Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy has transitioned into the analyst role. In the changing college football landscape, there are many unknowns. One thing is for sure: the SEC and Big Ten are the dominant conferences in the nation. Both are expanding in 2024, and reports indicate further expansion could happen. McElroy believes these two conferences could break off and form their own College Football Playoff.
Greg McElroy: SEC & Big Ten To Create College Football Playoff?
McElroy was having a conversation with Paul Finebaum about the state of the sport and said he could see the two conferences deciding to run their own playoff.
“How fast could this pull away? What’s stopping the SEC and the Big Ten from saying, ‘Yeah, we’re just going to start our own Playoff? And you guys can battle for that CFP trophy all you want, we’re going to start our own and then we’re going to crown a champion from the 34 member institutions that are under our umbrella. And if you’re out, so be it.”
With the number of elite teams in these two conferences, they could have a very entertaining playoff. Because the current playoff is under a separate entity, the conferences do not have to participate.
Finebaum Agrees
Paul Finebaum agreed with McElroy and said this is a scenario that other conferences fear.
“Why can’t they pick and choose a few more schools to make it even more legitimate than it already is. That’s where I think the ACC has to be shivering right now on this cold February day, because they’re in court right now with Florida State. You have to believe that Clemson and North Carolina and others are going, ‘Hey, do we really want to get stuck in this boat, or do we want to get out?’ And I think the answer is fairly obvious.”
We could be heading toward two super-conferences very soon. Large programs are going to want to be in the Big Ten or SEC. The Pac-12 is already dissolved, and the Big 12 took a big hit when Texas and Oklahoma decided to leave. The changes have been rapid, and there will likely be more fallout over the next couple of years.
Greg McElroy thinks this could be a possibility. If it did happen, it would rock the college football world. We will have to wait and see how the landscape changes over the next decade.