Should a team be punished for losing in a conference title game?

Should teams be punished for loss in conference title games?

  • yes

    Votes: 73 42.4%
  • no

    Votes: 50 29.1%
  • only if it's Bama

    Votes: 49 28.5%

  • Total voters
    172
#51
#51
It should all be part of the body of work.

In a scenario like what UGA, Bama, and Tennessee are in where we've all beat each other, head-to-head matchups don't help much.... If Bama goes to the SECCG and get's beat on a neutral field by Texas, a team that Georgia beat, Bama should not be ranked ahead of Georgia after that game. Georgia's win over Texas should mean something.
 
#53
#53
It should all be part of the body of work.

In a scenario like what UGA, Bama, and Tennessee are in where we've all beat each other, head-to-head matchups don't help much.... If Bama goes to the SECCG and get's beat on a neutral field by Texas, a team that Georgia beat, Bama should not be ranked ahead of Georgia after that game. Georgia's win over Texas should mean something.
There's no way any of you guys would go for that if it were us in that situation.
 
#54
#54
I don't think it should matter at all except for getting a 1st round bye. Still don't believe a team should be punished for having to play an extra game.
I understand what you and others with this argument saying. It seems unfair, but if you don't "punish" the loser all you're doing is delaying the inevitable. If you let the loser into the playoffs, they'll have a tough road game, and if they win they'll be right back where they were on championship game weekend - playing a great team on a neutral field - except this time, if you lose you go home.

I don't think of it as a punishment or an "extra game". It's an opportunity to avoid a road game in the playoffs. If I'm Alabama, Ole Miss, or Tennessee - I'm begging for a shot at Texas on a neutral field. Win and you avoid a road trip to Ohio State, Miami, Oregon, etc and rest up during round 1. That's well worth the risk, IMO.

You can't avoid tough games on the way to a natty... if you're a 2-loss team at the end of the regular season you're either going to play in a conference championship game where if you lose you MIGHT go home or you're going to play a road playoff game where if you lose you are DEFINITELY going home. I'm taking the conference championship game every time.
 
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#57
#57
It is a loss and all games count. Best move is to eliminate the SEC Championship games since we no longer have Divisions. The extra game is useless and only creates disadvantages for the two teams -laying in it.
 
#58
#58
If the teams number of losses is EQUAL to the next team up after the SECCG... No.
If the teams number of losses is greater than the next team up... yes.

Wins and Losses HAVE TO matter! If they don't... why are we all wasting our time?
they obviously matter with now with 4 BIG10 teams at the top... but they can always change the rules as they want each week... so it'll be interesting to see

if there's a way for TN to get screwed in this, be ready for it.
 
#59
#59
Unfortunately if it means a third loss, then absolutely it’s gonna have consequences, I think that the SEC championship game will not be played much longer. In my opinion, it has a little significance with the playoff now take this year for an example, if we somehow got into the SEC championship with two losses, we are at a disadvantage if we lose not to mention potential for injuries
 
#60
#60
If the teams number of losses is EQUAL to the next team up after the SECCG... No.
If the teams number of losses is greater than the next team up... yes.

Wins and Losses HAVE TO matter! If they don't... why are we all wasting our time?
This rule can only help Texas, which has played the weakest schedule of the SEC contenders. It would have a win against A&M and a loss to UGA and in the SECCG. Every other potential participant would have more losses.

Who you play has to matter. Consider this: UGA could have head to head against Texas on Texas’s home field + two additional ranked wins. It would also have away losses to ranked SEC teams that Texas didn’t play (or maybe one of them also beat Texas in the SECCG). Texas stands to have at most one ranked win. In what world does Texas have a comparable resume to UGA?
 
#63
#63
Conferences might have to be compensated to drop their championship games. Or, the SEC must go back to divisions like the Big 10. Alabama and Auburn could easily move into the East

6 game rotating schedules with 2 annual opponents for each division. 2 rotating opponents from the opposite division. 2 games out of conference with P4 opponents and 1 group of 5 and 1 cupcake
Make the conference championship game part of the first round of the playoffs. 2 best ranked teams get a buy in the second round.

Yes I know, never going to happen
 
#65
#65
100% should matter. If your conference is already weak, then a no loss or 1 loss team that loses the championship game shouldn’t get in. That conference should not have 2 teams get in at that point.

If you have played a tougher schedule, then meet up with a highly ranked team in the championship, then some stock has to be put into not being punished for that. But just like the SEC this year, there are so many teams that could be in that game, with tie-breakers, that a 3 loss team should not be in.
 
#66
#66
Make the conference championship game part of the first round of the playoffs. 2 best ranked teams get a buy in the second round.

Yes I know, never going to happen
The revenue sharing will make this impossible, but it’s a good answer. One more problem, though: playoffs match best teams against relative worst teams. SECCG matches two of the best teams.
 
#67
#67
Should be an even playing field at bare minimum. Notre Dame should be forced to join a conference or sit at home during playoffs. A team like Boise State getting a bye isnt going to sit well long either. The current system isnt a sustainable one.

While this may be very true, there would no playoff scenarios without G5, B12, ACC and ND votes. Not enough votes from the two big conference to dictate a format that leaves out any of the others. They negotiated the biggest payout for to those two conferences and agreed with the masses to the current format.

Unless the Big10 and SEC decide to exit all competitions and create their own entity, the others are going to be involved and have a say about how its formatted.

JMO
 
#68
#68
This is why I can't really answer the poll question with the choices provided. My thought is that it depends. It is not a cookie cutter situation. For instance, say the SEC ends up with 6 two loss teams. Two have to be selected for the championship game. If those two participants are selected by a sixth or seventh tiebreaker, is it really a situation where they earned that spot over the other teams? If you don't "punish" the loser of the championship game, then you are basically giving more weight to the fact that team's conference opponents had a slightly better overall record than you are to an extra loss, and a third one at that.

Unless Bama, A&M or Texas lose this weekend, 2 of those 3 teams will be in the SEC Championship game. Bama has the tiebreaker over all the other 2 loss teams. They will play winner of Texas / A&M. Oh, Bama needs to win final game also.
 
#69
#69
I voted/said NO, but the reality of the situation is it will happen. Florida State took in the the shorts last year, someone may well get it again this year. Particularly true if you get destroyed on the scoreboard. I've thought a couple of times, if you slip into the playoffs w/o playing the CG - you got a lot of time to rest, practice, plan, etc. Risky, but pretty high reward. Down the road no one is going to remember the CG - just that you made the playoffs.
 
#70
#70
I voted/said NO, but the reality of the situation is it will happen. Florida State took in the the shorts last year, someone may well get it again this year. Particularly true if you get destroyed on the scoreboard. I've thought a couple of times, if you slip into the playoffs w/o playing the CG - you got a lot of time to rest, practice, plan, etc. Risky, but pretty high reward. Down the road no one is going to remember the CG - just that you made the playoffs.
I hear what you're saying, but I don't necessarily agree that an "SEC Championship" will be forgotten over just making the playoffs. Winning the SEC is still a big deal. At least IMO. If I had a chance to win the SEC this year... I'd take it. It's been a LONG time.
 
#71
#71
Depends...At some point you have to give credit to teams that play other championship caliber teams during the regular season and try to balance it out. If you have no losses but also no wins over a top 10 caliber team and lose to a top 5ish team in a championship game, I can see that being disqualifying. Otoh, if you have a couple of losses to top 10 teams but also a couple of victories over top ten teams as well. I would think you've already shown yourself to be able to compete with playoff caliber teams and get a mulligan for the championship game.

It's all moot anyway because it's the same as it ever was. It will boil down to politics. I think we all know that the big 10 does not have 4 of the top 5 teams but here we are with a big 10 stacked committee and millions on the line.
 
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#72
#72
I would not use the word punish, if this was a true get the best 12 teams in, then the game would need to accessed properly. The powers that be, are running it in the quasi vein of everyone gets a trophy. So in that respect it is a hard take and either answer does not make sense to both sides. The small majority has ruled so far in wokeness last 20 years.
 
#73
#73
The committee should just announce the CFP bracket prior to the Championship game weekend. Then those games are meaningless in regards to the CFP.
 
#74
#74
IMO the losing team in the SECCG will make the playoffs. If Bama gets in the SECCG and loses they will go to the playoffs with 3 losses.
 
#75
#75
If we’re at 10-2 and Bama loses the SECC game to get to 10-3, I don’t see how they can keep Bama in the CFP w/o having us in there w/ a h2h win and and also a win @ Vandy. I don’t know that I agree w/ punishing teams for playing in conference title games, but you can’t leave out teams who have the H2H w/ a better record.
 
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