SEC no longer granted automatic spot in Championship Game; hilarity ensues

[Spider-Dan]

Yeah, about that streak of SEC teams in the Championship Game: it's pretty easy to put a team there every year when the starting point for the media is that your conference is de facto better than every other conference before a single game has been played.

And in totally unrelated news, when forced to actually win their way into the championship game, suddenly The Streak Has Ended!  What an amazing coincidence!  I, for one, am shocked.

I will save my Nick Saban commentary for another time.

P.S. Food for thought: in the absence of a playoff system, the National Championship game this year would have been Alabama vs. Florida State.  Tell me how I am wrong.

[MikeO]

Also just think, IF there was NO playoff this year we would be talking about that Alabama-FSU National Title Game coming up in a few days most likely. That would have most likely been your national title game. The 1 loss SEC school vs the unbeaten defending national champs

The SEC got beat up the past few days. Alabama, Ole Miss, Miss St, LSU, Auburn all lost. Ole Miss and Miss St got flat out beaten up and embarrassed.

[Sunstroke]

Yeah, the SEC's air of superiority definitely had the air let out of it this postseason. As a Pac-12 fan living in SEC country, this provides me with a considerable amount of amusement.

[Tenshot13]

I just straight up hate FSU and Alabama, so this was a pleasing result.

[suck for luck]

I just straight up hate FSU and Alabama, so this was a pleasing result.

Oh hell yeah. Last night was absolutely perfect.

[masterfins]

I don't care for the Buckeye's but I was rooting for them last night when they beat Nick Satan!!!

[Spider-Dan]

Ole Miss and Mississippi State are the shining examples of SEC bias.

Mississippi State beat garbage teams out-of-conference, but because they beat SEC teams and SEC Teams Are The Best, they were ranked #1 in the nation.
The best team Ole Miss had on their out-of-conference schedule was an unranked Boise State.  Beating SEC teams propelled them to #3.

[ArtieChokePhin]

Even when SEC teams win, they embarrass.  Turns out a Gator player scored a TD with a dump in his pants

gamedayr.com/sports/college-ncaa/college-football/adam-lane-poop-his-pants-birmingham-bowl-129349/

[CF DolFan]

While a few teams got extra love because of it ... I'm pretty sure sure prior to the bowl games most people recognized the SEC was down this year. As for FSU ... everyone also knew they weren't the same team as last year but unfortunately no one beat them so regardless of what name they wear on their jerseys ... they deserved to be in the final four.

It's funny to me that people think this year means every year would have been the same. How may times have we seen an Ohio State run out of the National Championship?

[Spider-Dan]

You say that "most people recognized the SEC was down this year" but they had the #1 ranked team in the nation and 3 teams ranked in the top 10.  How many teams would they have in the top 10 of an "up" year.... 5?  7?

[Dave Gray]

I don't really see the hilarity.  With the info you had, the teams were ranked correctly.  ...FSU included.

You have to go off of the info you have -- Alabama looked great, FSU hadn't lost.  Even if they both had gotten blown out, they deserved to be there.

That's why you have a playoff.

[Spider-Dan]

"The info you had" said that SEC teams are de facto better than teams in other conferences.
That info was incorrect, hence the hilarity.

The SEC has benefited from this perception for years, and this was one of the first times where such an assumption has been put to the test.

[Dave Gray]

I think it's true, in general, that the SEC is better than other conferences.  Sure, that may have been inflated this year. 

But you have a pretty limited sample size. 

All you used to be able to go on is what you saw on the field.  SEC, in years past, looked stronger and faster.  It doesn't necessarily mean you're better, but if that's the info you have, you have to use what you've got.  And they did win many championships.

[Spider-Dan]

It's a lot easier to win championships when you are allowed to play for them every year.

As I already stated, without the Playoff this year, the BCS title game almost certainly would have been Alabama vs. Florida State, and the SEC would likely be celebrating another year of "domination" over the college football landscape.

[Dave Gray]

Right. I agree.  But they'd be right.  In that system, they were the best regular season teams.