to once again try to secure four automatic qualifying spots (AQs) each beginning in 2026. 

They have been warned of the risk. Maybe not directly, but any conference worth its media rights consultant knows the pitfalls. If the outcome in college football — heck, any sport — is known beforehand, it loses that unscripted appeal. 

We’re not suggesting the outcome of individual games would be known. We’re definitely suggesting that a portion of the CFP field could be known in advance with AQs. With four Big Ten spots locked in, the likes of Iowa could be guaranteed a spot as early as Nov. 1 — a month before the season ends. 

Nothing against Iowa, but that stinks. More than that, it reeks of pro wrestling. 

You know, the scripted TV soap opera. Sorry, Roman Reigns and John Cena, we’re going there. 

As popular as WWE…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-footballs-credibility-at-stake-as-big-ten-sec-aim-to-tighten-stranglehold-on-playoff-access/

Author : Dennis Dodd

Publish date : 2025-02-19 00:31:00

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