[Matt Hayes] The SEC willingly flushed its conference championship game that last year had better ratings than all eight first round CFP games of the brief, 12-team era.

[u/CrashB111]

https://x.com/MattHayesCFB/status/2111056779366785054

[u/beornn2]

At this point it’s time to do away with conferences and go to divisions if they’re fully committing to a massive playoff system. Doesn’t make sense to keep them around, they’re relics now and serve no purpose.

[u/HeywardH → u/beornn2]

That could actually be fun if they do it right. 

[u/EchoKilo22 → u/HeywardH]

Could be, but what are the chances of them doing it right?

[u/HeywardH → u/EchoKilo22]

For every division? Zero.

[u/turtledancers → u/beornn2]

SEC good ole boys are some of the strongest pearl clutchers in the country and they are very politically connected (which is a complete joke that that matters in the first place). Also relationships with networks for TV deals right?

I agree this should happen but it’d essentially be like telling them to remove monuments from their towns. It’s going to get ugly.

[u/beornn2 → u/turtledancers]

It’s gotta go. No way some 9-3 SEC team should get in over a two or one loss team because “SEC”. Break everything up by region, schedule your traditional rivalry games outside of divisional schedule if they’re not aligned in the same division. The conference circle jerk needs to end.

[u/TXOgre09 → u/beornn2]

By region the way things were before?

[u/beornn2 → u/TXOgre09]

If that ends up resurrecting the old SWC then so be it. I wouldn’t care where Texas ended up as long as it was equitable across the nation and did away with any sort of conference bias.

[u/turtledancers → u/beornn2]

They gave Jayden Daniels the heisman over Micheal Penix and snubbed FSU for Alabama. That’s all recent history too. People barely batted an eye and ESPN told everyone to get over both of those events.

I’ll celebrate the day the SEC and ESPN (SECs main partner and propagandist) loses power.

[u/beornn2 → u/turtledancers]

Fully agree, though 14 year old me still holds a massive grudge for 1993 when FSU got voted champ over Notre Dame (in spite of the head to head win that the Irish had over FSU that year).

That’s why I’m kinda ok with playoffs as long as they do away with all the other things that give an unfair bias or edge, like conferences. Settle everything on the field.

[u/turtledancers → u/beornn2]

Probably pressures to join a conference but yes that’s not fair.

[u/SirMellencamp → u/beornn2]

We just all have to pretend that we think UTSA is better than Florida

[u/mowtowcow → u/beornn2]

Not allowing certain teams in with better win/loss because "SEC" or "BIG10" is so we don't end up with UGA vs TCU. As soon as they start catering to "WELL OMG THEY ARE UNDEFEATEDDDDDDDD, they beat this really good team!" 65-7 happens in a National Championship. Which is boring as fuck.

[u/beornn2 → u/mowtowcow]

Oh so blowouts are a recent development? Your conference bias is showing.

I couldn’t care less about the result of the game, I care about the whole process. Whatever happens on the field happens. Alabama got in last year because SEC reasons, and with how the teams were playing down the stretch there’s zero rational reason to think Notre Dame wouldn’t have run them out of the building. But we’ll never know because the good ‘ol boy system worked out for them.

Abolish the conferences, group by region, and whatever traditional rivalries are can be played outside divisional play just like every other professional league.

[u/grabtharsmallet → u/beornn2]

Abolish the Senate and do away with the last vestiges of the Old Republic.

[u/TXOgre09 → u/beornn2]

Longhorns killing another conference? I’m here for it.

[u/Ok_Judgment_224 → u/TXOgre09]

They've killed 3 why not go for 4?

[u/deez-legumes → u/beornn2]

It’s ultimately going to have to happen for the sport to survive.

And if the system is designed similar to the NFL, it will become a better product for fans, players, coaches, schools and the networks.

The never ending changes and uncertainty aren’t helping anyone but Disney.

[u/Moodie25 → u/deez-legumes]

What do you mean for the sport to survive? Are they not making more money than ever? 

[u/SirMellencamp → u/Moodie25]

Don’t ask questions, the narrative has to survive

[u/Green-goonie → u/beornn2]

This would be so much better. 10 team divisions, create by region. 2 non conference games. Round robin season.

There are currently 67 teams in the P4. Kick out 7 teams. 6 “divisions”. That’s 12 teams. You can do 4 teams from “G5”. That’s 16 teams.

Then add in ND and 7 at large teams. That’s 24.

[u/Skywalker247365 → u/Green-goonie]

What criteria do you use to kick out the 7 teams? A couple years ago, Indiana would have been a good candidate to be kicked out because they sucked for decades, now they're national champions.

[u/Rickydada → u/Skywalker247365]

Presumably you’d want to set up a system of relegation and replacement like in soccer.

[u/1850ChoochGator → u/Skywalker247365]

Boot out the ones with the worst records over an x year span. It’s the only fair way.

[u/Skywalker247365 → u/1850ChoochGator]

If college football had done that 4 years ago, Indiana and Vanderbilt would have been kicked out of their conferences. It's not a realistic plan.

[u/1850ChoochGator → u/Skywalker247365]

You gotta draw the line somewhere and that sucks. Someone is going to feel like they got screwed.

It’s the only way that’s objective and rewards actually playing well and not skating by on your national brand but sucking.

If you want a spot, don’t be a bad team.

The bottom 10 over the last 4y are Stanford, Purdue, Colorado, Michigan State, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, and Mississippi State.

[u/WhatverName → u/Green-goonie]

ND def needs to lose its weird privileges, this isn’t the like 70s anymore

[u/SirMellencamp → u/beornn2]

You’re joking, right?