It’s no secret that the Big Ten and SEC are running the college football world. The two power conferences combined for seven of the 12 teams in the college football playoff last season, and that’s only because the Big 12, ACC, and Group of Five got auto bids.
As playoff talks continue amongst league commissioners and rumors about a 16-team playoff swirl, ESPN’s Pete Thamel says that the ACC and Big 12 could be losing influence.
Pete Thamel Breaks Down Why the ACC and Big 12 Are Losing Influence in CFP Expansion Talks
On McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, a Birmingham radio show, Thamel acknowledged that the ACC and Big 12 are losing in terms of playoff expansion and seeding talks.
“And as we enter the next iteration here, ‘Year 13,’ as I like to call it, in playoff parlance, that you know, the ACC and the Big 12 have significantly less say in what’s going to end up happening. They still have a voice and more of a seat, don’t get me wrong. They’re not completely, completely shut out.”
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to college football fans. There’s no doubt that the Big Ten and SEC are the better conferences, have the better players, are a more competitive product, and bring in the most money. Plain and simple, they should have more say than the Big 12 and ACC.
Thamel later explained that the ACC and Big 12 will have a voice, and that a 16-team playoff should ensure that they have automatic qualifiers, but barring any significant changes, they will not gain influence.
“But just it’s hard to look at the future and envision them having more of a say, unless, of course, like the ACC gets really hot again, and maybe, maybe rev share continues to embolden Miami, which has played a lot better the last few years under Mario Cristobal.”
RELATED: Analyst Pete Thamel Explains Why Notre Dame’s CFP Future Is Secure Despite Possible Expansion
Overall, college football seems to be moving closer to the “Power Two” conference system as other power four schools continue to lose influence.
It’s a weird time in college football, but I think after the newest playoff system is put in place, things will settle down for at least a while.
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