Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; General view of the logo on the field prior to the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute! USC is nowhere near as good as Oregon or Ohio State. How can the Trojans play in the Big Ten football championship game this December in Indianapolis? That’s absurd! What’s the catch here?
The catch here is that we said USC “should” be in this game, not that it will — in point of fact — be in this game. If college football was operated and organized properly in the 12-team College Football Playoff era, neither Oregon nor Ohio State would play in the Big Ten Championship game this year.
Huh? What? This obviously needs an explanation, given that Oregon and Ohio State are both in the top three of the US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports, while USC is No. 23. We will give you that explanation below:
12-TEAM PLAYOFF
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The reality of the 12-team playoff is that if Ohio State and Oregon are both 11-1 heading into early December, they will easily be in the playoff field. This would not necessarily be true in a four-team playoff. Because Ohio State and Oregon would both be in a 12-team playoff if they go 11-1 this season, there’s really no reason for them to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. They play head-to-head this season. The winner gets the tiebreaker if applicable and is named Big Ten champion.
Are you beginning to see where we are going with this?
BIG TEN PLAYOFF GAME \u002d\u002d FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP
USA TODAY Sports Syndication: Journal-Courier
We are not advocating that the conference championship game events be eliminated. The nuance is that these made-for-television events should exist, but with different formatting and criteria for qualification. The television slot for the Big Ten Championship Game in early December on a Saturday night should still exist. We’re simply saying that if teams guaranteed to make the playoff from that conference exist, they shouldn’t play. Why add one game to those teams’ schedules when they already know they’re in the playoff and will need to play at least three more games if they want to win the national championship? That’s why college football needs to make this adjustment.
THIRD-PLACE GAME
USA TODAY Sports Syndication: Detroit Free Press
What we currently know as the Big Ten Championship Game — or any other conference championship game — should essentially become a third-place game. It seems second-rate until you realize what’s being done: If Ohio State and Oregon are easily in the playoff from the Big Ten, while USC and Michigan are both 9-3 and are on the fence for a playoff berth, the TV slot for the Big Ten title game in early December should be used for a USC-Michigan game in which the winner gets the Big Ten’s third and final playoff spot (or at least has a good chance of getting it), and the loser is obviously out.
EXTRA ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
USA TODAY Sports Syndication: Journal-Courier
Having third- and fourth-place teams in power conferences play in these conference championship game TV slots — instead of the top two teams in the conferences — basically inserts an extra set of playoff games into the college football season. It’s great for TV, it’s great for increasing fan interest and keeping other teams alive in the hunt late in the season. It makes all the sense in the world. It happens to be that USC stands to benefit from this kind of change, but if USC was in Ohio State’s or Oregon’s position, we would still recommend it, because again, an 11-1 conference champion doesn’t really need to play in these early-December games just before the actual 12-team playoff begins.
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
In the SEC, if Georgia is 12-0 and Alabama is 11-1, both teams are safely in the 12-team playoff. They don’t need to play in that game. Have 10-2 Ole Miss and 9-3 Missouri or LSU play for the SEC’s third playoff berth. See how this works?
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
USA TODAY Sports Syndication: Greenville
If 11-1 Florida State and 11-1 Clemson are both guaranteed to make the 12-team playoff, have 10-2 Louisville and 9-3 Virginia Tech play in the game instead, with the winner at least having a chance to make the playoff. If, however, Florida State is 11-1 and Clemson is 10-2, then Clemson and 10-2 Louisville would meet for what could be the ACC’s second playoff berth. Flexibility would have to be built into the equation, but the concept is clear enough for everyone to see and understand.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Why USC, not Ohio State or Oregon, should play in Big Ten title game this December
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Publish date : 2024-08-07 05:38:00
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