The talk of the entire offseason in College Football this year has been over the format of the College Football Playoff. After just one season in the expanded 12 team format, the Conferences and the Coaches have all been looking to find a better alternative to what they feel is a flawed system. The changes have already started with the Playoff moving to a straight seeding format but, expansion is most likely the next change to come.
Conference Commissioners have met and talked on zoom countless times this offseason looking to figure out whether a move to 14 or 16 bids is a better format and if certain conferences should be guaranteed more bids than others. The biggest discussion has been a 16 team field but, there has been one hang up with the proposal.
In order to move to this format, the Big Ten wants the SEC to move to a 9 game Conference schedule while it's also been floated that the two could make a scheduling agreement playing against each other which would help in determining the strength of the leagues.
On Tuesday, Bret Bielema threw the SEC under the bus for the conversations stopping during Illini Night at Wrigley Field.
"I don't think there's any way we could do a 16-team Playoff if the SEC is not at 9 (Conference) games. We voted unanimously as Big Ten coaches to stay at 9 and actually maybe have an SEC Challenge. I was told that they voted unanimously to stay at 8 and not play the Big Ten. But then some people want to pop off and say what they say because they want to look a certain way."Bret Bielema
If what Bret Bielema is saying is true, then the SEC is preventing everyone from gettinge what is truly best for the sport going forward. The SEC and Big Ten playing 9 Conference games a year would be the best for the fans as they'd get guaranteed more meaningful games than we currently have. A Big Ten Vs SEC Challenge would only add further intrigue and great matchups to the Sport helping eliminate some of the Cupcake out of conference matchups.
Instead, the sport will remain where the fans are sick of it being as we'll continue to move along without an answer to the College Football Playoff format. The fans and most of the Coaches at this point are sick and tired of all the discussions around the changes and just want to see a format set so they can move on but, no end to this process appears in sight.