Started By
Message
Dennis Dodd article on tomorrow's CFP expansion vote.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 6:54 pm
Posted on 9/27/21 at 6:54 pm
LINK
An expanded College Football Playoff made total sense. Remember those days? It was needed, wanted and provided opportunity to almost everyone who deserved one.
The SEC would get more teams. The Pac-12 would at least get a team. The top Group of Five champion would be virtually guaranteed a spot. The Group of Five might even get two in semi-frequently. And Notre Dame would only need to finish in the top 12.
More teams, more money, more interest.
Remember?
That was five long months ago when CFP executive director Bill Hancock shocked the world by dropping language of a possible expanded bracket in the 17th paragraph of a press release.
Ever since, the migration of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC set off another round of realignment that has not so much destabilized the sport as it has CFP expansion. The Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 responded by forming, well, it's not quite clear what they formed. They joined together for some sort of "alliance" without a contract or clear objective except to jam a stick in the spokes of the wheel of SEC world domination.
An expanded College Football Playoff made total sense. Remember those days? It was needed, wanted and provided opportunity to almost everyone who deserved one.
The SEC would get more teams. The Pac-12 would at least get a team. The top Group of Five champion would be virtually guaranteed a spot. The Group of Five might even get two in semi-frequently. And Notre Dame would only need to finish in the top 12.
More teams, more money, more interest.
Remember?
That was five long months ago when CFP executive director Bill Hancock shocked the world by dropping language of a possible expanded bracket in the 17th paragraph of a press release.
Ever since, the migration of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC set off another round of realignment that has not so much destabilized the sport as it has CFP expansion. The Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 responded by forming, well, it's not quite clear what they formed. They joined together for some sort of "alliance" without a contract or clear objective except to jam a stick in the spokes of the wheel of SEC world domination.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 6:59 pm to KingofTexas
quote:
Ever since, the migration of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC set off another round of realignment that has not so much destabilized the sport as it has CFP expansion. The Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 responded by forming, well, it's not quite clear what they formed. They joined together for some sort of "alliance" without a contract or clear objective except to jam a stick in the spokes of the wheel of SEC world domination.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:03 pm to KingofTexas
If the playoff stays at 4, then SEC expansion starts to make less sense for everyone. OU pretty much gives up their spot in the playoff.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:04 pm to viceman
The Alliance has no clue what they are even trying to do. All they know is the SEC caught them with their pants down and they're acting as they are still reeling with no end game plan in sight. The B1G especially is leaderless at the moment.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:09 pm to KingofTexas
A 4 team fake invitational isn’t a playoff. Good riddance.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:09 pm to KingofTexas
What can they do? Vote not to expand the playoffs? Pac 12 doesn't want that. Clemson sucks and FSU has now moved into the basement( catch today's sec shorts for that reference), ACC doesn't want that either. They met and all agreed that they wanted to take the SEC down a notch, and then couldn't agree on how to do it.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:11 pm to KingofTexas
The only playoff of any kind there should be is if there is a two and three that are really close. The number one team gets a bye, and two and three have to play each other first.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:11 pm to FairhopeTider
quote:
If the playoff stays at 4, then SEC expansion starts to make less sense for everyone. OU pretty much gives up their spot in the playoff.
This is an excellent point but I think that sooner or later they will expand the playoff. It's a matter of when, not if.
As in the past, it won't happen until the other conferences get so fed up with the SEC getting all the spots.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:12 pm to viceman
quote:
They met and all agreed that they wanted to take the SEC down a notch, and then couldn't agree on how to do it.
Pretty much.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:14 pm to KingofTexas
Well the SEC can go do four divisions and add two semifinal conference championship games and keep all that revenue for ourselves, thats fine.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:21 pm to FairhopeTider
quote:
If the playoff stays at 4, then SEC expansion starts to make less sense for everyone. OU pretty much gives up their spot in the playoff.
I appreciate their sacrifice for the greater good.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:22 pm to Jrv2damac
quote:
The only playoff of any kind there should be is if there is a two and three that are really close. The number one team gets a bye, and two and three have to play each other first.
More like the BCS but with the top 3 instead of 2.
I want an expanded playoff so my team will have a better chance of making it but aside from that, I know it will ultimately water it down and we will rarely get the 2 best teams in the end. You're idea would probably work better.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:24 pm to JCdawg
quote:
Well the SEC can go do four divisions and add two semifinal conference championship games and keep all that revenue for ourselves, thats fine.
That is one solution.
Another temporary solution would be to split into two divisions and play 7 division games with no championship game.. Perhaps you add 1-2 cross division games to get the needed P5 games on the schedule. You could almost always get 2 SEC teams each year into the 4 team playoff. That would make them change their stance real quick.
This post was edited on 9/27/21 at 7:25 pm
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:27 pm to SadUCFKnight
quote:
SadUCFKnight
I made you a sandwich
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:33 pm to FairhopeTider
quote:
If the playoff stays at 4, then SEC expansion starts to make less sense for everyone. OU pretty much gives up their spot in the playoff.
The SEC can take matters into its own hands by placing 2 teams into the playoffs. If both Alabama and Georgia finish the regular season undefeated, they are in and this will be enough to force the Alliance to push for expansion.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 7:36 pm to KingofTexas
*cough* KingofTexas and SadUCFKnight are the same person. *cough*
Posted on 9/27/21 at 8:06 pm to FairhopeTider
The SEC should just threaten to bail from the NCAA and start their own league entirely if we're getting shafted. 65% of college football programs are dead weight, most P5 conferences are getting worse every year. Why the hell should we cater them and their bullshite inclusionary playoff decisions?
We have all the money, all the talent, all the rabid fanbases (sure you can find 5 examples of good programs out of the other 110+)...So we need to be making the rules that work for our programs. National interest in college football seems to be dwindling, except for the southeast, so we need to be looking out for our interests.
Good thing y'all just got the Babe Ruth of bending over other programs in business deals.
We have all the money, all the talent, all the rabid fanbases (sure you can find 5 examples of good programs out of the other 110+)...So we need to be making the rules that work for our programs. National interest in college football seems to be dwindling, except for the southeast, so we need to be looking out for our interests.
Good thing y'all just got the Babe Ruth of bending over other programs in business deals.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 8:26 pm to FairhopeTider
Actually I think it basically guarantees the SEC gets 2 of the 4 spots a year. The B12 will be treated like a G5. Rubbing the table won’t guarantee them a spot. Now the SEC in addition to the SEC championship winner will likely have a 1-2 loss blue blood not in the big game.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 9:02 pm to BurgTiger
The Alliance will puff out its chest against expansion until 2 SEC teams make the playoff and then it will scream bloody murder and demand playoff expansion.
Posted on 9/27/21 at 9:16 pm to KingofTexas
Conferences stopping the playoff expansion train has little to do with what is good for the sport or the playoffs or players and everything to do with who controls college football.
The problem isn’t the power of the SEC, it’s the power of ESPN to basically control the sport. Conferences that don’t currently have good deals with ESPN or who might lose their ESPN deal soon- so the PAC 12, B1G and Big 12- don’t want to lock the sport into the control of ESPN for another decade no matter the payoff. They don’t want to deal with the fact that the playoffs is owned by the same group that basically owns two of the five major conferences (SEC and ACC).
In the long run the playoffs will expand. ESPN will capitulate to letting someone like Amazon in on the playoff deal and split the games, and that will placate the other conferences enough to move forward on the original plans.
The only question is how much hardball ESPN wants to play, but their warchest isn’t infinite. ESPN loses subscribers every year, eats a lot of overhead compared to other Disney cash cows, and now has the company in the middle of a lawsuit. First their play to get OU/Texas out of the Big 12 for free failed, and now they are dealing with a national backlash against their sole control. Eventually ESPN will capitulate on completely owning the playoffs because they will realize they get basically the same amount of inventory in an expanded playoffs they share with another company with less of a increase in payouts, and the bean counters down in Orlando will make the decision for the leadership at ESPN.
The problem isn’t the power of the SEC, it’s the power of ESPN to basically control the sport. Conferences that don’t currently have good deals with ESPN or who might lose their ESPN deal soon- so the PAC 12, B1G and Big 12- don’t want to lock the sport into the control of ESPN for another decade no matter the payoff. They don’t want to deal with the fact that the playoffs is owned by the same group that basically owns two of the five major conferences (SEC and ACC).
In the long run the playoffs will expand. ESPN will capitulate to letting someone like Amazon in on the playoff deal and split the games, and that will placate the other conferences enough to move forward on the original plans.
The only question is how much hardball ESPN wants to play, but their warchest isn’t infinite. ESPN loses subscribers every year, eats a lot of overhead compared to other Disney cash cows, and now has the company in the middle of a lawsuit. First their play to get OU/Texas out of the Big 12 for free failed, and now they are dealing with a national backlash against their sole control. Eventually ESPN will capitulate on completely owning the playoffs because they will realize they get basically the same amount of inventory in an expanded playoffs they share with another company with less of a increase in payouts, and the bean counters down in Orlando will make the decision for the leadership at ESPN.
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News