Joel Klatt believes 12-team College Football Playoff will always have SEC bias

Joel Klatt calls out SEC tilt in 12-team playoff

College football analyst Joel Klatt believes the SEC will always have preference in the 12-team College Football Playoff. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Joel Klatt is not convinced the 12-team College Football Playoff will deliver true balance. The Fox Sports analyst joined The Next Round podcast this week and voiced concerns about how the system inherently favors the SEC.

Klatt explained that while expanded access has improved the meaning of regular-season games, the current reliance on rankings and resumes still tilts toward one conference. His comments shortly after the latest AP Top 25 held an unprecedented 11 teams from the SEC.

Klatt said the environment he experienced in Ames for Iowa State’s win over Iowa showed the value of more automatic access. Instead, he fears the committee will continue to lean on metrics like wins over ranked opponents, reinforcing or creating a feedback loop toward the SEC’s dominance in polls.

Klatt Calls For Access-Based Playoff Instead Of Selection Model

Klatt believes a playoff system should guarantee access for leagues rather than rely on a committee to select at-large bids. He argued that the SEC’s 11 ranked teams are not all equal, but under the current structure, those rankings create more opportunities for its middle tier.

“Prior to the 12-team playoff, Saturday would have just been like a cute Iowa regional game,” Klatt said. “This is why I argue for more access-based playoff and less selection-based playoff because what we have now is 11 teams in the SEC ranked.

South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers leads one of 11 SEC teams in the AP Top 25. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"Are we sure about all 11? Probably not. Are we sure about the middle of the Big Ten? I don’t know. And yet the selections are going to be largely based off metrics like what did you do against ranked opponents, which is going to heavily favor the SEC.”

Klatt emphasized he is not against rewarding quality teams but pointed out that polls can distort the playoff race. He prefers a system where conference champions or top finishers earn direct entry, protecting the importance of games like Iowa-Iowa State. He called the current committee model “ridiculous” and based on narrative rather than proof.

SEC Depth Raises Questions Of Balance In Expanded Playoff

The SEC now has nearly half of the Top 25, highlighted by Auburn and Missouri entering after Week 2. The story of the weekend remained the league’s overwhelming presence in the rankings.

Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, and Oregon held the top four spots, yet the SEC placed 11 programs in the poll, an all-time record. With Oklahoma beating Michigan and Tennessee preparing to face Georgia, the early season schedule is building momentum for the conference’s perceived depth.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the Tigers are the leading SEC team in the AP Top 25. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Klatt’s remarks connect directly to this milestone. He suggested the committee will lean heavily on such rankings, giving SEC teams a built-in advantage regardless of how even the rest of the field appears.

That tension is what makes his call for access-based entry significant, as it frames the playoff as more than just a system of evaluation but as a tool to spread opportunity.