College football analyst Paul Finebaum believes that the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff tournament will make it more difficult for SEC teams to play in the semifinals and national championship. In the former format, the selection committee was almost guaranteed to choose at least one SEC team to be in the final four. However, Finebaum believes this may not be the case anymore with the expanded format.
Only three SEC teams qualified in this year’s 12-team CFP playoff. That list includes the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, and the Tennessee Volunteers. Unfortunately, only Steve Sarkisian’s program could make it to the semifinal, where they lost a crucial matchup to the Ohio State Buckeyes. It is a sad state for the SEC, as no team will represent the conference at the National Championship Game.
Paul Finebaum SEC College Football Playoffs Analysis
Finebaum explained how SEC teams in the past were selected for the final four. However, in his opinion, they would not have advanced through a 12-team playoff tournament like the one this year.
“You think about Georgia, they would have been in the four-team playoff this year. Ohio State probably wouldn’t have. So, it does make it more complicated. I mean, there’s a couple SEC teams in the past that probably wouldn’t have gotten through a gauntlet like this,” he stated.
He further explained how the expanded format has helped teams like the Buckeyes, who may not have qualified for the old four-team playoff despite being one of, if not the best, teams in the nation.
“I think in many ways, we almost end the season with where we began it with Ohio State. I mean, they’re still the most talented team, and that I was vacillating and I was always on Ohio State,” Finebaum added.
National Championship Preview
Texas was the final SEC team remaining in this year’s College Football Playoffs. However, the Longhorns lost to the Buckeyes by a score of 28-14.
In the game, quarterback Quinn Ewers and the passing game performed well. He threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but Texas struggled to get the run game going. The most efficient ball carrier was Quintrevion Wisner, who had 17 rushes for only 46 yards.
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In the other semifinal matchup, Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 and will now face the Buckeyes in the National Championship Game.
Yet, as mentioned, the contest will not feature a team from the SEC, something that Finebaum believes may become more common in the years to come with the expanded playoff bracket.
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