Deeper meaning behind the SEC, Big Ten exclusive first-round byes in new proposed CFP format | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellenger are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde to react to a new 14-team College Football Playoff model where the SEC and Big Ten would get rights to first-round byes. The guys discuss why that provision exists and is a bridge too far. Hear the full conversation on the “College Football Enquirer” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
DAN WETZEL: Look, I am playoff-- I am the playoff supporter. Who else would write a book advocating a playoff when there was no chance they'd ever come up with a playoff? Let alone do a second edition, because you guys all loved it so much. I am all playoff.
You're wearing me out. Like, you're potentially losing me with this playoff plan. I understand the concept. They don't like the committee, and they're scared of the committee being too into win-loss records and strength of schedule.
And so they want guarantee that if you finish third, you're in. The Big Ten and the SEC going to get that spot anyway. I find most of this to be completely unnecessary. The guaranteeing of the Big Ten and the SEC the 1, 2 seeds, the byes, it's totally ridiculous.
It runs in the face of all of college athletics, let alone American sport. Mike Gundy, a playoff format that guarantees-- and I mean, who's smarter than Mike Gundy-- a playoff format that guarantees a first round bye to any team, division, or conference before the start of the season is unheard of in any sport as far as I'm aware. Based on the premise proposed, a team could be undefeated and ranked number one in the country and still not receive a first round bye because teams were rewarded before the season even began.
Absolutely correct. Thank you, Mike Gundy. Florida State goes 13 and 0, and you're not 1, 2. Here's Sonny Dykes, TCU-- automatic first round byes for the Big Ten and SEC is like the NFL saying the Cowboys get a first round bye since they have more fans than the Bengals. That part of this proposal can't be real.
ROSS DELLENGER: Yeah. I promise it is.
PAT FORDE: Truly, like, I was shocked to hear that. Honest to God, when that came out, I texted, like, 10 people immediately in college sports-- like, they cannot be serious. And the replies kept coming in-- oh, yeah, they're serious.
ROSS DELLENGER: Well, obviously, it's a case of greed, right, like we've been discussing. But it's also-- it's a case that these two conferences have gotten swelled to the point-- gotten so big, and have all these valuable teams, and have all the money-- they've taken it upon themselves to basically put-- kind of push around everyone to the point of somewhat absurdity, to the point where if the others say "no," then the two leave. And I think, clearly, the fact that they have offered this, made this offer, tells me that they're OK with leaving-- that they are pushing it to the very edge until maybe it gets knocked right off and they're OK with it.
PAT FORDE: It's so heavy-handed. It is so heavy-handed and has engendered so much ill will. I mean, I think you're right, Ross-- it's either that, like, yes, we are prepared to leave, we want to leave. Or yeah, we'd like to leave, but we're just going to push everybody to have them be the bad guys and say, you need to leave.