The exact format of the 4 team playoff has yet to be determined. If you are a conference representative for anyone not named the SEC, you better push for a strong conference champion component. It’s obviously in the best interest of the SEC to simply have a formula that says these are the 4 best teams. Fair or not the SEC gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to ranking their teams.
The SEC pushed for an unlimited number of teams to the future access bowls and got it. That’s more money for the SEC. It was a huge mistake by the other conferences to not limit the number of teams from a conference as they did for the BCS.
The other 4 power conference need to protect their teams. Apparently only the SEC is immune to their teams losing game. All you have to do is look at the current rankings. The Big 12 largely considered the 2nd best football conference the last year will have one team ranked in the top 15 – Baylor.
The Bears won’t even be in the top 10. That means should Baylor run the table they have almost no chance to get into the national title chase. You say let the season play out, I say protect my conference champion.
You think the Big 10 is in any better position? After Ohio State, the Big 10 won’t have another team in the top 20 after Michigan’s loss Saturday. The Buckeyes and the Bears could finish the year undefeated and untied without playing a conference opponent that ends the regular season in the top 15. And you thought only Louisville had scheduling issues.
At least they have the excuse of playing in the AAC, Baylor and Ohio State are power 5 conference teams. Look into the future, would Baylor make a 4 team playoff? Ohio State is ranked in better position, but if they lose 1 game they would have no chance, without a lot of help, to work their way back into the top 4. The Big 10 just isn’t strong enough for Ohio State to recover.
This ACC doesn’t have such a problem this season with 4 ranked teams, and 3 in the top 15, but in years past their conference champion would be an afterthought. The Pac 12 has Oregon in great shape and the conference is regarded as the 1st or 2nd best conference this season, but if the Big 12 can slip so can the Pac 12. The current system favors heavily the SEC to get more than 1 team into the 4 team playoff. There are currently 5 SEC teams in the top 15 who just swap positions when they win and lose to each other.
In fact if I’m the other 4 power conferences, I am eventually trying get an 8 team playoff, where each Power 5 conference champion gets a bid, 2 Wildcards, and the highest rated team from the Non-Power 5 conference. Protect my conference, ensure their is no conference bias, and give everyone a shot.
The ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and Pac 12 should be pushing for a strong conference champion component in the new 4 team playoff. This year is proving even an undefeated Power 5 conference champion may not even sniff the playoffs.
