Started By
Message

How long before one of the teams from the Power Four op out of championship game?

Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:13 am
Posted by tha mastablasta
Somewhere over the rainbow
Member since Jan 2012
630 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:13 am
I don’t think it’s far-fetched for a team to be in a situation where a loss would knock them out of a playoff birth for them to say “we’re good” and see if the committee punishes them. Would most agree that the championship games are obsolete at this point?
This post was edited on 12/3/25 at 7:15 am
Posted by tgdk11
Member since Nov 2017
1938 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:15 am to
They are all 3 ranked right by each other. A conf champ win is what would justify 1 team over another.
Posted by LSBoosie
Member since Jun 2020
17007 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:19 am to
If Alabama get kicked from the playoff this year, I’d expect it to happen next year. They need to get rid of conference championship games, expand to 16 teams, and be done with it.
Posted by paulb52
Member since Dec 2019
7310 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:22 am to
What does Georgia or Alabama have to gain by playing the SECCG? Other than a trophy? Alabama could get knock out of playoffs with another loss. Not likely because it’s Alabama but possible. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Texas &M, Ole Miss are actually ranked higher than Alabama and get to sit home and rest.
Posted by Metaloctopus
Louisiana
Member since Nov 2018
6705 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:27 am to
quote:

If Alabama get kicked from the playoff this year, I’d expect it to happen next year. They need to get rid of conference championship games, expand to 16 teams, and be done with it.


No more expansion, please. 12 is already terrible, with mediocre teams getting in.

Conference championship games are part of the process. No reason to remove them. If any team finds themselves not caring about a conference title game because they think it doesn't matter, then they can play a bunch of walk-on's and get embarrassed. Otherwise, man up and play the game to win. I'm tired of people trying to ruin everything that was good about this sport, by replacing everything with never ending expansion, realignment, pseudo free agency, and trying to duck out of playing games, for one reason or another.
This post was edited on 12/3/25 at 7:29 am
Posted by ELVIS U
Member since Feb 2007
11574 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:29 am to
Consider it the first round of the playoffs and it all works out. Only the SEC will have problems with this.
Posted by theliontamer
Baton Rouge
Member since Nov 2015
1839 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:32 am to
They should just make the SEC championship the national championship. And all the other conferences can play for the secondary champion.
Posted by Metaloctopus
Louisiana
Member since Nov 2018
6705 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:34 am to
quote:

What does Georgia or Alabama have to gain by playing the SECCG? Other than a trophy? Alabama could get knock out of playoffs with another loss. Not likely because it’s Alabama but possible. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Texas &M, Ole Miss are actually ranked higher than Alabama and get to sit home and rest.


They'll have plenty of rest before the playoffs. Playing games keeps you sharp. And it's nothing new that sometimes playing for a conference championship could hurt you. But if you get rid of them, there will be just as many, if not more instances where conferences hurt themselves by not having that extra game. It's just part of the deal.
Posted by Geauxgurt
Member since Sep 2013
13185 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:34 am to
The committee made a stupid decision by moving Bama up. They would not have been left out of the playoff for losing the SEC title game if they rightfully stayed behind ND and should have been behind Miami this week. They would have been in the outside in and needing the SECCG win to get in.

By moving them up after a bad performance against a a bad team, all they did was show their goal is to force Bama in and create more controversy. Now if Bama loses, they “drop out” where as before they would simply not have moved up to get in.

Committee had an easy solution to keep meaningful logic and avoid this.

Miami at 9, ND at 10, Bama at 11 and BYU at 12.

This way, you make sure head to head matter ma when records are equal. You value good losses over bad losses, and conference championships can help you get in but won’t cost you if you are in and then lose.

So simple and follows logic, but it won’t bring up the ratings and protect ESPN’s perceived cash cow teams.
Posted by tigerbaiter1033
USA
Member since Nov 2011
2470 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:35 am to
If Alabama wins they catapult to 4 and get a bye.
Posted by RockChalkTiger
A Little Bit South of Saskatoon
Member since May 2009
11045 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:36 am to
It has already happened in college baseball. The conference tournament used to be about the best teams trying to win a title. Now it is about throwing off and trying to lose as quickly as possible so you can get home and rest up for Regionals. Hoover used to be a great tournament. Now it is only about bubble teams trying to grab an auto-bid.
If Bama gets punished for losing a CG (which I sincerely hope they do!) then that will probably be the end of the conference CGs. Especially in a sport as injury prone as football--look at Carson Beck last year.
Posted by BhamTigah
Lurker since Jan 2003
Member since Jan 2007
17333 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:41 am to
SEC should change to the 2 highest ranked teams. That way you get a game that doesn’t include a team with a bad ooc loss and no worries about a loss in the championship hurting a team.
Posted by LSBoosie
Member since Jun 2020
17007 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:45 am to
quote:

No more expansion, please. 12 is already terrible, with mediocre teams getting in.

I personally would be fine with no expansion but if they get rid of conference championships it’s gonna happen. Too much money.
quote:

Conference championship games are part of the process. No reason to remove them. If any team finds themselves not caring about a conference title game because they think it doesn't matter, then they can play a bunch of walk-on's and get embarrassed. Otherwise, man up and play the game to win. I'm tired of people trying to ruin everything that was good about this sport, by replacing everything with never ending expansion, realignment, pseudo free agency, and trying to duck out of playing games, for one reason or another.

But they are pointless, and they create an unfair and unbalanced system. The sport is evolving and with that evolution, changes need to be made to improve the process. Also, what you described is exactly what's killing the sport. You are advocating for a game in which teams might be inclined to play a bunch of walk-ons instead of a playoff game in which every team would be desperaely trying to win.
This post was edited on 12/3/25 at 8:31 am
Posted by Geauxgurt
Member since Sep 2013
13185 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:46 am to
If Bama loses, they should be out because they lost to a 7 loss team by 14 points. The SEC championship game shouldn’t excuse them from that loss if they lose. It should just be a way for them to make up for the loss if they win.
Good losses somehow are supposed to push you up but bad losses can’t push you down apparently. It’s absurd.
Posted by BTRtoIAH
Kingwood, TX
Member since May 2016
595 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:46 am to
What do they have to gain? How about a conference championship. In the past years when we won a Natty I’d argue the SECCG was a tougher opponent. You play a whole season for a chance to be titled a champion. I’d bet you that every player on the team puts great value on the conference championships.
Posted by Pikes Peak Tiger
Colorado Springs
Member since Jun 2023
9426 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:49 am to
quote:

Conference championship games are part of the process. No reason to remove them


Unpopular opinion, but I’d argue that CCGs should be the default round 1 of the playoffs. Of course that would mean ND has to actually join a conference or get left out.
Posted by lostinbr
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Oct 2017
12630 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 7:56 am to
quote:

If Alabama get kicked from the playoff this year, I’d expect it to happen next year.

I’ve said it before, but there’s an incredibly simple solution to this problem that doesn’t require championship games to be eliminated.

Just don’t update the CFP rankings after the conference championship games.

Admittedly it worked better as a solution when the first-round byes were reserved for conference champs (because it gave upside to everyone playing in those games) but it’s still better than the risk of a team dropping in the rankings.
Posted by cafeaulait19
Houston, Texas
Member since Jul 2012
770 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 8:04 am to
Agree - Conference championship games are useless in today’s system. Have the 9-16 teams play in (round1) to settle all (some of…) the “who’s the better team” hoopla, then have your 12 teams play in current playoff format. You’d still have 4 games of revenue to replace the Conf Champ revenue.
Posted by LSBoosie
Member since Jun 2020
17007 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 8:05 am to
quote:

I’ve said it before, but there’s an incredibly simple solution to this problem that doesn’t require championship games to be eliminated.

Just don’t update the CFP rankings after the conference championship games.

Admittedly it worked better as a solution when the first-round byes were reserved for conference champs (because it gave upside to everyone playing in those games) but it’s still better than the risk of a team dropping in the rankings.

I suppose they could do that. I don't see any incentive for a school to play any of their starters in that scenario though. I think you'd be watching a glorified scrimmage between backups.
Posted by tha mastablasta
Somewhere over the rainbow
Member since Jan 2012
630 posts
Posted on 12/3/25 at 8:06 am to
quote:

Metaloctopus
quote:

No more expansion, please. 12 is already terrible, with mediocre teams getting in.

Conference championship games are part of the process. No reason to remove them. If any team finds themselves not caring about a conference title game because they think it doesn't matter, then they can play a bunch of walk-on's and get embarrassed. Otherwise, man up and play the game to win. I'm tired of people trying to ruin everything that was good about this sport, by replacing everything with never ending expansion, realignment, pseudo free agency, and trying to duck out of playing games, for one reason or another.


You are definitely in the minority when it comes to this line of thinking
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 3Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram