dothaneagle
At a time when college football appears deeply fractured, SEC coaches have found common ground in their opposition to a nine-game conference schedule. Nothing brings men in headsets together quite like the prospect of one fewer cupcake opponent. Even coaches who previously supported a nine-game slate, such as Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, now express buyer's remorse after the SEC added an extra league game.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey championed the ninth game, persuading university presidents and chancellors to approve it. The coaches in Sankey's league, however, did not want this change. "It will challenge our teams," Sankey said. "It will prepare them for the highest level of competition. It reflects who we are as a conference." Try telling that to the league's coaches, a profession known for airing grievances. "If we keep playing each other, we don't prove we're better than anyone else," LSU's Lane Kiffin said during media days in Tampa, Florida, doubling down on his opposition to a ninth SEC game.
Key Analysis
SEC coaches would rather face Southwest Cupcake State than an extra conference game against the likes of Kentucky. They don't value strength of schedule and would prefer a 12-1 record against a meek schedule over a 9-3 mark against a rugged slate. But here's what SEC coaches won't say: The CFP selection committee respects the SEC more than any other conference. In two years of the 12-team playoff, the SEC garnered eight bids, the most of any conference. This ninth conference game will provide another valuable data point for the selection committee and help it more effectively determine which teams are the top four or five in the SEC. As long as the playoff continues in this 12-team format, the SEC likely will average about four bids per year. That won't substantially change whether the conference plays eight or nine league games. So, if you're going to receive about four bids per year, shouldn't you at least try to ensure that your four best teams from the conference get into the bracket? That's what this extra conference game will do. It will boost the chances that the three, four, or five SEC teams that earn a bid are actually the three, four, or five best teams from the SEC. Coaches are among the first to complain about the committee, but they don't want to do the thing that would help the committee do its job: playing more relevant games and fewer cupcakes.
When the SEC expanded to 16 teams, it initially stayed with an eight-game conference schedule. That meant each team faced only half of its conference peers, making it difficult to determine an accurate hierarchy. The standings and records were undeniably influenced by a team's schedule draw. An extra conference game won't eliminate that, but it will add some clarity. The more conference games you play, the more you separate the wheat from the chaff. Think about it: If every team played 12 cupcakes and no legitimate opponents, the committee would have a tough time determining the best teams from a particular conference. If every team played exclusively conference games, it becomes much easier to determine a league's pecking order. Short of an SEC breakup or another pandemic, the SEC isn't going to play an SEC-only schedule. But the more conference games teams play, the easier it is to determine an accurate hierarchy. Here's the other thing most coaches don't say: A ninth SEC game will enhance the product for the people who pay the bills (and pay the salaries)—the media partners and the fans. If ESPN wanted more games like Chattanooga vs. Alabama, trust me, there'd be no ninth conference game. Television partners want conference clashes or marquee non-conference battles. They don't want games that will be 31-0 by halftime. Maybe coaches shouldn't care about what ESPN wants, but shouldn't an SEC coach want the four SEC teams that make the playoff to actually be the best four SEC teams? This extra conference game will boost the chances of that happening.
Originally reported by dothaneagle.