As Big Ten, SEC plot future of CFP, what could it mean to the rest of college football?

The College Football Playoff logo is printed across a backdrop during a news conference. | Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press

The appeal of sports lies in possibilities — the possibility that every team and every athlete has a chance to win, that the competition is fair and rules are applied equally, that there is no favoritism, that there is, well, suspense and not a predetermined outcome.

Which is why what’s happening in college football is so disturbing. The Big Ten and the SEC are reportedly meeting this week to discuss the future of college football — or, rather, how they can (further) take control of college football and (further) stack the odds in their favor.

They are reportedly seeking a guarantee of four bids apiece in the College Football Playoff.

If they have their way, they would automatically qualify for two-thirds of the playoff spots before they play a single game. To put it another way, the 34 teams from those two conferences would have eight berths while the other 126 FBS teams would have four.

The Big Ten and SEC claimed a combined total of seven bids in the 12-team playoff at the end of last season. That wasn’t enough, apparently. They don’t want to be at the mercy of the College Football Playoff committee to decide how many qualifiers they are awarded.

Under the current format, the bids are awarded to the five conference champions ranked highest by the committee, plus the next seven highest ranked teams. The Big Ten had four teams in the 2024-25 CFP, the SEC three. No SEC team advanced to the semifinals (they won only two of five games). Maybe they should guarantee a spot in the semis while they’re at it.

If they can’t earn those berths in the playoffs, they want them handed to them. More bids means more money, a bigger share of the CFP revenues.

Their greed and selfishness know no…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/big-ten-sec-plot-future-163000852.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2025-02-20 16:30:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.