If CFP Expands, What's the Fate of the SEC Championship Game?

[BamaFossil]

Drop the SEC Championship Game! It's another opportunity for key players to get hurt. In a 12-team playoff it's likely both the SEC East & West champions would make the playoff field anyway. Take advantage of the extra week to rest up and prepare for the playoffs.
Having said that, I agree with those who say "Money talks!" So the SEC Championship Game will likely remain.
Hopefully a 12-team playoff comes with dropping a rent-a-win game during the regular season.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

One side of my brain agrees that it will stay for the $$$. The other side says it will have to go in order to make the playoffs less brutal.

Why not have a 4 team SEC Playoff? Alabama vs Georgia and Texas A&M vs Florida last season and then the winners play for the SEC title. Why not do all conference championships that way?

 

[PaulD]

If you drop the conference championship game, how do you determine who is the conference champion to have a chance at the 1st-4th seeds and get a first round bye?

If you want to shorten the regular season, you'll need to drop a non-conference game, probably one of the money games for the FCS or G5 teams.

 

[The Ols]

I love that ND CANNOT get a top 4 seed…they’ll have to win at least one more every year unless they join a conference. Which has to be the ACC if it’s done before 2036…which IMO eliminates them unless they make that move.

 

[TideEngineer08]

I love that ND CANNOT get a top 4 seed…they’ll have to win at least one more every year unless they join a conference. Which has to be the ACC if it’s done before 2036…which IMO eliminates them unless they make that move.

I think if Notre Dame felt forced to join a conference fully, they’d happily join the ACC. I think that’s a big reason why they have such a contract with them. It’s a like minded league, it’s already housed all of their other sports (except hockey) since their relationship with the Big East broke down. Plus, they only have to compete with Clemson. Recruiting territories would be optimal as well.

However, I also believe Notre Dame is quite alright with the suggested playoff parameters. Why? Being locked into the first round gives them a likely extra home game. A playoff home game at that. That’s a ton of money for them (unless the CFB dictates some kind of different money split for these playoff games. I also wonder about ticket splits. Is it a true home game or are tickets split evenly?).

And it’s not really an extra game. They won’t be playing in a conference championship so they already sort of get a bye in comparison to all the other conference teams, except potential at larges who do not win their divisions.

It’s actually not a bad set up for Notre Dame.

 

[TideEngineer08]

And now that I think of it that way with regards to Notre Dame, I’m kind of ok with the four byes being given to the top 4 conference champions. Since they’ve played in that extra game it gives them a bye. An on division winner who gets selected would not have had to play in the conference title game. We are talking about minimizing the games these players have to play and I think that plays into that logic.

Yes I realize a conference championship loser will have to play the most games possible to win the title. But that’s a balancing feature of losing that championship game. Yes I think they’ve balanced this thing fairly well. At least if you determine we must do this whole expanded playoff, that is.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Great thread Moon. The SECCG has been fun over the years. That said, I do not care if is stays or goes frankly. But if it stays I think we need to get rid of the division setup and go to some kind of a pod system. The days of having a lopsided, super powerful West and weak as knees East needs go, like, yesterday.

 

[JayBama_in_PCOLA]

I love the SECCG, but it would be foolish to keep it.

 

[The Ols]

I think if Notre Dame felt forced to join a conference fully, they’d happily join the ACC. I think that’s a big reason why they have such a contract with them. It’s a like minded league, it’s already housed all of their other sports (except hockey) since their relationship with the Big East broke down. Plus, they only have to compete with Clemson. Recruiting territories would be optimal as well.

However, I also believe Notre Dame is quite alright with the suggested playoff parameters. Why? Being locked into the first round gives them a likely extra home game. A playoff home game at that. That’s a ton of money for them (unless the CFB dictates some kind of different money split for these playoff games. I also wonder about ticket splits. Is it a true home game or are tickets split evenly?).

And it’s not really an extra game. They won’t be playing in a conference championship so they already sort of get a bye in comparison to all the other conference teams, except potential at larges who do not win their divisions.

It’s actually not a bad set up for Notre Dame.

Even if ND is #1 in the polls, they do not get a bye...there may be advantages, but there a disadvantages too...

 

[TideEngineer08]

Even if ND is #1 in the polls, they do not get a bye...there may be advantages, but there a disadvantages too...

They get a technical bye by not having to play a conference championship. So they rest the first week of December while the Alabama’s and Ohio States play a conference championship game.

 

[DawgAlum2054]

I thought the current rumor was that the conference champions would get an automatic bid. If this is the case then it makes the SECCG that much more important

again, if this is the case, the team it will hurt the most is the loser of the SECCG. The loser will likely be out while the team that didn’t make the cut to the SECCG by a game gets a bid in. I don’t see more than 2 teams in a conference getting in unfortunately, but there could be 3 every once in a while.

 

[OSUTideFan]

Even if ND is #1 in the polls, they do not get a bye...there may be advantages, but there a disadvantages too...

Notre Dame is a cupcake opponent to anyone with a pulse.

 

[TideEngineer08]

I thought the current rumor was that the conference champions would get an automatic bid. If this is the case then it makes the SECCG that much more important

again, if this is the case, the team it will hurt the most is the loser of the SECCG. The loser will likely be out while the team that didn’t make the cut to the SECCG by a game gets a bid in. I don’t see more than 2 teams in a conference getting in unfortunately, but there could be 3 every once in a while.

Supposedly more of the “best” teams are going to get in. Six at larges. Basically yes the power 5 champions and one group of 5 conference champion will get auto bids. But beyond that they are supposed to take the remaining six best. More often than not, the SEC is going to grab two or three of those slots.

 

[81usaf92]

I thought the current rumor was that the conference champions would get an automatic bid. If this is the case then it makes the SECCG that much more important

That’s assuming that there is a distinction between season champs and conference championship game champs. I guarantee you that there will be something put in place to safeguard the Big XII and PAC 12

 

[Elefantman]

Keep the SECCG if it means we can beat UT twice in one year. Thirtysee can't come soon enough.

 

[Power Eye]

If you drop the conference championship game, how do you determine who is the conference champion to have a chance at the 1st-4th seeds and get a first round bye?

If you want to shorten the regular season, you'll need to drop a non-conference game, probably one of the money games for the FCS or G5 teams.

Agree, I don't see the SECCG going anywhere given that the proposed format floating around says the top 4 conference champs get a bye. That seems like a pretty convincing reason to keep it since the SEC champ will most likely always be in the top 4 of conference champs. The loser might get impacted by getting a worse seeding, but they'll probably still be in.

 

[TideEngineer08]

That’s assuming that there is a distinction between season champs and conference championship game champs. I guarantee you that there will be something put in place to safeguard the Big XII and PAC 12

It would have to be one way or another. I would imagine it will be “conference champion” and up to the conferences how to decide their champion. But no shenanigans like the Big 12 tried to pull in 2014.

But the “top 6 conference champions” protects the Big 12 and PAC 12. Their champion will always be among the top 6 conference champs. Then one group of 5 champion will be among that 6. I cannot remember there ever being more than one group of 5 champions ranked highly enough. And I’m not including last season.

This is really about the AAC. Their champion is going to get the auto bid 9 times out of 10. The only other league that would ever be a threat is the MWC.

 

[81usaf92]

It would have to be one way or another. I would imagine it will be “conference champion” and up to the conferences how to decide their champion. But no shenanigans like the Big 12 tried to pull in 2014.

But the “top 6 conference champions” protects the Big 12 and PAC 12. Their champion will always be among the top 6 conference champs. Then one group of 5 champion will be among that 6. I cannot remember there ever being more than one group of 5 champions ranked highly enough. And I’m not including last season.

This is really about the AAC. Their champion is going to get the auto bid 9 times out of 10. The only other league that would ever be a threat is the MWC.

My point is that leagues like the Big XII and PAC 12 could say “ the title is an unnecessary data point” and go to 12 games. The problem is the SECCG becomes more of an unnecessary risk than a reward. It would probably be more beneficial for the SEC to do away with divisions and go to a 9-2-1 (conference, P5, cupcake) season and say the highest ranked team is the champion.

 

[BamaMoon]

If you drop the conference championship game, how do you determine who is the conference champion to have a chance at the 1st-4th seeds and get a first round bye?

If you want to shorten the regular season, you'll need to drop a non-conference game, probably one of the money games for the FCS or G5 teams.

Same way we did it before 1992...had conference champions before the championship game based on conference records.

True there may be an occasional co-champ, but most years the best team will separate themselves even without a SECCG.

I'm not saying this is best, but I'm saying you could award an SEC champion without a championship game.

Cecil Hurt tweeted about this dilemma a few days ago pondering what the SEC would do the first time the championship actually hurt the conference's ability to place its better teams in the CFP (if expanded).

 

[TideEngineer08]

My point is that leagues like the Big XII and PAC 12 could say “ the title is an unnecessary data point” and go to 12 games. The problem is the SECCG becomes more of an unnecessary risk than a reward. It would probably be more beneficial for the SEC to do away with divisions and go to a 9-2-1 (conference, P5, cupcake) season and say the highest ranked team is the champion.

It’s interesting that in the BCS era, the Big 12 was hurt by its championship game several times but the SEC was hit only once, in 2001. Well in reality, the Big 12 actually didn’t suffer in 2003 when Oklahoma was blasted by Kansas State. They still played LSU for the BCS title.

But I see your point and you may be correct. Money is going to determine that I think… how much has it benefited the Big 12 financially since it reinstated its title game? I know the PAC 12 has the weakest power 5 title game. No one cares about it. I could see them dropping it for sure.

I love your idea of the 9-2-1 split schedule. I think split conference championships are fine. And the league can leave it up to the CFP committee ranking to determine its auto-bid as you say. There has always been push back against the 9 game schedule but I wonder if in a relaxed 12 team playoff world, where an undefeated season isn’t such a must have, that programs will relent their opposition to it.

Nine games allows for more frequent rotation amongst teams that rarely play one another and that would be better for the league. But that cash cow of the title game in Atlanta will be almost impossible to give up.