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4w ago

Alabama AD Greg Byrne Says SEC Title Game Has Run Its Course

The push reflects a 16-team playoff vision that would use regular-season standings for bids.

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A football sits on the sidelines before an ACC football game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Virginia Tech Hokies on October 5, 2024 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California.
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Overview

  • Byrne, who spoke to USA TODAY on Thursday, said the SEC championship should end as the College Football Playoff grows.
  • He outlined a 16-team model with five automatic bids and 11 at-large spots and said conferences could award bids by regular-season finish using tiebreakers if title games go away.
  • The playoff will stay at 12 teams for 2026 after talks stalled, with the SEC, ACC and Big 12 backing 16 teams while the Big Ten has floated a 24-team bracket.
  • Scrapping conference finals could start the first CFP round in early December and pull semifinals and the title game earlier, which reduces extra-game injury risk and shortens travel crunches for players and fans.
  • The SEC title game still draws roughly 16–17 million viewers and anchors ESPN’s multibillion-dollar deal, so conferences would likely rely on added CFP inventory to replace that revenue.