How 12 months 2 of the 12-team College Football Playoff is already unfolding might make the SEC much more entrenched in its anti-automatic qualifiers stance.
It has been clear for fairly a while now that the SEC is not on board with the Massive Ten’s plan to maneuver to extra computerized qualifiers. Whereas there was as soon as some momentum that the 2 energy conferences, which have management over the playoff’s future format, might align round a mannequin that might reward 4 spots to every of their conferences in a 16-team format, these days now really feel like a lifetime in the past.
Forward of a Dec. 1 deadline, the CFP is predicted to stay with the established order and maintain the 12-team format in 2026. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, who leads the School Soccer Playoff Board of Managers, stated as a lot Friday on the Paul Finebaum Present.
What’s fascinating, although, is how this present season reinforces the SEC’s perception that extra computerized qualifiers aren’t wanted. At present, the 12-team format awards 5 computerized spots to the 5 highest-ranked convention champions. A Group of Six staff was not ranked within the preliminary CFP rankings.
That, in keeping with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, is one thing vital to think about within the format discussions.
“I have been amazingly constant since this transfer from 4 to one thing else began to say I am not a fan of AQs (computerized qualifiers),” Sankey advised a small group of reporters at Saturday’s Alabama-LSU sport. “In reality, we’ve got no Group of 5 representatives within the high 25 … that is problematic. That is an indicator why you do not simply leap on the AQ bandwagon in my opinion. That would assist us particularly, that could possibly be problematic for us particularly to not have that assurance, however that is the place we have been as a bunch for six, seven years.”
The 5 highest-ranked convention champions get computerized berths to the School Soccer Playoff, with bye weeks rewarded to groups Nos. 1-4 within the rankings (byes going robotically to convention champs have been abolished after final season). The rub because the SEC is worried — and as is enjoying out this 12 months — is that undeserving, and maybe even unranked, groups who win their (much less famend) convention will get in over a two- or three-loss staff who went by means of the SEC gauntlet. For instance, No. 11 Texas and No. 12 Oklahoma have been among the many “12 finest groups” in final week’s preliminary rankings. Neither would have made the precise bracket, although, due to computerized qualifiers (in final week’s bracket, that meant Virginia (ACC) and Memphis (American) made the sector. Every misplaced this weekend).
If the season ended right now, the SEC would get 4 playoff groups — together with two (No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama) that might obtain first-round byes. After No. 7 BYU misplaced this weekend, nevertheless, it would be guess No. 11 Texas will leap into that area on this week’s rankings. Texas additionally seems like guess to complete with at the very least one other loss, although, with top-five video games at Georgia and vs. Texas A&M remaining. Two-loss Oklahoma is at Alabama this weekend.
Why the ACC is struggling to make a powerful argument for deserving CFP bid as Virginia, Louisville fall
Brad Crawford
There’s early saber-rattling down South. However there’s additionally a world the place the SEC might get as many as six groups on this 12 months if the ACC and Massive 12 each find yourself being one-bid leagues. Sankey and Keenum are aligned of their viewpoints of casting off computerized qualifiers altogether.
“I am not an enormous fan of computerized qualifiers,” Keenum stated.”I believe the very best groups must play in our nation’s nationwide match to find out who our nationwide champion in college football goes to be, and never have computerized bids. That is the place of the Southeastern Convention presidents, chancellors, our commissioner and doubtless a lot of the conferences which are a part of CFP.”
Regardless of Keenum’s want, that’s unlikely to occur at this stage. Simply because the SEC (and different conferences) can block a transfer to extra computerized qualifiers, the Massive Ten (and others) might stand in opposition to casting off them fully. So far, extra computerized qualifiers has been a important part of the Massive Ten’s playoff enlargement technique.
These are simply a number of the the explanation why there is not a lot optimism {that a} consensus can be reached forward of that Dec. 1 deadline. Past the quantity of computerized qualifiers, there’s nonetheless the query of what number of whole groups ought to be included. The Massive Ten has thought of a number of choices, together with as massive as 24 groups which has inner assist amongst some convention faculties, whereas the SEC has primarily locked into 16 groups if it expands.
“Totally different folks need various things,” Sankey stated. “So can we rally round a standard route is the query?”
