Funny. Regular season marquee games are becoming more and more expensive, with the current ticket prices for Ohio State at Texas looking more and more like Argentina versus Spain in the recent World Cup.
This, despite the fact that we now have an expanded College Football Playoff, which makes said marquee game less significant in the grand scheme of things. Lose to Oklahoma in Athens, we still have good chances to make the CFP field. Lose twice…depending on who the loss is to, and if your name happens to rhyme with Motor Lame, you still have a chance.
Then there’s this:
The only person rumored to be opposed: Greg Sankey.
Now is it for the purity of the game? For the conference? Oh, hell no, you know better. It could be because of the draw we still get from the SECCG and the revenue generated from matchups in December like Georgia versus Alabama or Texas or Ole Miss or whoever.
But, apparently, the only cog in the wheel of expansion to December Madness is ole Greg himself.
Frankly, for all the crap I give him, and for whatever his purposes may be, I say…give ’em hell Greg.
We’re all counting on you.
Not really, but there’s always hope.
Sankey: The SEC will go to 12 conference games in exchange for not expanding the CFP. Everyone else: ok.
We know what he is they’re just negotiating the price.
“Pate State Investigates (TM)”? Jeez, when did he turn into this?
He’s always been a goofball.
He has his Columbus State inferiority complex going hard.
Let’s not kid ourselves we know it’s about da money. Not the what it’s the how much do we get number that has to improve before Mr Folding Chair says ok.
Go to 20 teams and use WNBA refs in the first round.
The top 20 in the playoff? Could anyone give less of a shit about the first round?
These people … cough, cough Tony Pettiti cough, cough … can go pound sand for all I care now.
As the days churn, I’m becoming more anti-playoff expansion. The Big 10’s TV ratings prove out consistently that their regular season product is inferior. It shows why Fox wants CFP expansion.
Here is the data (all postseason excluded):
Top Big 10 games:
1) Ohio State-Michigan (Fox)
2) Texas-Ohio State (Fox)
13) Michigan-Oklahoma (ABC)
16) Oregon-Penn State (NBC)
23) Penn State-Ohio State (Fox)
35) Indiana-Penn State (Fox)
30) Ohio State-Washington (CBS)
41) Indiana-Oregon (CBS)
42) USC-Oregon (CBS)
45) Oregon-Iowa (CBS)
Top SEC games:
2) Texas-Ohio State
3) Texas A&M-Texas (ABC)
4) Georgia-Tennessee (ABC)
5) Alabama-Auburn (ABC)
7) Alabama-Florida State (ABC)
8) Oklahoma-Alabama (ABC)
9) LSU-Clemson (ABC)
10) Texas-Georgia (ABC)
11) Alabama-Georgia (ABC)
12) Ole Miss-Georgia (ABC)
Based on this viewership, do you think CBS regrets their decision not to pay up when offered the chance?
Let’s just look at Top 10 by conference game for the 100 highest rated games of 2025 (postseason and OOC excluded):
B1G
1) Ohio State-Michigan
10) Oregon-PSU
16) PSU-anOSU
25t) Indiana-PSU
28) anOSU-UDub
30) Indiana-Oregon
31) USC-Oregon
33t) Oregon-Iowa
35) Michigan-Nebraska
36) anOSU-Illinois
SEC
2)Texas-TAMU
3) Georgia-Tennessee
4) Iron Bowl
5) OU-Bama
6) Texas-UGA
7) Bama-UGA
8) Ole Miss-UGA
9) Red River Shootout
11) 3rd Saturday in October
12) Bama-South Carolina
ACC
25t) Miami-FSU
42t) Clemson-GT
47) FSU-UVA
Big 12
46) Iowa St-K-State
53) TxTech-Utah
56t) BYU-TxTech
One of these is not like the others. More people attend SEC games. More people watch SEC games.
This does not appear to be the case with Georgia tickets. The Athletic department has sent out 3 separate emails for either single games or ticket packages that anyone could purchase. There were a lot of vacancies for season ticket selections as well. My guess is inflation + year 4 of Bobo + watered down regular season.
Update, they just sent another email out. Apparently they can’t give away the WKU tickets. There are hundreds of tickets left in the 600 level. People aren’t psyched for a Mountain West style fashion show I guess.
What looks to be a few hundred Mizzou tickets are available too.