ESPN: Could the SEC stage its own college football playoff? It's all on the table at spring meetings

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Taji34 said:
A disagree, I think it's already become boring. I stopped caring about the B1G Championship because the winner was a foregone conclusion.
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Oh well. You are in the extreme minority.
 


MNVCGUY said:
I would love something like this. There is so much obsession over the idea of winning the National Championship even though the reality is in this current landscape only a fraction of teams have a realistic shot of contending for it year in and year out.

I want the U to compete and win at a high level. But I also understand that it will be very difficult for the U to ever crack that elite club at the top....and the same can be said for the majority of power 5 programs.
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I have never considered any of these to be real national titles. To me that died when they created the BCS.
 


I think the SEC will split into 3 or 4 divisions and will have a 6-team playoff that involves all of its divisional champions, 1-2 wildcards, and possibly a team from the Sunbelt, AAC or C-USA.

They would own it, but would give those other conferences 1/6 of the revenue AND probably be able to negotiate a much better deal requiring teams in those conferences to play NC games at SEC stadiums.

That would give the SEC everything they thought they had a year ago (maybe even more).
 


That’s exactly what the SEC needs…to be more detached from reality.
 

Dave H said:
I have never considered any of these to be real national titles. To me that died when they created the BCS.
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For me some are some arent

When teams who don’t win their conference win the national title is when I don’t consider it legitimate


I think Bama has one like that
Georgia has one like that.
Nebraska had a shot for one but got blown out (in the bcs era)


If you aren’t the best team in your conference you aren’t the best team in the nation
 

Goldmember said:
I think the SEC will split into 3 or 4 divisions and will have a 6-team playoff that involves all of its divisional champions, 1-2 wildcards, and possibly a team from the Sunbelt, AAC or C-USA.

They would own it, but would give those other conferences 1/6 of the revenue AND probably be able to negotiate a much better deal requiring teams in those conferences to play NC games at SEC stadiums.

That would give the SEC everything they thought they had a year ago (maybe even more).
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I am not sure you are correct at all.
 




Taji34 said:
Lol, you have no concrete basis for this claim.
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The CCGs continue to get great ratings. This year the Big Ten had its third largest TV audience despite the obvious mismatch.

And that’s to say nothing of how much more interest there is in all of the other games leading up to IA/MI, because of the format.

So, what is your basis?
 

Goldmember said:
The CCGs continue to get great ratings. This year the Big Ten had its third largest TV audience despite the obvious mismatch.

And that’s to say nothing of how much more interest there is in all of the other games leading up to IA/MI, because of the format.

So, what is your basis?
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Well lets look at the ratings, shall we?

YearOpponentsNielsen Ratings
2011Michigan State vs wisconsin4.6 (7.8 million viewers)
2012Nebraska vs wisconsin3.0 (4.9 million viewers)
2013Ohio State vs Michigan State7.9 (13.9 million viewers)
2014Ohio State vs wisconsin3.5 (6.1 million viewers)
2015Iowa vs Michigan State5.7 (9.8 million viewers)
2016Penn State vs wisconsin5.3 (9.2 million viewers)
2017Ohio State vs wisconsin7.3 (12.9 million viewers)
2018Ohio State vs Northwestern5.0 (8.7 million)
2019Ohio State vs wisconsin7.6 (13.55 million)
2020Ohio State vs Northwestern8.03 million
2021Michigan vs Iowa(6.2) 11.7 million

There isn't really a clear trend here except maybe a small trend upward over the past 3 years, but 2020 had no fans in person, so that likely inflated the TV viewers and 2021 was the first time Michigan was going to the Championship game, only the second time Iowa was going, and Michigan had the CFP on the line so it made for an exciting game. This past year, I did care because it was a match up in the conference champ game we hadn't seen before, and both were ranked in the top 15.

But those ratings aren't extrodinary, infact most years I would bet a rivalry week game pulled more viewers than the conference championship. Does that equal my viewpoint being an extreme minority? Not in my eyes.
 

This dystopian future sounds a lot like boxing, where there are endless three letter organizations handing out titles and pitting you against their own version of a title challenger until someone can unify all the belts.
 

Some guy said:
Georgia has one like that.
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I know I'm a conspiracy nut to say this, but I think that loss was fake as hell.

Georgia was clearly the better team in the natty. No way they lose like that in ATL .... unless it was on purpose to get a second SEC team (Bama) in the final four.

There, I said it.
 



Taji34 said:
Well lets look at the ratings, shall we?

YearOpponentsNielsen Ratings
2011Michigan State vs wisconsin4.6 (7.8 million viewers)
2012Nebraska vs wisconsin3.0 (4.9 million viewers)
2013Ohio State vs Michigan State7.9 (13.9 million viewers)
2014Ohio State vs wisconsin3.5 (6.1 million viewers)
2015Iowa vs Michigan State5.7 (9.8 million viewers)
2016Penn State vs wisconsin5.3 (9.2 million viewers)
2017Ohio State vs wisconsin7.3 (12.9 million viewers)
2018Ohio State vs Northwestern5.0 (8.7 million)
2019Ohio State vs wisconsin7.6 (13.55 million)
2020Ohio State vs Northwestern8.03 million
2021Michigan vs Iowa(6.2) 11.7 million

There isn't really a clear trend here except maybe a small trend upward over the past 3 years, but 2020 had no fans in person, so that likely inflated the TV viewers and 2021 was the first time Michigan was going to the Championship game, only the second time Iowa was going, and Michigan had the CFP on the line so it made for an exciting game. This past year, I did care because it was a match up in the conference champ game we hadn't seen before, and both were ranked in the top 15.

But those ratings aren't extrodinary, infact most years I would bet a rivalry week game pulled more viewers than the conference championship. Does that equal my viewpoint being an extreme minority? Not in my eyes.
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Thanks for the stats!

Indeed, why would you bother to tune in if it was just another Ohio St win?
 

Taji34 said:
Well lets look at the ratings, shall we?

YearOpponentsNielsen Ratings
2011Michigan State vs wisconsin4.6 (7.8 million viewers)
2012Nebraska vs wisconsin3.0 (4.9 million viewers)
2013Ohio State vs Michigan State7.9 (13.9 million viewers)
2014Ohio State vs wisconsin3.5 (6.1 million viewers)
2015Iowa vs Michigan State5.7 (9.8 million viewers)
2016Penn State vs wisconsin5.3 (9.2 million viewers)
2017Ohio State vs wisconsin7.3 (12.9 million viewers)
2018Ohio State vs Northwestern5.0 (8.7 million)
2019Ohio State vs wisconsin7.6 (13.55 million)
2020Ohio State vs Northwestern8.03 million
2021Michigan vs Iowa(6.2) 11.7 million

There isn't really a clear trend here except maybe a small trend upward over the past 3 years, but 2020 had no fans in person, so that likely inflated the TV viewers and 2021 was the first time Michigan was going to the Championship game, only the second time Iowa was going, and Michigan had the CFP on the line so it made for an exciting game. This past year, I did care because it was a match up in the conference champ game we hadn't seen before, and both were ranked in the top 15.

But those ratings aren't extrodinary, infact most years I would bet a rivalry week game pulled more viewers than the conference championship. Does that equal my viewpoint being an extreme minority? Not in my eyes.
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The Big 10 Title game is a stand alone game which props up ratings. For instance I did not watch the Ohio St - Mich game live this year (except for the 1st quarter), because I was on my way to the Bank for the Wisc - Minn game.

There are 12 other fan bases with no games of their own teams to distract them on the first Saturday of December.
 

Ope3 said:
The Big 10 Title game is a stand alone game which props up ratings. For instance I did not watch the Ohio St - Mich game live this year (except for the 1st quarter), because I was on my way to the Bank for the Wisc - Minn game.

There are 12 other fan bases with no games of their own teams to distract them on the first Saturday of December.
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The OSU-Mich game pulled more viewership than the B1G Championship too this past year (I think most years it does, or is close), with 15 million viewers I believe? It was the most watched game during rivalry week.
 

Taji34 said:
The OSU-Mich game pulled more viewership than the B1G Championship too this past year (I think most years it does, or is close), with 15 million viewers I believe? It was the most watched game during rivalry week.
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MI/ OH State was a huge game in 2021. But it is hard to imagine it would have been the same sort of spectacle if there were no divisions. Everyone would have know that it was meaningless and the real game would be played the following week in Indianapolis.

Likewise, there would have been far less interest in the last few MN, WI, IA and Purdue games.
 

Goldmember said:
MI/ OH State was a huge game in 2021. But it is hard to imagine it would have been the same sort of spectacle if there were no divisions. Everyone would have know that it was meaningless and the real game would be played the following week in Indianapolis.

Likewise, there would have been far less interest in the last few MN, WI, IA and Purdue games.
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This isn’t necessarily true, depending on what the tiebreakers were I think Michigan state would’ve rematches Ohio state had Ohio state beaten Michigan

It would’ve been terrible though. Michigan won and then I think Ohio state would’ve spanked them 7 days later
 

Goldmember said:
The CCGs continue to get great ratings. This year the Big Ten had its third largest TV audience despite the obvious mismatch.

And that’s to say nothing of how much more interest there is in all of the other games leading up to IA/MI, because of the format.

So, what is your basis?
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The ratings bear it out. 11 million people watching a game /= majority let alone extreme majority. Episodes of NCIS and Yellowstone get those numbers. (often better)
 

BleedGopher said:
per Pete Thamel:

With all respect to the rapt attention that will be paid to the verbal donnybrook between Alabama's Nick Saban and Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher, there are more pressing matters that will unfold when SEC officials meet in Destin, Fla., for their annual meetings next week.

With the SEC poised to expand to 16 teams when Oklahoma and Texas join the league in 2025, the way the league plots its future may also reverberate deeply through the future of college football and the entire collegiate landscape.

Sounds dramatic, right? Well, the SEC has delivered plenty of drama in the last calendar year -- on and off the field. And the way the SEC constructs its future will be felt by all leagues, as any SEC scheduling decision must take into consideration what the College Football Playoff will look like. And that's where things get interesting, as no one knows what that will look like after 2025.

One variable that shouldn't be underestimated is that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is still mad about the way the College Football Playoff expansion talks collapsed earlier this year. He's been openly vocal about his displeasure, and that's going to guide league decision making. There's been a general erosion of trust on the collegiate commissioner landscape since the chaotic COVID-19-addled summer of 2020.

"Whatever collegiality existed among those five commissioners appears to be gone," said a veteran collegiate official. "Sankey's in such a catbird seat right now."

The notion of the playoff expanding to 12 teams during the current contract was officially dashed in February, meaning a four-team playoff through the 2025 season. From there, uncertainty has increased about formats.

One idea certain to be discussed by SEC officials in Destin is the notion of the SEC creating, running and profiting from its own intra-SEC postseason. The most obvious model is an eight-team one, but there are others that will be discussed.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stressed that no seismic change is imminent. But he did mention that an SEC-only playoff, in a variety of forms, was among the nearly 40 different models that SEC officials discussed at their fall meetings.

"As we think as a conference," he told ESPN on Monday, "it's vitally important we think about the range of possibilities."

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin echoed that notion to ESPN: "We have an incredibly strong league, one that will be even stronger once Oklahoma and Texas join. The focus should be on how we as a league use that strength to further position the SEC as we face new realities. Commissioner Sankey has encouraged our athletic directors to think creatively, and an SEC-only playoff is a different idea that we should absolutely consider an option."

What would that look like? We'll explore more later. But could we see an eight-team tournament that eventually faces the winner of some other group -- The Alliance? The Big Ten? The rest of the leagues playing in a different postseason? Or, perhaps they all get mad at the SEC and don't play their winner. We're in a world of hypotheticals on hypotheticals.

"We need to engage in blue-sky thinking, which is you detach from reality," Sankey told ESPN. "What are the full range of possibilities?"

www.espn.com

Could the SEC stage its own football playoff? It's all on the table at spring meetings

Would the SEC think about really shaking up the college football landscape with its own playoff? Greg Sankey addresses that and more ahead of the league's spring meetings next week.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Go Gophers!!
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More lunacy from greed and arrogance. They need a good Southern Baptist preacher to bring them down a peg...
 

After 2025 the SEC will represent about 1/3 of all the revenue of FBS football.

Based off revenue, that means they should have 4 teams in a 12 team playoff. Of course, the SEC thinks they are better on the field than their revenue suggests. They need 5 teams to keep their members happy, and it is possible they will need more.

The rest of the conferences are not going to agree to anything remotely close to what it’s probably going to take to prevent a rift within the SEC. I don’t see how their hand isn’t forced into just creating their own tournament.
 


Goldmember said:
After 2025 the SEC will represent about 1/3 of all the revenue of FBS football.

Based off revenue, that means they should have 4 teams in a 12 team playoff. Of course, the SEC thinks they are better on the field than their revenue suggests. They need 5 teams to keep their members happy, and it is possible they will need more.

The rest of the conferences are not going to agree to anything remotely close to what it’s probably going to take to prevent a rift within the SEC. I don’t see how their hand isn’t forced into just creating their own tournament.
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Do you have any stats on that? Because after 2025 the big ten is going to have more revenue than the SEC in the short term

I don’t know if I believe those two leagues are going to be over 2/3 of all college football revenue
 

Some guy said:
Do you have any stats on that? Because after 2025 the big ten is going to have more revenue than the SEC in the short term

I don’t know if I believe those two leagues are going to be over 2/3 of all college football revenue
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The WSJ estimates revenue for each program:

https://graphics.wsj.com/table/NCAA_2019

Actually, based on this, the SEC will have about 1/3 of all P5* revenue (only be about 25% of FBS revenue).

But this is a pre-pandemic analysis. Of course, the trend since, and for the next few years, seems to be that the SEC and Big Ten will disproportionately grow their revenue vs. the others because of more lucrative TV contracts.

So the two conferences will probably be just under 50% of FBS revenue by 2026.
 
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Goldmember said:
The WSJ estimates revenue for each program:

https://graphics.wsj.com/table/NCAA_2019

Actually, based on this, the SEC will have about 1/3 of all P5* revenue (only be about 25% of FBS revenue).

But this is a pre-pandemic analysis. Of course, the trend since, and for the next few years, seems to be that the SEC and Big Ten will disproportionately grow their revenue vs. the others because of more lucrative TV contracts.

So the two conferences will probably be just under 50% of FBS revenue by 2026.
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Got it. That sounds a lot more believable to me
 

(hijacking this thread a bit, back towards general CFP expansion -- sorry didn't want to start a new one)

https://www.si.com/college/2022/06/...ve-commissioners-guidance-future-negotiations

Executives of the College Football Playoff plan to give guidance soon to the CFP commissioners in an effort to restart negotiations over playoff expansion a year ahead of a deadline of sorts.

Mark Keenum, the chair of the CFP Board of Managers, says his “hope” is that the group can agree on a playoff format by next summer. The CFP Board, the Playoff’s highest-ranking governance body made up of 10 FBS presidents and the president of Notre Dame, is planning to meet in August to give more direction on expansion discussions to the CFP Management Committee. The CFP Committee is made up of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick.

“I hope we can get something done within a year,” Keenum, the Mississippi State president, tells Sports Illustrated at SEC spring meetings in Destin.

The CFP Board is taking a more authoritative role in guiding the next round of expansion discussions, Keenum says. CFP Committee members could not agree on a new playoff format during months of negotiations last year. They needed unanimity for the proposal to pass, but three of the 11 Board members—from the ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten—voted against a 12-team model that was at first proposed last summer.
 

^^^ basically saying that the 10 FBS commissioners + Swarbrick are deadlocked -- therefore hoping that getting the presidents into a room, some type of compromise can be agreed to and dictated downward.
 

There are a lot of different directions that this thing is being pulled into, which it makes sense why they're deadlocked.

They only need a simple majority of 6 out of 11 votes for the new contract (starting in 2026), but it also has to be 3 out of 5 of the P5 votes. So the "Alliance" can block it, without one of them breaking off.


What size/format - SEC wants 12, so they can get more teams in each year, 8 is a nonstarter for them. G5 wants top 6 highest ranked champions, autobids for P5 is a nonstarter for them. Alliance wants P5 autobids (which would be greatly in the new Big XII's interest as well), so that they can't have years where their champ is left out for a Sun Belt team. And while 8 could seem more wieldy, how do you satisfy everyone? Top 5 champs + 3 auto's? 5 auto + 1 top G5 + 2 auto? Neither of those would seem to work.

Scheduling/logistics - Obviously though, a 12 team bracket takes 4 rounds. The first round or "play in" round gets you down to 8, which then takes three rounds. You have the NY6 bowls, which could be quarter and semi finals each year, but what would be the schedule? Shouldn't the Rose bowl (and perhaps Sugar) always be a semi? Would the other bowls agree to step backwards a week back from NYD, then? Or you could have quarter-final bowls on NYD, and then which two bowls step forward a week for the semi-finals? Or do you bid out from the semis onward?

Another issues is the first round games. Should they be home games? Or should they be played at bowl games? The issue with home game is like this: the four losing teams basically get jobbed. Think about it: you're the undefeated Sun Belt champion, ranked in the teens. And your reward is ...... traveling to College Station, TX to play A&M (at-large) in a defacto home game for them, lose, and not even get to go to a bowl game or bowl game atmosphere. Who wants that? But if you have the first round be at bowl games, which bowls and what would be the schedule?

Rose Bowl - this is a whole issue unto itself. The Big Ten, PAC, and Rose view this property as a special thing that is on the level of the CFP itself. Like the Kentucky Derby or the Masters. They want to do everything in the power of the universe to preserve this property as a Big Ten vs PAC matchup and on NYD afternoon timeslot. But they also don't want it to get overshadowed by the CFP. Ideally, it should be in the CFP, while attempting to preserve that matchup. This is also part of why the Alliance wants P5 autobids.
 

at the risk of sounding cynical, in the end, it all comes down to the SEC/ESPN vs the B1G/Fox.

the SEC wants to be the undisputed big dog and call the shots. The B1G has the ability to block the SEC - as long as they vote as a coalition with the ACC and Pac-12. (and the Big-12 wanders around the wilderness.....)

and - something else to think about -

this also gets tied up with negotiations for new TV deals - while the specter of NIL hangs over college FB.

what if a group of big-money NIL schools decide to split from the NCAA, form their own super-conference, and proclaim their champion as the "real" king of college FB? WTF does that do to the bowls and the TV deals?

this could all go sideways real quick.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
at the risk of sounding cynical, in the end, it all comes down to the SEC/ESPN vs the B1G/Fox.

the SEC wants to be the undisputed big dog and call the shots. The B1G has the ability to block the SEC - as long as they vote as a coalition with the ACC and Pac-12. (and the Big-12 wanders around the wilderness.....)

and - something else to think about -

this also gets tied up with negotiations for new TV deals - while the specter of NIL hangs over college FB.

what if a group of big-money NIL schools decide to split from the NCAA, form their own super-conference, and proclaim their champion as the "real" king of college FB? WTF does that do to the bowls and the TV deals?

this could all go sideways real quick.
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Thanks for bringing this point up, this is another huge point I forgot to mention.

CFP TV bidding - having the entire contract remain as a monopoly under ESPN is a nonstarter for the Alliance. Of course, the SEC and ESPN are completely in bed together. The Alliance wants the bidding opened up, and the CFP to take on multiple TV partners. Say ESPN + CBS, or whomever.
 

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