Alabama AD says the SEC championship game has 'run its course'
If and when the College Football Playoff expands to 16 teams, conference title games could easily be cut from the schedule.
The movement to ditch conference championship games in college football is getting stronger. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told USA Today that the “ship has sailed” regarding the SEC title game. That’s a strong opinion from the leader of an athletic department whose football team has made five SEC championship games since 2018 and won four of them.
“I think the ship has sailed,” Byrne said. It’s run its course. ” Byrne’s sentiment is hardly unique.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger wrote all the way back in December of 2024 how the relevance of conference title games could be challenged in the era of the 12-team playoff. That story is looking more and more prescient now. Especially if the playoff expands to 16 teams.
Though the SEC and the Big Ten are at a stalemate as to how to expand the 12-team playoff by four more teams, it seems inevitable that the playoff will get bigger at some point in the near future. And as the playoff grows, conference title games would be the likely victims. Conference championship games were established as a way for leagues to generate more money and add a marquee event at the end of the regular season.