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When trying to figure out how the CFP24 gets divided up between the Networks, you got to remember one thing before you start with your math. The number you use is 23 not 24. That is the number of games that there are in a 24 team tournament.
Immaculate retweeted
tl;dr
Dammit, I have been crushing it on the Academic side, fast-tracking AAU status, doing everything you hire a Harvard guy to do.
This shouldn't have to get to my desk but since it has, I'll handle it.
Future Realignment is different.
The SEC version.
When we get to the point where the conferences are ready to expand again, the usual reason for it will obviously still play a part. We are talking about money of course.
When we look at the new expansion of the CFP though, there is certainly an increase in money involved but its not really that much. Money was not the main reason for that expansion. Access is the reason. More programs are spending big money now on players, their programs and their facilities. They want more access and they are the decision makers so they get it.
No where is this more evident than in the SEC. It is incredibly competitive across the board this season. We have Kentucky sitting at the top of their standings and some would argue that the best QB in the country is playing for Mississippi State, unfortunately he is injured and out for the season now.
Traditional hierarchies mean less than ever before. Everyone is spending and fighting for a shot. Quite frankly, there are not enough losses to go around in the SEC. We call it conference cannibalism but quite frankly, it's the absolute best and its showing in the ratings for the SEC. I don't normally lean towards watching SEC games yet this season I cant help it. I absolutely love the unknown aspect of SEC games this season.
Everyone is fighting for their chance. So what does this have to do with conference expansion in the future? I do not think the Members of the Conference will be thinking about more money as much as they will be looking out for their own best interests when it comes to Access.
With the conference now moving to 9 games, the die is cast. In my opinion, that confirmed that expansion in the future is decided upon. The current line up is chewing each other up. Quite frankly, they need some new members to chew upon. So while in the past one would think they would look for the biggest brands they could add which would add the most money to the pot, I dont think that will be the case this time around.
There will be plenty of Members that are thinking first and foremost about their Access. So this becomes a very interesting negotiation between the conference and ESPN. They aren't going to want to give up any money and with the ratings that they have been getting, they are still going to want that bump in pay. The complication will be that if they are going to expand, many of those members will not want to invite in programs that they think stand a good chance of costing them Access.
This is going to be the most selfish round of expansion ever and with good reason. So if you are trying to maximize brand value with your future projection of SEC expansion then I think you are doing it all wrong this time. That may be what Sankey might want but I dont think he will get the votes if he pushes that. In the end, the Members get their way.
This is why the concept of expanding right up the East Coast makes so much sense. There is money there, there is growing populations but I dont think those programs will be seen as serious threats to come in and immediately start costing current members Access spots in the future playoff. The one exception to that is Clemson but as long as they seem ok with holding on to Dabo, they are not going to be the threat that they used to be. They just aren't armed for the way that CFB works now.
So, throw out all your thoughts on how Realignment Expansion works. That is the past. We are in a new Age of CFB now and for SEC Members, it's going to be all about Access.
I think most of you know whom I think the SEC will end up taking. This is meant as an explanation on why I have thought as much for as long as I have. Money has been secured. The big motivating factor, especially for the SEC, is Access. Each Member is going to look out for themselves in this.
Alrighty starting on the SEC realignment post now but let me preface it with this post.
The CFP is doubling in size and its not really being done for the money. The pay raise is mediocre at best. This expansion is all about Access. Remember that word. It plays a big part in what I believe the SEC will be thinking about with its future expansion.
Alright, well I think the point has been made. As we start the CFP24 next season, moving to a top 30 or 35 brings more teams into the conversation.
The CFP spoke of it. I dont think that was a "maybe we will do this". It was more like planting the seed.
Not near as much activity around this post. Think I will put the rankings back to bed as they take quite a bit of time to do. Prepare for the Polls to be expanded next season.
The Immaculate Top 35.
Week 8
Explanations in comments below (long post)
Previous Ranking below in comments for comparison
1. Miami
2. Utah
3. UCLA
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. BYU
8. Florida
9. Texas
10. Texas Tech
11. Tennessee
12. Alabama
13. Kentucky
14. Houston
15. Ole Miss
16. Notre Dame
17. Arizona
18. Wake Forest
19. Northwestern
20. Oklahoma State
21. Missouri
22. Cincinnati
23. South Carolina
24. Wisconsin
25. Boise State
26. SMU
27. LSU
28. UTSA
29. Oregon State
30. Auburn
31. Oklahoma
32. UCF
33. New Mexico
34. Virginia Tech
35. Louisville
Going to try to get this started tomorrow. This week's top 35 just took way too long to put together. Reminded me why I stopped doing it.
Top 30/35 will be necessary in the CFP24 era.
As for this series, I think I shall start with the SEC.
I was thinking of perhaps doing a series of posts on realignment and what each major conference will be looking for as they move into the Age of Autonomy. Of course money always matters but if you follow all the changes close enough then you begin to see that money is not the only major motivating factor on whom each major conference might see as expansion candidates.
There is a lot to dive into and when that PCSA situation is wrapped up, one way or another, I think we may be on immediate realignment watch.
Is that something you folks are interested in now?
The talking point about regular season games not mattering as much is all perception based, not reality based. The players are still going to play to win and so are the coaches. Positioning in the CFP24 will matter a lot.
Yes, it will also be a multiplying effect on parity.
"I was against the 24-team CFP, but it will change recruiting and the transfer portal more than anything ever. Parity will be next level"
youtube.com/live/xNUBwBqK9j4…
Immaculate retweeted
How about “for the sake of the program”, everybody @TexasTech stops talking and doing interviews on @DoubleT973? @robertgio, let’s discuss.
I think that perhaps he should go start a coaching career elsewhere first before tanking his alma mater even further due to ignorance of the job and arrogance that he could do such despite having zero experience elsewhere at doing such.
Go earn it first.
NEW: Robert Griffin III says he is “100%” interested in the open Baylor head coaching job:
"If Baylor wants to get back to winning and have a university that isn’t just respectable on the football field, but the fans can be proud of, they need people who know what it looks like to win at Baylor."
(via @dpshow)
on3.com/news/robert-griffin-…
The Immaculate Top 35.
Week 8
Explanations in comments below (long post)
Previous Ranking below in comments for comparison
1. Miami
2. Utah
3. UCLA
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. BYU
8. Florida
9. Texas
10. Texas Tech
11. Tennessee
12. Alabama
13. Kentucky
14. Houston
15. Ole Miss
16. Notre Dame
17. Arizona
18. Wake Forest
19. Northwestern
20. Oklahoma State
21. Missouri
22. Cincinnati
23. South Carolina
24. Wisconsin
25. Boise State
26. SMU
27. LSU
28. UTSA
29. Oregon State
30. Auburn
31. Oklahoma
32. UCF
33. New Mexico
34. Virginia Tech
35. Louisville
Miami at #1 is a pretty easy pick at this point. Undefeated and dominant wins. Utah has the schedule to pass them up, will be more difficult for UCLA.
Utah at #2 was a tough decision. I was even closely comparing putting them at #1 but I just didn't quite have enough to jump them from 9 to 1. It was enough for them to jump over UCLA though. Their upcoming schedule is better. If they win they will jump up. As far as those below them, being undefeated is proving to be something special this season. The heart of their schedule is coming up, we will see if they can hold ground.
UCLA at #3 is due to the value of being undefeated this season. They get jumped by Utah because their win against Oregon is being devalued and Utah had a much bigger win this week.
Ohio State at #4. They were on a Bye. Chaos all around but didn't see a reason to drop them or raise them, all things considered.
Georgia at #5. That loss to Auburn is still bad but they end up moving up because both SEC teams above them lost. They chaos in the rankings down below keeps Georgia from getting jumped...for now. The heart of their schedule starts this week. Their next four games are all in the top 25 of this ranking.
Indiana slides up to #6 due to teams losing that were ranked above them. Dealing with a QB issue but the rest of the team hung on tough and got the win for the team.
BYU slides from 1st down to #7. I thought it might be an even bigger slide than this but with the next team in the rankings rise, I just couldn't put Florida over them yet. So for now, this is where they are with their 1 loss.
Florida vaults up into the top ten at #8 due to all the chaos in the SEC currently. They were on a Bye. Now while both of their losses were to teams now ranked in the top 25 of these rankings, they are losses to lower ranked teams still. They have good wins too thus why they are so high. Their last win being against Texas is pushing them up this high while on a Bye.
Texas jump up to #9. Texas is the poster boy for the chaos of CFB this season. When you look at their resume, its absolutely crazy. Six of their seven games are against teams I have in my top 35. It's too much to go into here. Their resume is pushing them and Florida up.
Texas Tech slides down to #10. I had a hard time determining this one. In the end it was the absolute power of Texas's resume that caused Tech to fall below them and Florida. One loss to a team now in the top 25 of these rankings and two wins against teams in these rankings. Just couldn't slide this one loss team further than seven spots.
Tennessee stops sliding at #11 despite their loss to SC. South Carolina is a tough team to rank but their last two wins show this isnt as bad of a loss as it may seem. Tennessee's recent win over Alabama stops the slide.
Alabama actually stays in the exact same position at #12 despite all the chaos. To much to go into fully but that loss to Tennessee still caps their rise and their win against Kentucky protects them as well.
Kentucky stays in the same spot as well at #13. Impressive so far but that insane Texas resume causes this. Their last four games are all currently in these rankings. They can break through if the magic continues.
Houston does fall to #14 despite their loss to the now #2 team. That is the power of that Bama/Kentucky pairing. Both of their losses are to teams in the top ten of this ranking so that keeps the drop to a minimal amount. They have three top 35 wins against teams currently in the rankings, the same as the team that slides down below them.
Ole Miss is that team at #15. The comparison of rankings of their losses and their wins based on current rankings has Ole Miss slide down below Houston.
Notre Dame remains at #16. They were on a bye and despite the chaos all around, they just happen to remain in the same spot for now.
Arizona remains at #17 as well despite the win. Their resume is strangely enough, quite similar to that of Notre Dame so I didnt have them jump Notre Dame while they were on a Bye.
Wake Forest remains at #18. Once again, despite a win they dont have anything to warrant a push above both Notre Dame and Arizona.
Northwestern rises a spot to #19 due to the fall of Iowa. Their resume isnt quite as good as the other 1 loss teams right above them. They are being pushed from below by some 2 loss teams. So far they are holding out but for how long?
Oklahoma State rises three spots to #20. That early loss to Tulsa gets mitigated to some degree as first game of the season with new coach and a lot of transfer players but it still counts. They continue to rise though with that powerful offense.
Missouri climbs one spot to #21 despite being on a Bye. Teams losing ahead of them causes this and their last game was still a loss to Ole Miss so Oklahoma State's win gets them to vault over Missouri.
Cincy appears in these rankings all the way up at #22 due to their win against Tech whom was ranked 3rd and is now still ranked in the Top Ten. Their loss to Arizona is to a team ranked higher than them so that helps mitigate some of the damage of having 2 losses. They have Utah and Houston next so maybe they fall out as quickly as they rose.
South Carolina comes into the rankings at #23, another huge jump for a team that was not in my rankings last week. The loss to Miss State is better than it looks, that MSU team is not the same as MSU is now with its QB damaged. Their other two losses are to the duo of Bama/Kentucky. Their wins are against even higher ranked Florida and Tennessee. It feels crazy having a three loss team in the top 25 of these rankings. The way I do this though, they deserve this for now. Get used to it though, one could see them going 4-1 the rest of the season.
Wisconsin appears at #24. That makes three in a row jumping into the top 25 of these rankings despite not being in them last week. Their two losses are to teams ranked above them and one of them is to an unbeaten Top 3 team. They knocked USC out of the rankings completely with a dominant win and they were arguably the ones that sent Penn State spiraling.
Boise State rises one spot to #25 with a win against a team that is having a very disappointing team. Due to others falling, they get to rise a spot. Almost in that Top 24.
SMU rises two spots to #26. Their loss to Louisville looks a bit better now that Louisville shows up in these rankings again. The win moves them up as others fall.
LSU rises a couple spots to #27 with the win. Unlike all the others in the SEC ranked much higher, LSU doesn't really have a big win. They won against an MSU that was not the same MSU as earlier in the season and their win against Auburn made them look like the Auburn of every game other than their Georgia game. They play Alabama, Texas and Tennessee next. They could still move up big from this position.
UTSA comes in three spots higher at #28. Their only loss is to Texas so I am not really holding that against them. If they keep on winning then they likely keep on rising due to losses from above. Getting close to smelling that Top 24 spot.
Oregon State also rises three spots at #29. They were on a Bye but rise due to others falling. They have a couple more games to get through before the big match up against Boise State which likely launches one of them into the Top 24 IF they both keep winning until then.
Auburn slides nine spots to #30. I actually thought they would disappear but when I dove into the resume's, I still couldn't quite do that. Their three losses are all to teams ranked higher than them although one more to Ole Miss next week and that is likely a wrap. The recent win against Top Ten Georgia has them holding on in the Top 35.
Oklahoma appears in the rankings at #31. Two of their three losses are to teams in the top 15. Their win against Texas is still looking great. Their win against New Mexico is actually getting them some credit here too. Normally I dont have a three loss team cap a one loss team if they beat them but with losses to Texas and Kentucky, it's happening. Oklahoma sits above New Mexico and their resume slightly beats out UCF.
UCF comes in at #32 with the big win against BYU but its still not quite enough to get them to jump past fellow three loss team Oklahoma.
New Mexico does jump a spot to #33 after knocking NDSU out but unfortunately their loss to Oklahoma seems to be blocking them. UCF beating last week's #1 further stops a New Mexico rise this week.
Virginia Tech appears in these rankings at #34. It seemed to me that the winner of them and Clemson was going to appear this week and that is what happened, just barely. Both of their losses weren't great but they were very close games. They have SMU and Miami coming up.
Louisville just barely appears as the final team at #35. Two of their three losses were to teams in the Top 20. They also have a win against a higher ranked team. They just looked to me to be the best resume option to appear in the rankings in the final spot.
Last week's rankings if you want to compare.
xitter.cf/ImmaculateView/status/…
The Immaculate Top 35.
Explanations in comments below (long post)
1. BYU
2. Miami
3. Texas Tech
4. Ohio State
5. Tennessee
6. Ole Miss
7. Georgia
8. UCLA
9. Utah
10. Indiana
11. Houston
12. Alabama
13. Kentucky
14. Florida
15. Texas
16. Notre Dame
17. Arizona
18. Wake Forest
19. Iowa
20. Northwestern
21. Auburn
22. Missouri
23. Oklahoma State
24. Oregon
25. USC
26. Boise State
27. JMU
28. SMU
29. LSU
30. Miss State
31. UTSA
32. Oregon State
33. Nebraska
34. New Mexico
35. North Dakota State
Immaculate retweeted
It’s not just Oregon, it’s a CFB challenge. OL is HARD. And to be frank, I believe the money some young players are making has impacted their hunger and resolve to develop.
Development isn’t a one-way street. Some players think coaches wave a magic wand and BOOM, they become better players. It can be ugly and uncomfortable. And that’ll never change.
But early financial success can create a false sense of arrival. So the discomfort can turn to DISCONTENT real fast. So coaches have to now manage that.
We’re all witnessing a period of developmental purgatory while the game course corrects… and it will.
Immaculate retweeted
Parity: An SEC Horror Story
presented by: @renasant
Yes, due to the transfer portal there are a lot of teams that come together as teams during the season rather than prior to the season.
That is the old age of CFB. The new age of CFB is portal based and far less predictable.
Immaculate retweeted
bit.ly/4pqFxV8
Ohio State replaces BYU at No. 2 while No. 1 Miami is the only team to hold its spot in the AP Top 25 poll. See where your team landed.
Immaculate retweeted
Early buzz is that Baylor is looking for a candidate with deep Texas roots and an offensive background, sources tell @On3.
Hot Board: on3.com/news/baylor-bears-he…
BREAKING: Baylor has fired head football coach Dave Aranda, @PeteNakos reports.
on3.com/news/dave-aranda-fir…
Uh oh, everyone better lock down their OC's right now.
Had quite a few compliments on the rankings last week. It feels like maybe some of those same people are not going to feel the same way this week about them and where some teams may end up.
Another crazy week of CFB is now in the books.
