Way back in 1992, the SEC played the first conference championship game. Every few years, another conference would add one, and all major conferences have held them since 2018. In fact, as some may remember, conferences that weren’t hosting a championship game were looked down upon for their lack of schedule, and a few conferences were shut out of the four-team playoff because of it.
But college football is ever-changing, and the powers that be can be fickle. The rules are constantly in flux, and what
was a near-mandate for making the playoffs in the four-team model is now seen as an obstacle in the twelve-team version. At least, that’s what has happened when certain teams don’t qualify for the CFP and decide to throw a tantrum.
According to last week’s reports, the American Football Coaches Association supports eliminating conference championship games as well, among other things, like finishing the playoff earlier in January. While the AFCA doesn’t have the power to change any rules, many of those coaches are part of the committees that can.
Unfortunately, the article doesn’t go into much detail about why the coaches support this move, which will hopefully come out at some point. It’s unknown how many, or which, coaches are the ones leading the charge as far as eliminating conference championships, but it is safe to assume several coaches from the SEC and Big Ten conferences are part of the group in favor of it.
That’s not to say the coaches don’t have a good reason for supporting eliminating conference championship games, but it would be helpful to know if the breakdown of those in favor and not in favor is a P4/G6 split, or if people’s views are independent of conference affiliations.
Regardless, some may argue that conference championships are now obsolete, given that the playoffs appear destined for expansion. In that scenario, because playoff games matter more, games that are not in the playoffs matter less. And for most or all power conferences, the two teams that would play for the conference championship would already be in the playoffs. And in order to keep the football season from going longer, the playoffs could start a week earlier if there were no conference championship games.
That being said, the lack of championships would come at a financial cost, as each brings in a considerable amount of money from media payouts and stadium revenue. The SEC, of course, leads the way with over $50 million from their championship game, and while mid-major conferences may not get close to that, it would still be revenue that has to be made up somehow. If they are pushing for the change, it’s likely because they already know they can get more than that through an expanded playoff format.
As with most things, there are fair points on both sides of the argument. And the opinions of head coaches should matter greatly, but without more details, it’s hard to know why they are in favor of ending them. And it’s hard to feel like this isn’t a reaction to some teams from certain conferences being left out of the playoffs in recent seasons. Because we know that the loudest voices in college football are often people complaining that someone else is getting what they want and feels entitled to.
If conference championships have truly become obsolete in the new era of playoff expansion, and it helps simplify the college football calendar, so be it. However, if eliminating them is the latest attempt to consolidate power to ensure the same handful of teams compete for national championships every season, while leaving less room for surprises and cinderellas, CFB is once again losing sight of why the sport is so great.
If the sun is setting on conference championships in the near future, we are losing quality games. We are losing bragging rights. We are losing a clear conference hierarchy at the end of the year. We are losing the final home games for some teams. We are losing marquee moments, title sponsorships (such as Old Trapper Beef Jerky), and trophy presentations. We are losing social media banter and gif-worthy fan reactions.
In an expanded playoff, some of those things will remain in some form or be swapped into similar replacements. But none of it will have the conference-focused appeal that we currently have. Perhaps none of us will care in a few years, but as college football changes, it becomes more big-picture-driven and less focused on the uniqueness it once held. There is something about championship weekend, getting to see ten different champions crowned that we can root for or relate to, rather than one final champion that very few have a vested interest in. The sport has long celebrated many different winners, but we are moving in a direction that instead prioritizes one over the many.
College football is wonderful for many reasons, but one is that the future NFL star and the future high school history teacher can both be MVPs of their respective conference championship games and are celebrated as such. But when we find ways to emphasize the former while also minimizing the latter, we move the specialness of the sport out of the spotlight. And while college football will continue to evolve, the spotlight needs to remain on what matters and what makes the sport special. And what makes the sport special isn’t maximizing financial payouts to make the rich richer.
