CBS Sports college football analyst Josh Pate had some constructive criticism regarding the structure of the newly minted 12-team playoff bracket, which is set to begin with opening-round matchups next weekend.
Pate said there needs to be tweaks to improve the format, and part of the blame falls on SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. Whether that's rewarding teams for losing (i.e., Clemson defeating SMU and Oregon defeating Penn State in their conference championships, but all four qualify) or a further expansion, the model does not seem to fit what Pate was anticipating.
"You reformat the playoff, and you throw your weight around next year to do it," Pate said on "Josh Pate's College Football Show." "You get yourself three or four guaranteed spots in the playoff because once you have that, you have everything. So, if I'm the SEC, if I know I've got, let's just say it's three. If I've got three guaranteed spots in the playoff, or call it four. If I've got four guaranteed spots at the table, at that point, I don't have to worry about the committee anymore."
Pate said the issue with the SEC comes down to conference standings and an even balance instead of subjectivity.
"The way you would reward your [SEC] teams for having a good year is you take Texas at No. 1, they get one of the chairs," Pate said. "They don't have to play another game. Georgia at No. 2 – they get one of the chairs. They don't have to play another game. You may say to yourself, 'Josh, aren't they gonna go to the SEC Championship?' No, I'm getting to that. Hold on."
Pate explained how his proposed method would put the two most deserving teams in the conference title game and College Football Playoff.
"Those two are already in," Pate said, referencing the top two teams. "Now, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Alabama are the next four highest-ranked SEC teams in this given year. Well, here's what you do with your conference championship weekend: you actually create two games instead of one, but they are not conference championship games anymore. They are play-in games."
Pate's idea would see Tennessee, which finished third overall in the conference, take on Alabama, the sixth-place team. Similarly, the other game would see South Carolina play Ole Miss in a hypothetical No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup to determine the fourth SEC qualifier.
Given the outrage over Alabama missing a chance to win a national title this season, the idea seems like a fair and workable solution for all parties involved in the years ahead.
Whether any scenario close to Pate's becoming implemented remains unclear; it gives the new format a chance to reassess which teams deserved to get in. But, for now, only time will tell.
