r/CFB • Alabama Crimson Tide • Iron Bowl • 1d ago

News [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.

https://x.com/MattHayesCFB/status/2111056779366785054
1.3k Upvotes

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666

u/i_run_from_problems Boise State • Christian Brothe… 1d ago edited 1d ago

We're not just doing this for money

We're doing it for a shitload of money!

158

u/Pinewood74 Air Force Falcons • Purdue Boilermakers 23h ago

No, we're not. Net $155M is fucking peanuts when you really think about it. Not even $3M on average per P4 school.

And that's only accounting for the CCGs.

Still need to deduct the bowl game losses. And I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if late season matchups lose some juice.

And I also think that ESPN is vastly overestimating the interest level in these first round matchups. I don't think Georgia Tech vs BYU is really pulling much national audience when everyone is expecting the winner to get clobbered on the road by Georgia.

32

u/CodyRCantrell Oklahoma • Red River Shootout 19h ago

Absolutely. As a neutral, I have no reason to watch the Iron Bowl anymore.

If Alabama loses, they are still in with a 24 team CFP and there is no SECCG berth on the line so why bother?

40

u/ClaudeLemieux Michigan Wolverines • NC State Wolfpack 15h ago

Alabama has made a 2 team playoff without even winning their division before and a 4 team playoff without even winning their state so yeah I can’t even imagine what it would take for them to miss a 24 team playoff lol

23

u/Accomplished-Pin6564 LSU Tigers 14h ago

They even got voted in over an undefeated power conference champion.

2

u/CodyRCantrell Oklahoma • Red River Shootout 8h ago

To leapfrog Georgia because of the results of the SECCG when <checks notes> the committee has said repeatedly every year they don't punish conference championship game participants and used that as their reasoning to keep Alabama in the CFP last season.