Today on Hurrdat Sports Radio, Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald joins hosts Ravi Lulla and Damon Benning to dive into the 12-team College Football Playoff landscape after the bracket reveal. Discussions have risen regarding Alabama being excluded and the overall SEC being able to maintain dominance with increasing challenges.
Alabama’s Exclusion: A Wake-Up Call?
Alabama was left out from the playoffs due to the key losses during the season against .500 teams in Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. These setbacks highlighted Alabama’s failure to secure decisive wins, a factor the committee has historically valued.
“The commentary about nonconference scheduling is sort of a distraction,” McKewon says. Alabama’s relatively weak nonconference schedule wasn’t the deciding factor but rather the uncharacteristic losses. “There’s a kind of sourness today from that league,” McKewon adds, pointing to the SEC’s tendency to react strongly when outcomes don’t align with its expectations.
Tennessee’s Safe Passage
Tennessee managed to maintain a strong standing, aided by key victories, including a decisive win over Alabama. Their dominant performance against NC State also bolstered their analytical metrics, solidifying their place in the conversation.
“Tennessee’s overall résumé was strong enough,” McKewon explains, emphasizing how margin-of-victory analytics played a role. This consistent placement has sparked debates about whether Tennessee benefitted from less rigorous scrutiny compared to other programs.
Is the SEC a “Ponzi Scheme”?
Lulla describes the SEC as a “Ponzi scheme,” criticizing the league for relying on preseason rankings to inflate its reputation in the season. Outside of Georgia and Texas, Lulla argues, the conference’s strength appears shallow, propped up by logic from the past that keeps on reinforcing its dominance.
McKewon partially agrees, noting that there have been years, such as the 1980s, where the SEC was more about brand than substance. He traced the modern SEC’s rise to its exclusive CBS contract in the early 1990s, which elevated its national profile. However, McKewon suggests that the league’s golden years may be diminishing, pointing to signs of parity across the country.
Broader Implications for the Playoff Landscape
The playoff system itself also came under fire, with McKewon criticizing the lack of conference uniformity in scheduling and philosophy. The SEC’s reluctance to adopt nine conference games undermines its credibility, especially when compared to other leagues with more robust schedules.
Meanwhile, the rise of teams like Oregon and Arizona State signals a shifting dynamic in college football. McKewon highlights Arizona State’s recent hot streak and familiarity with potential playoff opponents as factors that could lead to an upset-filled postseason. “They’re playing with house money,” he notes, suggesting the Sun Devils could shock traditional powers.
The Path Forward
As the playoff picture unfolds, the SEC finds itself in an unusual position. Without a team that is head-and-shoulders above the rest, the conference must grapple with a more level playing field. While Georgia remains a contender, McKewon brings up that their path to the championship will be far from easy, leaving the door open for new narratives to emerge. Whether this marks the beginning of the end for the SEC’s dominance or simply a temporary setback remains to be seen.
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