SEC, Big Ten discussing new formats for football championship weekend
NEW ORLEANS — The SEC is talking about "re-imagining" its football championship weekend into a series of play-in games to the College Football Playoff. That includes the somewhat radical possibility of the eighth-place team getting a chance to earn a bid by knocking out the top seed.
The idea of play-in games has been floated since last fall, as part of a proposal where the SEC and Big Ten would get four guaranteed bids to an expanded 14-team Playoff field. The most-discussed proposal has been to have the two top seeds meet in the SEC Championship Game as usual, both teams ensured a Playoff bid but playing for a bye, and two play-in games, matching the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds and No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.
But the SEC has discussed a more radical idea: four play-in games, matching No. 1 and No. 8, No. 4 and No. 5, No. 2 and No. 7 and No. 3 and No. 6.
"It's one of the ideas on the table," Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said Wednesday as he left New Orleans, where SEC and Big Ten athletic directors met to discuss several issues.
This isn't the only idea, and there doesn't yet appear a consensus. But it shows how far the conference is going to rethink championship weekend.
"We'll see what happens," Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said when asked if that format was in play.
The Big Ten's discussion has swirled around the top two teams playing for a championship, while No. 3 would face No. 6 and No. 4 would play No. 5 in CFP play-in games. Nothing is finalized, but there's potential for the games to take place on campuses or even all three in two days at one venue.
"One of the things that we're going to continue to prioritize is trying to find ways to make our regular season as exciting as we possibly can," Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said. "How can we keep as many fan bases engaged into November? How can we create meaningful football games in November? So, any ideas that strike at that are things that are going to be worth having conversations about."
Whitman's Illinois team would have entered that discussion last year. The Illini finished 9-3 in the regular season and tied for fifth alongside Iowa in the Big Ten standings. Illinois would have faced Ohio State in a game pitting No. 4 vs. No. 5 with an opportunity to qualify for a CFP spot. Indiana would have played Iowa for another CFP berth. A play-in loser would then contend for an at-large spot outside of the guaranteed allotment.
The value of conference championship games has taken a hit in the expanded CFP era. All five conference champions who made the field lost their first game, including the top four seeds who had byes: Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State.
But the SEC will be reluctant to just do away with its championship game. It was the first conference to create one, in 1992, and it has become very lucrative. This past year's game, when Georgia beat Texas in overtime, drew the highest ratings for any non-Playoff college football game last season.
Still, the notion of a play-in weekend has gained steam, especially with the chance for the extra games to bring in more revenue. The Big Ten floated the idea first, and while the SEC has been slower to get on board, many in the league now believe some sort of change is coming.
"The conversations were really creative and innovative and robust and ended up with several suggestions that we could provide our leadership, our commissioners, as they go forward with a couple of key meetings in the next couple weeks," Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said.
(Photo: Joshua L. Jones / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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