Can’t Wait For Saturday | CFP quibbling about byes seems like the wrong approach

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Greetings from “Can’t Wait For Saturday,” your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He’ll give you his views each day on the game he loves.

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The folks in charge of the College Football Playoffs are either as dumb as a box of rocks (doubt it) or playing 10-dimensional chess (more likely).

How else to explain the recent reports about the Big Ten and SEC getting the only byes in a proposed 14-team playoff?

Now, the word is the idea is losing steam. You think?

Only two people want that setup. the commissioners of the Big Ten and SEC. Everyone else? Not so much.

Yes, the Power Two hold most of the cards. Mainly ginormous TV markets and a combination of the historically best programs. Alabama Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Southern Cal pack quite a punch.

If the CFP does go to the 14 teams in two years, which seems to be the direction, then there is only one fair way to handle the first-round byes: they go to the top two teams regardless of conference. Duh.

If you want to appease the Power Two — because you know they are going to be big babies — tell them one league can earn both byes in the same year. That should shut them up.

Then, privately, tell the current and future selection committees: don’t ever let that happen.

The key to this whole deal working well is that the Power Two do something against their nature and that is consider the greater good.

Understand, college football is going to to a special place with the expanded playoffs. Now is not the time to get greedy. They are going to be printing money.

Maybe another way for the rest of the conferences to appease the Power Two: tell them all future games will be at home sites except…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cant-wait-saturday-cfp-quibbling-144800270.html

Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Publish date : 2024-03-10 14:48:00

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