The 2024 College Football Playoff was the first time that the playoff expanded to 12 teams, and by all accounts, it seemed like a success. However, some people had issues, and after those complaints, they fixed some things. The biggest complaints about what the College Football Playoff got right and what it got wrong mainly resided with the SEC.
The College Football Playoff changed how it seeds teams and its selection criteria, primarily because of the SEC teams' whining last year. Only three SEC teams made the College Football Playoff last year, and teams like Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss were left out, so the implemented changes should help the SEC more. ESPN SEC college football analyst Paul Finebaum said they will pay for it despite the changes if they still make the SEC mad.
The schedules are much more demanding now, and it begs the question: Will that be rewarded? That was their big argument last year, and the fact that more demanding schedules were not rewarded.
“This is supposed to be a night to celebrate where the SEC is,” ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said. “But I’m getting angry listening to this conversation because Greg (McElroy) and I are all dumbfounded by what we heard last year. We have laid a marker from the SEC at the feet of the CFP, and they better deliver.”
Finebaum pointed out that these changes make the SEC a potential juggernaut. That is, if the changes to make the schedule harder are also rewarded by the College Football Playoff’s newest metrics.
“I’m not making threats, because I don’t have any more control over it than anybody else, but I know some people who do,” Finebaum said. “And if they screw this up, they will be paying for it. I don’t know how or will, but they should, because this is unequivocal what the SEC has laid down tonight.”
The changes are an advanced schedule metric that favors teams with more wins against better teams compared to teams that don't have as many wins against winning teams on their schedule.
Still, you can count on the SEC being vocal if it doesn’t appear demanding schedules are being rewarded because the conference has now set itself up to have some seriously tough schedules as we advance.
The SEC recently changed its schedules to better prepare for college football, mandating a nine-game conference schedule and one extra game against a Power Conference team. Their anger may or may not be warranted, but the absolute outrage will be if these changes do not help them.
