The College Football Playoff uses the bowl games in its national championship extravaganza to end the season, but it also has bowl effects that aren’t much talked about.
As has been pointed out, it is not unreasonable that rather than attempting to rank Southeastern Conference teams 1 through 16, that a tiers rating makes more sense.
To that end, the top tier would include those teams that expect to be playing for a national championship at the end of the regular season. At this time, a month before games begin, it is reasonable to put three teams in most preseason guesses (and the SEC Media Days poll) having three league teams at the top – historic number one Alabama coming off the SEC championship and a College Football Playoff appearance, recently considered nation’s best Georgia, and newcomer from the Big 12 and also a semifinalist in the CFP Texas.
There is widespread agreement that the two most powerful college football conferences, the SEC and the Big Ten, will dominate selections in the new 12-team CFP.
One spot, almost certainly the 12th, will go to the highest-ranked (by the CFP selection committee) Group of Five team to collect a participation trophy.
It is not outrageous to suggest that the SEC and Big Ten will have two teams each in the top four CFP rankings and thus holding first round byes. Beyond that, today it would seem that those leagues would get at least two more teams each into the tournament, leaving only three spots to be divied up among the ACC, Big 12, and Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, another tier, with perhaps two SEC teams in the first round on-campus games.
After those on-campus games, reducing the playoff field to eight, there will be four games in bowls (this year the Fiesta, Peach, Rose,and Sugar). The four winners continue in the semifinals in the Orange and Cotton. Those are the six bowls used in the CFP rotation. (The national championship game is auctioned off, this season going to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20.
The on-set of the playoff system has had its effect on bowl games.
At the end of the 2009 season as Alabama was preparing to play Texas in the Rose Bowl stadium (but not the Rose Bowl game, which had been played earlier, I was chatting with a group of so-called national writers and wondered aloud if this would be considered a bowl game for the record. The consensus, was, “No, it’s not a bowl game.” End of discussion, which was important to the Crimson Tide with national records of most bowl game appearances and most bowl game victories.
As it turns out, the designation now includes post-season games along with bowl games. Alabama has played in 78 post season games, including 9 (6-3 record) in BCS and CFP championship games. In bowl games it has played 68 times in 18 bowl games with a 39-26-3 record.
Perhaps because so many bowl games are in the South, it seems historically they have been more prized by Southern teams, and particularly important to Alabama.
Years ago, the battle was among the Big Four to get the best teams. The Rose Bowl had closed its shop to any teams other than the Pac-12 and Big Ten teams following Bama’s 34-14 romp over Southern Cal at the end of the 1945 season. The Cotton Bowl had the Southwest Conference champion and the Orange Bowl the Big Eight winner, and eventually the Sugar would get the SEC winner.
In a little exercise in examining preseason rankings (which we know will not be the way the season ends, so this is hypothetical), the four byes in the CFP would go to Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, and Oregon. The SEC would also have two teams, Alabama fifth and Ole Miss sixth, hosting first round games in their campus stadiums.
Let’s assume Alabama (fifth seed and playing a Group of Five team in Bryant-Denny Stadium) and Ole Miss (seeded sixth and hosting Utah) move on. Now four SEC teams have made a bowl game and possibly have a chance to play in a second.
Meanwhile, based on another poll, we have eight more SEC teams bowl eligible with six or more wins – LSU, Texas A&M, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida and, and Kentucky. (Kentucky is awaiting a final determination of specific penalties for its recent NCAA two years of probation.)
Are there enough affiliated bowls for all eligible SEC bowl teams? Yes. Can the SEC fulfill its bowl affiliation opportunities? More or less.
Here are the bowls with SEC bowl ties:
The Citrus Bowl, on Dec. 31 in Orlando, gets its pick of the top SEC team available after the CFP is settled. The opponent comes from the Big Ten.
The SEC alternates with the Big Ten between the Las Vegas Bowl (2020, 2022, 2024) and Duke’s Mayo Bowl (2021, 2023, 2025). This year, the SEC is expected to go to the Las Vegas for the Dec. 27 bowl game. Previously this game was played against a Pac-12 team.
The Liberty Bowl vs. a Big 12 team is Dec. 27 in Memphis.
The Music City Bowl is Dec. 30 in Nashville vs. a Big Ten team.
The Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa on Dec. 31 is vs. Big Ten or ACC team.
The Texas Bowl vs. a Big 12 team is Dec. 31 in Houston.
The Gator Bowl vs. an ACC team is Jan. 2 in Jacksonville.
Additionally, if needed, the SEC may place a team in either or both of two bowl games. They are:
The Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 27 vs. an American Athletic opponent.
The Gasparilla Bowl vs. an AAC or an ACC team on Dec. 20 in Tampa.
