Big Ten football demonstrating 'loser behavior' with CFP format - Analyst
One CBS Sports writer believes the Big Ten and the SEC are behaving cowardly with their desire for automatic qualifiers.
As the college football world continues to discuss new formats for the College Football Playoff, at least one analyst believes the Big Ten and the SEC are already losers. At least in the figurative sense, even if they become the big winners in the literal sense.
Having just adopted a 12-team CFP format that doesn’t technically allow for any automatic qualifiers, the Big Ten and the SEC got to work making sure they could assure themselves at least three auto entries in the next CFP format.
Not only that, but there is talk that both conferences are actually pushing for four auto qualifiers. And that has CBS Sports analyst Shehan Jeyarajah more than a little annoyed. In a recent episode of his podcast, The College Football Survivor Show, the analyst talked about the “loser behavior” he thinks the biggest and more powerful conferences in the sport are displaying.
“I get it, I understand why they’re doing all this,” Jeyarajah started. “Like to say we should have four guaranteed no matter what. Have you seen the top of the Big Ten at times? Like, there are not four good teams. And adding USC, adding Oregon, adding Washington there will probably be four good teams.”
The Big Ten and SEC are pushing for four guaranteed auto-bids from their leagues. To me, with all the advantages they already have, that’s loser behavior.
— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) February 24, 2024
“If you can’t put four teams into the top 12 of the country, that is solely on you.”
🔈: https://t.co/fC0JeI3We3 pic.twitter.com/mLZmt5sjGQ
Big Ten football demonstrating 'loser behavior' with CFP format
After explaining that he thinks the Big Ten will probably get four most years simply because of the way the other conferences shake out, Jeyarajah got to the meat of what bothers him about Big Ten football wanting such a big part of the pie, even before the games are played.
“But to try and guarantee yourself a spot is such loser behavior to me,” he continued. “Like the idea that it’s like ‘well you know, Ole Miss got fourth in the SEC, they should be in even though that they might have been the 21st team in the country. Like what, what are we doing here.”
What the Big Ten and SEC are doing “here” is making sure that college football’s regular season means less. Why they want to do that is something that needs to be looked at more closely.