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USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
The absurdity of absolute power. Big Ten, SEC fight to shape College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS — The Big Ten and SEC control the future of the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten and the SEC can't agree on anything. Which tracks about just how you think it would in Sin City, driving directly into the theater of the absurd. 'I'm not going to put any deadline on it,' Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said Tuesday of negotiations for the new CFP format, while opening Big Ten Media Days at Mandalay Bay Resort. I know this is going to shock you, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made it clear last week during SEC Media Days that, 'We have a deadline of Dec. 1.' Just when you thought the great College Football Playoff format debate couldn't devolve to more ridiculous levels, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti entered the chat and changed everything. Forget about the Big Ten and its desired 16-team format that focuses on automatic qualifiers (four each for the Big Ten and SEC) and the need for CFP play-in games during championship week. Forget about the SEC and its desire for 11 at-large selections of the 16, based heavily on strength of schedule. Cignetti wants everyone to know that the CFP selection committee has too much power in the process. The very committee that last year selected his 11-win team – with one win against a team with a winning record – to the exclusive party. The same guy who, when asked Tuesday about Indiana dropping a non-conference game against big, bad Virginia for a Championship Subdivision directional school, responded with, 'We figured we'd just adopt the SEC scheduling philosophy.' I swear I'm not making this up. SCHEDULE DEBATE: Indiana coach fires hot at SEC after dropping Virginia POWER RANKINGS: Where the Big Ten teams stack from first to worst But at this point, nothing should be surprising in this ever-more-absurd cock walk. Each ego-driven, billion dollar conference trying to exert power over the other, in a blatantly awkward swinging dictator contest. The Big Ten doesn't want to be seen as the SEC's little brother. The SEC doesn't want to be pushed into a corner, and bend the knee to the conference it has dominated on the field for decades. Sankey touted the SEC's historical strength of schedule in defense of 11 at-large selections. Winning 14 national titles since 2000 doesn't hurt, either. Petitti responded by declaring the Big Ten played in eight of the 11 CFP games in 2024, had the four most viewed television games on the season and seven of the top 10. Then he dropped the ultimate "scoreboard" hammer: 'We just stand by what we do in the Big Ten. I think the national results have shown the last couple of seasons.' Translation: the Big Ten has won the last two national titles. The SEC has done … what exactly? There's nothing logical about this public spat, nothing tangible that can be easily negotiated with clear minds or paid off with more money — which a 16-team CFP most certainly brings. This is about superiority and inferiority, and where the SEC and Big Ten fit. No matter the collateral damage. Imagine you're Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. A distinguished 38-year career in the Air Force, retired as a Lieutenant General — the second-highest general officer rank. You're minding your own business at Big Ten media days, sitting quietly in the back of the large ballroom when some schlub who just picked up his first power conference coaching job starts throwing darts at your committee. A committee the SEC and Big Ten played a critical role in creating and developing, and growing into the singular, insular monster it has become. So I asked this titan of service to his country, and frankly, to the Big Ten and SEC and every other college football conference, what it was like to watch Cignetti kneecap his committee. Was it difficult to watch? 'Yeah,' Clark said, smiling wide — and then he stopped himself. Because like all military personnel, he knows there's oder and there's consequences for going outside it. 'The committee selected Indiana,' Clark continued, 'And I think it was the right decision, too.' Would you look at that, a lesson in swallowing ego and pride for the greater good. No swinging dictators necessary. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
When does 'SEC Football: Any Given Saturday' come out on Netflix? What Tennessee Vols fans should know
Are the Tennessee Vols about to get their Netflix moment? "SEC Football: Any Given Saturday," an upcoming sports series aims to take fans deep into the world's most competitive college football conference, giving access to players, coaches, staff and more. The highly anticipated, eight-episode series is set to premiere on the streaming platform in August, exploring the 2024 season of the Southeastern Conference. A 1-minute, 53-second trailer was released on July 14 during SEC media days in Atlanta, taking college football fans all over the world into SEC locker-rooms, sidelines and even players' homes with their families. SEC game-day environment will be showcased. What is SEC Football: Any Given Sunday about? This SEC docuseries will highlight the conference's most elite players and coaches. It will offer a look into each team's traditions, routines and lifestyles, showing the journeys of seeking a championship. "This behind-the-scenes docuseries will bring all the drama and pageantry of Southeastern Conference football to a worldwide Netflix audience," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in Netflix's announcement. LSU head coach Brian Kelly, LSU linebacker Whit Weeks, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia were a few faces featured in the trailer, giving interviews. "Whether you're a die-hard fan, a lapsed alum, or just curious what life really like inside college football's most elite conference, the series brings unmatched access to the culture, commitment, and chaos of SEC football," Netflix said in announcement. "It's as much about the grind and emotion as it is about touchdowns and trophies." Which teams may be included in SEC Football: Any Given Saturday? The full roster of teams has not been announced, but according to the Netflix trailer, these organizations could be featured in the series: Tennessee Florida Arkansas Auburn LSU Texas A&M Mississippi State South Carolina Vanderbilt Kentucky Who is producing the SEC football series? "SEC Football: Any Given Saturday" will be produced by Box To Box films, the same production team of "Formula 1: Drive to Survive", "Break Point", "Sprint" and "Full Swing." James Gay-Rees, Paul Martin and Hillary Olsen are set to executive produce the series, while Collin Orcutt will be the showrunner. This show will spotlight the intensity of the SEC and what it takes for these organizations to have success in such a dominate conference. When and how to watch 'SEC Football: Any Given Saturday' The series premieres Aug. 5, only on Netflix. All eight episodes will be available to stream on that day. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: When does 'SEC Football: Any Given Saturday' come out on Netflix?

Associated Press
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Big Ten's Petitti: No support for SEC's at-large bid preference for College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Big Ten commissioner doubled down on the league's preference for multiple automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday, increasing the likelihood of a showdown with the Southeastern Conference when the format for 2026 is decided. At the league's football media days, Tony Petitti said any change that adds at-large bids and increases the discretion and role of a selection committee — a format the SEC and others have shown a preference for — 'will have a difficult time getting support of the Big Ten.' Petitti also bolstered the idea of a weekend's worth of play-in games for what — under one of the best-known proposals — would be four automatic bids for the Big Ten and SEC in a 16-team playoff, even though the games could put the Big Ten's top-seeded teams in jeopardy of being shut out of the CFP. The playoff expanded to 12 teams last season. 'There are 18 members in the Big Ten, you have 17 possible opponents and you play nine,' Petitti said. 'There's a lot of discrepancy. Let alone making comparisons across leagues, there's a lot of issues about how you compare teams inside the Big Ten. ... Where we came down is we were willing to take that risk.' Though there is a Dec. 1 deadline for expanding the playoff for 2026, Petitti said he wouldn't put any deadline on it, echoing a sentiment SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey voiced earlier this month when he said the 12-team format could stay in place until the two leagues agree on something new. Petitti said recent meetings between Big Ten and SEC athletic directors have produced good results and he expects another such summit would do the same. 'The goal would be to bring people back together, have a conversation about what we think works, then kind of go from there,' he said. The Big Ten and SEC will ultimately decide the new format, with input from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences, along with Notre Dame and the six smaller conferences who are part of the system. Also on Tuesday, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said his preference was one with five automatic bids and the rest at-large. 'Fairness and access should also be part of the equation,' Phillips said, while backing the work of the selection committee that would have a bigger role with 11 at-large selections to sort through. ___ AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big Ten's Petitti: No support for SEC's at-large bid preference for College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Big Ten commissioner doubled down on the league's preference for multiple automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday, increasing the likelihood of a showdown with the Southeastern Conference when the format for 2026 is decided. At the league's football media days, Tony Petitti said any change that adds at-large bids and increases the discretion and role of a selection committee — a format the SEC and others have shown a preference for — 'will have a difficult time getting support of the Big Ten.' Advertisement Petitti also bolstered the idea of a weekend's worth of play-in games for what — under one of the best-known proposals — would be four automatic bids for the Big Ten and SEC in a 16-team playoff, even though the games could put the Big Ten's top-seeded teams in jeopardy of being shut out of the CFP. The playoff expanded to 12 teams last season. 'There are 18 members in the Big Ten, you have 17 possible opponents and you play nine,' Petitti said. 'There's a lot of discrepancy. Let alone making comparisons across leagues, there's a lot of issues about how you compare teams inside the Big Ten. ... Where we came down is we were willing to take that risk.' Though there is a Dec. 1 deadline for expanding the playoff for 2026, Petitti said he wouldn't put any deadline on it, echoing a sentiment SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey voiced earlier this month when he said the 12-team format could stay in place until the two leagues agree on something new. Petitti said recent meetings between Big Ten and SEC athletic directors have produced good results and he expects another such summit would do the same. Advertisement 'The goal would be to bring people back together, have a conversation about what we think works, then kind of go from there,' he said. The Big Ten and SEC will ultimately decide the new format, with input from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences, along with Notre Dame and the six smaller conferences who are part of the system. Also on Tuesday, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said his preference was one with five automatic bids and the rest at-large. 'Fairness and access should also be part of the equation,' Phillips said, while backing the work of the selection committee that would have a bigger role with 11 at-large selections to sort through. Advertisement ___ AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and


The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
SEC suffocates Big Ten's rigged College Football Playoff plan
The Big Ten lacked support from the SEC, a necessary ally, to advance a 16-team playoff that would preassign half the bids to the Big Ten and SEC. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey extinguished what little life remained for the Big Ten's auto-bid-laden plan when he put his foot down last week at his conference's media days. If the SEC doesn't secure one of the expanded playoff plans it desires, Sankey said, then it's comfortable sticking with the current 12-team playoff format. And the SEC doesn't want the Big Ten's plan. Well, that's that then. PART OF PLAN?: NCAA settlement for college sports already faces challenges PLAYOFF PROBLEM?: Why committee could be tested by two SEC teams Big Ten's College Football Playoff plan stalls without SEC support The 12-team playoff will be in place for 2025. The format for 2026 and beyond remains under debate. To expand the playoff, the SEC and Big Ten would need to align behind a plan by a Dec. 1 deadline. Sankey referenced multiple playoff plans the SEC remains willing to consider. Notable by its omission: The Big Ten's plan that would earmark 13 of 16 spots as automatic bids preassigned to conferences. "We're going to have 5+7, 5+9, (or) 5+11," Sankey said. The Big 12 and ACC support the 5+11 plan. The SEC retains interest in it, too. In the math equations Sankey mentioned, the "5" means five automatic bids - one each going to the five-best conference champions. The second number in the equation means the number of at-large bids. "We'll continue to debate whether expansion beyond 12 is appropriate," Sankey said. That debate won't, apparently, include the Big Ten's favored 4+4+2+2+1+3 plan, which would have awarded four automatic bids to the Big Ten, four more to the SEC, two apiece to the ACC and Big 12, and one to the next-best conference champion, leaving three at-large bids. The SEC soured on this auto-bid plan in the spring, and, in Sankey's annual state-of-the-conference address, he offered no sign of retreating toward the Big Ten's plan. No individual conference wields the authority to unilaterally push through an expanded playoff. College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark told reporters last month that playoff expansion would require the SEC and Big Ten to agree upon a plan. What if they can't agree? That's a win for the status quo. "We have a 12-team playoff, (including) five conference champions," Sankey said. "That could stay if we can't agree." Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will get the next word in this debate when his conference's media days begin this week. But, really, what can he say? Sankey insists the SEC is comfortable staying at 12 if it can't achieve one of its preferred playoff expansion plans. If that's the case, then the Big Ten's pursuit of a 4+4+2+2+1+3 playoff has died on the vine. To which I say, good riddance. The 12-team playoff relies on a committee of subjective and imperfect humans to select most of the field, but subjectivity and imperfection are insufficient grounds to scrap this system in favor of a playoff that would pre-emptively reward conferences based on their history, brand and clout, instead of letting on-field results determine bid allocation. Big Ten, SEC alliance fizzles amid competing interests Early last year, the SEC and Big Ten announced a pact to work together to chart college sports' future. Stakeholders from the two super conferences met multiple times and discussed playoff expansion possibilities. Much like the Big Ten's previous alliance with the ACC and Pac-12, the bromance between the Big Ten and the SEC fizzled in the face of competing interests. There's "no rift" between Sankey and Petitti, the SEC commissioner said on his conference's television network last week, but they have "different views." The Big Ten, according to multiple reports, might be willing to compromise in favor of a 5+11 playoff if the SEC and ACC add another conference game and join the Big Ten and Big 12 in playing nine conference games. That's a fine wish, but the Big Ten lacks the muscle to force another conference to change its schedule. Sankey would like the SEC add a ninth conference game, but his membership has resisted his preference. The Big Ten played its playoff hand, but it lacked the cards to win the bet. "You always want to have a really good set of cards," Sankey said. "You want to have a good hand to play, right? I think we have the best hand." The Big Ten is running out of moves. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.