Paul Finebaum explores the possibility of the SEC dropping its conference championship game with automatic CFP bids.

In what has already been a highly discussed first season of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP), speculation about expanding and reforming the playoff model is gaining momentum. Reports suggest a potential new structure where the SEC and Big Ten would each secure four automatic bids to the CFP.

The introduction of automatic bids would likely reduce the significance of conference championship games. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, speaking recently on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, shared his thoughts on the subject, suggesting that the SEC might eventually move away from its conference championship game altogether.

“I think there’s two schools of thought,” Paul Finebaum explained. “The old school thought is everything we already know about those weekends, but I think you have to eliminate that because that weekend is already getting diluted slightly. It even felt that way this year in Atlanta. Yeah, there were a handful of empty seats. We knew both programs were going to the Playoff, we just didn’t know which one [would earn a bye].”

As the SEC Championship Game approached, it seemed inevitable that both participating teams would be part of the CFP. This diluted the stakes of the game compared to others, like the Big 12 Championship, where only the winner would advance. Finebaum suggests that, regardless of any playoff expansion or the inclusion of auto-bids, the SEC will continue to place multiple teams in the CFP field, diminishing the game’s overall importance.

“But I think if it’s done right and if it’s done with a minimum of schools,” Finebaum continued, “I think there could be some drama that weekend, if we had a play-in for the fourth spot or something. Let’s say Alabama had played Ole Miss this year in Atlanta for the final spot in the field, as opposed to Alabama-Texas. There probably would have been tremendous interest in that.”

With an expanded playoff system, the SEC could be assured of four teams making the field each season, removing any playoff-related stakes from the SEC Championship Game. At that point, the championship game would purely serve the purpose of crowning a conference champion, without direct implications for the CFP. Finebaum believes this shift opens the door for new possibilities.

“There were a lot of people watching the game as it was, but there was minimum on the line. There was a first-round bye on the line, which didn’t really seem to help either team,” Finebaum noted. “And didn’t help anybody in the field, but I think it can be done that way. But if you start getting games in Atlanta and then two or three home sites, I think the weekend is gonna be a mirage.”

The 2024 SEC Championship Game, between Georgia and Texas, drew 16.6 million viewers, slightly down from the 17.52 million who tuned in for the 2023 edition of the game. The decrease highlights the shifting dynamics and growing sense that the SEC Championship Game’s relevance may evolve significantly with the changes to the playoff structure.