SEC vs. Big Ten: The tug-of-war that’ll define the playoff's future

Whatever iteration the next College Football Playoff is made into, there are two people who will be responsible: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.

Both conferences hold the ultimate power to decide what playoff format is used, but they have to agree with each other on the format. That’s where problems are rising.

Sankey had his opportunity to voice his opinion and make his arguments for what the next playoff format should or shouldn’t be at last week’s SEC Media Days. Pettiti got his chance Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas (as well as in an interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger).

As a reminder, the Big Ten favors the 4-4-2-2-1 playoff format that’d see the SEC and Big Ten get four automatic bids, two each for ACC and Big 12 and one Group of 5 conference champion. The SEC at one point looked to be in agreement on that format, but has since shifted to favoring the 5+11 model. That format gives automatic bids only to conference champions and then 11 at-large bids.

Listening to Pettiti’s press conference Tuesday, and reading Dellenger’s story, it seems that Pettiti wants to take the selection committee out of the process.

“It’s not that we think the selection committee does a poor job. I’m just not sure how you make it better. The more teams you add, the more tough decisions you create,” Pettiti said in the Yahoo! Sports story. “We’re going to give the committee more to do? What’s the reason to do that? Giving them more work to do and more discretion?”

In the 4-4-2-2-1 format, each conference could decide how to assign its automatic bids. The most likely way would be play-in games based on conference standings. That would eliminate most of the work the playoff selection committee does.

The biggest problem with that, in my opinion, is it makes conference championship games meaningless because both teams in the game would already know they’re in the playoff.

Now the question becomes what happens next? I sincerely doubt if even Sankey and Pettiti know the answer.

The next domino to fall will be the SEC’s decision to add a ninth conference game or stay at eight. Big Ten teams play nine conference games and wants the SEC to do the same so both conferences are an a level field for metrics and the playoff committee.

But the SEC’s argument is (or should be) that the teams in the conference, from top to bottom, is better than the Big Ten’s entire 18-team conference.

Who would’ve been favored if Mississippi State (2-10, 0-8 in SEC) played Purdue (1-11, 0-9 Big Ten) last season?

Or what about if Florida (8-5, 4-4) played Michigan (8-5, 5-4)?

LSU (9-4, 5-3) against Iowa (8-5, 6-3)?

Even Mississippi State fans wouldn’t pick against Ole Miss (10-3, 5-3) if the Rebels had played Illinois (10-3, 6-3) last season. OK, the fans part might actually be a stretch, but Ole Miss would’ve been a heavy favorite.

The point is there is a difference.

I do have an idea, though, that could solve this issue, but I'll save that for another column.

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