Question: why would a conference who saw teams get into the CFP, arguably underservedly (Indiana, yes, I’m pointing at you), have any desire to make their conference schedules or overall schedules harder when they can just influence the national media, the CFP Committee, or fans? You wouldn’t right?
Answer:
Next question: how do you ensure that your rival conferences beat the hell out of each other, paving the way for your conference to get more teams in?
Answer: You make them make their conference schedules harder…
The assumption that everyone in the conference would be on board with that move was a correct one. After all, nearly every SEC school besides Ole Miss had at least one Power Four non-conference opponent scheduled in the next year. However, the assumption that the Big Ten would return the favor after their own “Summer I Turned Petty” tour, was incorrect. It was wildly incorrect.
According to On3’s Brett McMurphy, playing a tenth P4 game hasn’t been discussed, and another source added that “there is nothing on the immediate horizon.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. There’s no incentive for the Big Ten to make a change, just like there was no true incentive for the SEC to make a massive change in their model before. And, before anyone says “well it’s better for the fan,” sure. That’s why the SEC did it. Their longstanding and unending commitment to the fan.
That’s why they’ve done such a great job making sure Oklahoma and Texas had equally difficult schedules when entering the league. That’s why they’re so transparent and committed to fixing the officiating problem. That’s why. The fans.
This was an all-time bag fumbling by the SEC, and they have no one to blame but themselves.“
Way to go, Greg. You got hosed and have the humility to admit that is only on par with Greg McGoofy. Every SEC coach should be able to get in a line to give him a swift, hard kick in the nuts for doing this.
So how do we get rid of this guy?
Maybe we can get Ms. Gracie Owens to write a heartfelt opinion piece.
THIS! Maybe we should replace him with a Spartan.
Mel Tucker?
GC,
You’re on your A level snarking this week. RR would approve your work.
Thanks Scuba!
Smartest guys in the room.
I mean, I have a hard time giving a crap if the Big Ten is able to get a weak sister into the playoff. They’re going to get hammered in the first round.
The goal is to win a national championship. If you aren’t good enough to do that, I really don’t care if you duck one game to try to squeeze your way into a first round loss. This is yet another side effect of making the tournament far too big. We’re wasting energy worrying about teams like Indiana last year who don’t deserve it rather than focusing on the 2 to 4 best teams in the nation.
The fact that Greg Sankey is an overly-pompous asshat is a surprise to no one. I’m for the schedule change. It makes for better games. Of course, that will also come with an increase in ticket prices. Because, you know, the fan has to also bear the brunt of this cost.
I’ll enjoy my season ticket for now but it’s getting closer and closer to the point where I shed that single tear and spent my money and time on other pursuits.
Go Dawg$
Know that cable and streaming prices have and will continue to increase too.
So we finally go to nine, and now it was because Sankey got played? We were always going to nine. That has been a thing we have wanted for years.
I think there were three factors preventing it until now:
1) Will ESPN pay for nine?
-They must have come to an understanding.
2) What will happen to the ACC?
-I think they were waiting to see if the ACC imploded. No sense making a scheduling model if you will need to scrap it a few months later to add two (or four) more teams. The ACC will be together until 2030 or 2031. The SEC schedule goes through 2029. I expect to hear more Super League talk as 2030 approaches.
3) Will the CFP consider strength of schedule in their picks?
-Sankey got them to include a strength of schedule metric this season, and you better believe ESPN talking heads will be hammering this point every day as soon as CFP rankings come out. The committee gets a first shot this season to see how they do before the SEC goes to nine, and it will be a major topic when the playoff is discussed for the next 14 months.
Nine games is the only way to make the schedule work and preserve most traditional rivalries. Most of the coaches in the SEC wanted to go to nine including Kirby Smart and Nick Saban before he retired. We keep Auburn and Florida every year, and I could stand a break from the obnoxious orange of Tennessee anyway.
We got what we wanted. Why are we victims? And why does this make Sankey a stooge? Because Marler and McMurphy need clicks.
I may well be wrong, but I think it’s the B1G not playing 10 power conference games that has everyone pissed.
Yep, and media trying to shame the B1G into creating a rule that their teams have to schedule another P4 team.
ESPN wanted this, and they’ll do backflips to get another sec team in the playoffs. Sankey will be crying about the B1G’s supposed advantage all the way to the bank.
The Big 10 is an overratted top-heavy conference that just happens to have multiple schools with giant student bodies located near more television sets than most. They do not want to “do the work” to earn playoff positions and would rather have a bunch of Indiana-types schedule scrubs to scam more of that sweet playoff money. Hell, look at the PSU non-conference schedule this year. I am fine with the recent schedule changes for the SEC and could care less how the bullshit Big 10 wants to conduct their business. I damn sure am not going to whine about it like they spent all summer doing about the SEC.
It’s about the money. More TV money, higher ticket prices and thus more revenue , more ad dollars in stadium and more revenue from seat geek when folks sell higher dollar tickets. It’s all for the fans; the fans money that is.
The B1G…it just means we play less.
The b10 has always been the easiest to hate conference. No one can out do them in arrogance and hypocrisy. I should give them their due and include the most self righteous and pompous too. They have a greater share of national media members and flag wavers than anyone else. In the playoff era they’ve suffered SEC derangement syndrome. Long may that infect them with suffering.
Borrowing from the Great Carnac. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest their commissioner’s nose and the sewers of Rangoon flood their league office.
I’m waiting for them to cancel our home and home with tOSU.
Is the B1G the Texas of college football, or is Texas the B1G of college football? Either way, fuck’em. Neither one has beat us a whole lot lately…