College Football Playoff Controversy: Time for Big Ten Commissioner to Explain his Radical Proposal

[NJDuck]

 

Posted by Jon Joseph:

 

Below is my response to an article by Jon Wilner of the Wilner Hotline,  I’m disagreeing with only one side of the 11-5 format being told and making the B1G the Playoff format bad guy.

 

Every CFB metric, including the number of folks tuning in, supports the B1G and the SEC having at least 4 teams each in the PO field. Viewers equal dollars at a time when CFB desperately needs dollars. 

 

Why trust a committee that had Boise State ranked as the ninth-best team in the country? Would Boise have defeated the 3-loss Illinois, Bama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina teams? Compared to these four teams, Boise had a weak strength-of-schedule. There was no explanation from the committee as to why Boise's SOS was ignored. 

 

Since the inception of One True Champion, the BCS, no team without a Blue Chip Roster has won a title. The B12 has no Blue Chip teams. The ACC has two Blue Chip teams, Clemson and Miami, and sometimes a third in FSU. 

 

The ACC, in particular, with eight conference games, and the B12 do not have an in-conference strength of schedule close to the SEC and the B1G. The CBB committee, with its disclosed and followed metrics, would publicly deal with this. The football committee decides its rankings sub rosa. 

 

If the ACC wants 3 teams in, stop enabling Notre Dame's independence. And play 9 conference games. Many 9 conference game B1G teams plan 10 P4 games, so don't try to justify 8 conference games because Louisville plays Kentucky, or because you're propping up Notre Dame.

 

The B1G has indicated that it would consider the 5-11 format IF the SEC plays 9 conference games. An entirely reasonable request, no?

 

If you believe Sankey and the SEC ADs weren't aware that the SEC would have had 6 teams in a 16-team 2024-25 PO field before being so informed by SEC coaches in Destin, Florida, don't get hurt falling off the pumpkin wagon. The Advisory Committee was a phony detente move by Sankey, who will be hailed as a hero if he goes 11-5, notwithstanding staying at 8 conference games. 

 

Sports journalists can't see through Sankey's ploy? They need Petitti to speak up and tear down the SEC's newfound interest in 11-5? So much for impartial journalism. 

 

And Jon, to the best of my knowledge, the NFL does not invite UFL teams to its PO. Add Notre Dame, Clemson, ASU, CU, FSU, and perhaps a couple of others to the Power 2, and what program outside of this group could win a PO? This is not CBB, where mid-majors can make tournament noise and win four games in a row on the way to a CFB title. 

 

The ACC and the B12 readily accepted media money. The media marketplace has decided on two winners, the SEC and the B1G. Harsh, but thus goes capitalism.

 

From the B1G's POV, take a look at the SEC cheerleader, ESPN's FPI top 25. Only 81.25% of the SEC is ranked in the top 25. If I'm Tony Petitti, here's my Exhibit A(uburn.)

 

Thanks for the great coverage of CFB, but as a Ducks fan, I prefer Petitti to follow the advice attributed to Teddy Roosevelt: Speak softly and carry a B1G stick. 

 

I never want to see Tony doing the Sesame Street act Sankey went with in 2023-24 when lobbying for Bama to be in instead of FSU. Sankey won the argument. Tony should roll over for the 11-5 model without the SEC playing a 9th conference game? 

 

I hope you are willing, without supporting the position, to explain what you believe to be the B1G's reasons for four automatic qualifiers.

 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 

* Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti remains silent on his controversial playoff proposal.

* The 4-4-2-2-1 model gives Big Ten and SEC four automatic bids.

* Critics demand transparency, comparing Petitti's silence to other commissioners' open discussions.

 

College Football Playoff controversy: Time for Big Ten commissioner to explain his radical proposal

WWW.KSL.COM

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As the College Football Playoff world debates proposed formats for 2026 and beyond, the architect of what many consider the nuclear option has remained deafeningly silent.

 

[Jon Joseph]

 

An example of why the B1G is concerned over 8 vs. 9 SEC conference games.

 

 

Alabama has a few extra bye weeks on its 2025 schedule with these 3 cupcakes

BAMAHAMMER.COM

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With just an eight-game conference schedule in the SEC, Alabama and the rest of the league has room for a few more cupcake opponents in the race for the CFP.

 

And will the opener at FSU be a test for The Tide? Last year, it was DTU who bombed at QB. 

 

QB Thomas Castellanos was benched by Bill O'Brien at BC and immediately left the team before transferring to FSU. I see SSDD headed FSU's way. 

 

Oh, and BTW, Ole Miss's toughest OOC opponent in 2025 is Wazzu .

 

The above is not emblematic of all SEC programs. Florida plays two P4 teams OOC in 2025, and Georgia played two in 2024. Texas does step up against Ohio State, but it and an Oklahoma team that plays Michigan, both have OOC three weenie-roasts. 

 

Penn State's OOC slate in 2025 is a LOL joke, but PSU does play 9 B1G games. 

 

Based on a small two-season sample size, and notwithstanding the ESPN FPI cheerleading and its own 'It Just Means More breast breast-beating, the B1G was on par with or better than the SEC in 2023 and 2024. 

 

Does it matter? One cannot tell how the CFB PO committee values SOS. Yes, 2-loss champ game loser SMU was in the field and not 3-loss Bama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. However, with its by far most difficult game being a loss at an Oregon team finding its footing, how in Hades can Boise State's ranking as the 9th best team in CFB be justified?

 

Nothing to see here, move right along.