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SEC Pushes for No Automatic Qualifiers in Playoff; Last Week's Results Show It Might Have a Point
SEC leaders argue removing automatic qualifiers improves playoff fairness after recent lower-ranked teams lost, with ESPN paying $7.8 billion for CFP games starting next season.
- Last week, the Southeastern Conference leaders proposed eliminating automatic qualifiers from the College Football Playoff, giving the CFP Selection Committee full discretion based on metrics.
- Upward-Facing expansion ideas from both conferences include the Big Ten backing up to 28 teams with multiple automatic qualifiers, while months ago the Southeastern Conference favored a 16-team plan with five automatic qualifiers.
- The season's first projected 12-team bracket shows the last two teams, both outside the committee's top 12, lost last week, and Memphis lost despite being unranked yet projected 12th.
- With a Dec. 1-type deadline looming, stakeholders warn that if the SEC and Big Ten fail to agree, the current 12-team format could remain for 2026.
- ESPN's $7.8 billion CFP rights deal raises broadcast stakes, and if the SEC gets its way, smaller programs like Boise State could be excluded from the playoff.
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Decatur DailySEC now pushing for no automatic qualifiers in CFP — and it might have a point
Instead of simply pushing for a limited number of automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff, leaders in the Southeastern Conference are now suggesting they don't want any at all.
The News-Herald+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
SEC pushes for no automatic qualifiers in playoff; last week’s results show it might have a point
Instead of simply pushing for a limited number of automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff, leaders in the Southeastern Conference are now suggesting they don’t want any at all. The results from last weekend might show they have a point. The last two teams in the season’s first projected 12-team bracket — both of which were outside the selection committee’s top 12 — each lost last week, meaning the bracket that co…
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Total News Sources24
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution58% Center
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources are Center
58% Center
L 37%
C 58%
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