" The SEC and Big Ten have made stunning moves over the past five years to dramatically mold college football into their preferred image.
What they can't do is control the human condition on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
And that may just lead to more stunning moves from the SEC to change the sport forever.
Because the day the runner-up of the SEC isn't selected to the CFP, is the day the SEC walks out of the entire process.
A selection process the SEC was promised would change, where strength of schedule and big wins, and to a lesser extent, close losses in big games, would be the high-value entry point.
Three weeks into the latest iteration of the CFP poll, it's clear those promises haven't been kept.
"That simply didn't happen," said Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz.
You want a nightmare scenario for the SEC, and the rest of college football, by proxy? Here it is:
No. 10 Alabama beats Auburn, advances to the SEC championship game, loses to either No. 3 Texas A&M or No. 4 Georgia (which it already beat this season, in Athens), and drops out of the 12-team CFP.
Behind Notre Dame, which lost to Texas A&M at home. Behind Miami, which won't even have played in its conference championship game much less, the ACC championship game.
The 16 SEC presidents would get on the horn to commissioner Greg Sankey, and the fallout would be catastrophic for the future of college football.
A scenario like that which isn't that far from unfolding would force the SEC into fight or flight, to take its ball and go home with its television partner (ESPN) that runs the sport, and start an SEC-only playoff.
It's not like they haven't threatened to do so before. In fact, Sankey defiantly said not long ago that it wasn't a threat.
In other words, we'll do it.
Look, the SEC has played a role in the sport's dramatic change, and must take its fair share of blame for some of the chaos playing out on and off the field. Expansion, contraction, player empowerment and free player movement with unbridled NIL free agency. They must own it.
But the most popular and competitive conference in all of college sports has yet to truly flex its muscle. It still hasn't played the final, undeniably devastating card it holds."
Note the term Sankey uses is Sttength of Record to avoid the notion that the schedule itself is the issue. But we have been in effect discussing this without considering the nuclear option here!!!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2025/11/20/sec-believes-cfp-isnt-using-agreed-upon-strength-of-schedule-metric-alabama-notre-dame-miami/87354995007/?tbref=hp
What they can't do is control the human condition on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
And that may just lead to more stunning moves from the SEC to change the sport forever.
Because the day the runner-up of the SEC isn't selected to the CFP, is the day the SEC walks out of the entire process.
A selection process the SEC was promised would change, where strength of schedule and big wins, and to a lesser extent, close losses in big games, would be the high-value entry point.
Three weeks into the latest iteration of the CFP poll, it's clear those promises haven't been kept.
"That simply didn't happen," said Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz.
You want a nightmare scenario for the SEC, and the rest of college football, by proxy? Here it is:
No. 10 Alabama beats Auburn, advances to the SEC championship game, loses to either No. 3 Texas A&M or No. 4 Georgia (which it already beat this season, in Athens), and drops out of the 12-team CFP.
Behind Notre Dame, which lost to Texas A&M at home. Behind Miami, which won't even have played in its conference championship game much less, the ACC championship game.
The 16 SEC presidents would get on the horn to commissioner Greg Sankey, and the fallout would be catastrophic for the future of college football.
A scenario like that which isn't that far from unfolding would force the SEC into fight or flight, to take its ball and go home with its television partner (ESPN) that runs the sport, and start an SEC-only playoff.
It's not like they haven't threatened to do so before. In fact, Sankey defiantly said not long ago that it wasn't a threat.
In other words, we'll do it.
Look, the SEC has played a role in the sport's dramatic change, and must take its fair share of blame for some of the chaos playing out on and off the field. Expansion, contraction, player empowerment and free player movement with unbridled NIL free agency. They must own it.
But the most popular and competitive conference in all of college sports has yet to truly flex its muscle. It still hasn't played the final, undeniably devastating card it holds."
Note the term Sankey uses is Sttength of Record to avoid the notion that the schedule itself is the issue. But we have been in effect discussing this without considering the nuclear option here!!!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2025/11/20/sec-believes-cfp-isnt-using-agreed-upon-strength-of-schedule-metric-alabama-notre-dame-miami/87354995007/?tbref=hp