[lex24]

My displeasure with Georgia being allowed in the playoff after losing in its conference championship game, is based on several factors, some directly related to Georgia's situation, some in the interest of college football as a sport, and some based on past experience that I'm still bitter about.

First of all, what did Georgia lose by losing its championship game? They are the only team that lost a championship game and suffered no real consequences. You can say that was the regular season, not a part of the playoff and be correct, but with so few teams allowed in, to me, teams should have to win their conference to get in, period. Otherwise, the SEC Championship game was just a practice game exhibition for Georgia, to experiment with things and not take the outcome seriously at all. This is just antithetical to what sports competition is suppose to be about. "Well they were undated..." Stanford basically missed the playoff twice because it had to play Utah and USC games on the road in different years, when if playing Sac State instead would have put them in the playoff.  Meanwhile, SEC teams got to play Chatanooga at home to pad their record and make the playoff.

So we have now established that if you are in the SEC, you get to play by different standards than everyone else. Giving one conference advantages over every other one is absurd. The fact that the SEC gets these advantages further allows Georgia and Alabama to corner the market on the best players. "Want to play for a national championship, then come here!"  At least if the field was expanded to 8 or 12 or 16, many more schools would be able to credibly claim to play for a national championship, the talent would be more dispersed, there would be more better teams, and interest in the sport would grow. The SEC wouldn't get to consolidate its unfair competitive advantages if the system was more equitable.

I remember the 1987 49ers were 13-2, and overwhelming favorites to beat the Vikings in playoffs, having won their last three games by a combined 124-7. The Vikings won the NFC Divisional playoff 38-24. NOBODY saw that coming. The Niners were clearly the best team in the NFL. They didn't get a mulligan like Georgia. Instead, I sat in the stands as a teenager wondering WTF is happening?!?!?!  The next week, the Washington Redskins beat the Vikings team that beat the Niners, and went on to win the Super Bowl the Niners would have won had they played, as evidenced by the fact they had outscored their final three opponents 124-7 and were clearly the best team, right?

I don’t get the Niner analogy.  They got beat in the playoffs by a lesser team. If College football had a similar playoff and Georgia was given a mulligan, you’d have a point. (Maybe a better analogy is the Giants getting beat by the second place Dodgers. Course, Giants won a WS as a WC in 2014.)

I don’t like the  4 team system.  I think it should be at least 6 with all 5 conference champions and a wild card.  Or 8 or 12. In any of those scenarios Georgia is in.

They went 12-0.  By an average margin of about 40-7. That is why they still got in despite losing a Championship game. 

You think Georgia considered an SEC Championship game an exhibition game to “experiment on “? Please.  Winning an SEC Championship by beating Alabama is “meaningful”.  And consider that if they did beat Bama, they knock them out of the playoffs.  Making their road to the NC considerably easier.

You were quite certain Michigan would beat Georgia.  Michigan is a damn good team.  They got waxed. By a MUCH better team.

The SEC dominates because they get the best players.  Period.  Look at the NFL. Check the numbers by conference.  Why?  I’ll give you a couple plausible reasons - first is demographics.  Football more and more is a Southern sport. At least at the HS level.  Throw in Texas and  Oklahoma.(If you want some proof - check out a top 100 recruiting list) 

Then, kids have the chance to play in stadiums with 80,000 fo 100,000 most games.  In areas where College Football is unquestionably King. (Which is why, I think, you now see top Calif recruits at Bama, Georgia etc.) 

I do agree with you on the 8 vs 9 team conference schedule.  The PAC-12 could go to that should it wish.

[lex24]

My displeasure with Georgia being allowed in the playoff after losing in its conference championship game, is based on several factors, some directly related to Georgia's situation, some in the interest of college football as a sport, and some based on past experience that I'm still bitter about.

First of all, what did Georgia lose by losing its championship game? They are the only team that lost a championship game and suffered no real consequences. You can say that was the regular season, not a part of the playoff and be correct, but with so few teams allowed in, to me, teams should have to win their conference to get in, period. Otherwise, the SEC Championship game was just a practice game exhibition for Georgia, to experiment with things and not take the outcome seriously at all. This is just antithetical to what sports competition is suppose to be about. "Well they were undated..." Stanford basically missed the playoff twice because it had to play Utah and USC games on the road in different years, when if playing Sac State instead would have put them in the playoff.  Meanwhile, SEC teams got to play Chatanooga at home to pad their record and make the playoff.

So we have now established that if you are in the SEC, you get to play by different standards than everyone else. Giving one conference advantages over every other one is absurd. The fact that the SEC gets these advantages further allows Georgia and Alabama to corner the market on the best players. "Want to play for a national championship, then come here!"  At least if the field was expanded to 8 or 12 or 16, many more schools would be able to credibly claim to play for a national championship, the talent would be more dispersed, there would be more better teams, and interest in the sport would grow. The SEC wouldn't get to consolidate its unfair competitive advantages if the system was more equitable.

I remember the 1987 49ers were 13-2, and overwhelming favorites to beat the Vikings in playoffs, having won their last three games by a combined 124-7. The Vikings won the NFC Divisional playoff 38-24. NOBODY saw that coming. The Niners were clearly the best team in the NFL. They didn't get a mulligan like Georgia. Instead, I sat in the stands as a teenager wondering WTF is happening?!?!?!  The next week, the Washington Redskins beat the Vikings team that beat the Niners, and went on to win the Super Bowl the Niners would have won had they played, as evidenced by the fact they had outscored their final three opponents 124-7 and were clearly the best team, right?

I don’t get the Niner analogy.  They got beat in the playoffs by a lesser team. If College football had a similar playoff and Georgia was given a mulligan, you’d have a point. (Maybe a better analogy is the Giants getting beat by the second place Dodgers. Course, Giants won a WS as a WC in 2014.)

I don’t like the  4 team system.  I think it should be at least 6 with all 5 conference champions and a wild card.  Or 8 or 12. In any of those scenarios Georgia is in.

They went 12-0.  By an average margin of about 40-7. That is why they still got in despite losing a Championship game. 

You think Georgia considered an SEC Championship game an exhibition game to “experiment on “? Please.  Winning an SEC Championship by beating Alabama is “meaningful”.  And consider that if they did beat Bama, they knock them out of the playoffs.  Making their road to the NC considerably easier.

You were quite certain Michigan would beat Georgia.  Michigan is a damn good team.  They got waxed. By a MUCH better team.

The SEC dominates because they get the best players.  Period.  Look at the NFL. Check the numbers by conference.  Why?  I’ll give you a couple plausible reasons - first is demographics.  Football more and more is a Southern sport. At least at the HS level.  Throw in Texas and  Oklahoma.(If you want some proof - check out a top 100 recruiting list) 

Then, kids have the chance to play in stadiums with 80,000 fo 100,000 most games.  In areas where College Football is unquestionably King. (Which is why, I think, you now see top Calif recruits at Bama, Georgia etc.) 

I do agree with you on the 8 vs 9 team conference schedule.  The PAC-12 could go to that should it wish.