Mardi Gras is still two weeks away, but that didn’t stop SEC coaches and administrators from meeting this week in New Orleans. While the topic may not have been beads and the creepiness of the King Cake Baby, various reports indicate that SEC Expansion was on everyone’s mind and tongue. Let’s face it: the 2024 season was a B1G disappointment.
Rest assured, the seats of many of the coaches and administrators got warmer when they had to face the reality that, for a second straight year, the league didn’t win or even play for a national championship. That is far from the standard in the SEC. The SEC expansion talks that took place this week are focused on trying to right the wrongs of 2024. Some of the ideas were really good and should be embraced. Others must be thrown out, like the beads left over on Bourbon Street after a night of partying. Let’s take a closer look. So grab a slice of King Cake, a beignet, and a coffee from Cafe Du Monde. Our SEC Tailgate Talk this week is going to focus on SEC Expansion.
SEC Expansion Talk: CFB Playoff Expansion & The SEC
Let’s examine each of the proposals more closely. We’ll provide an overview of what was discussed this week in New Orleans, share some quotes from various SEC leaders, and close with a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” for the proposal and instant (over)reaction.
Playoff Seeding: Earned Not Given
The meeting in New Orleans aligned the conference on updates to the CFB Playoff format. Conference commissioners will meet next week in Dallas to review the initial expansion of the 12-team format. How the CFB Playoff will be seeded will be high on the list of priorities for the SEC and the Big Ten. Currently, the top four spots are reserved for conference champions. There are five spots currently given to the five highest-ranked conference champions. Of the five, the top four are given the top four seeds and byes in the first round of the playoff.
In the next section, we’ll take a deeper look at AQs, but our issue—along with the SEC and Big Ten—is automatically awarding top-four seeds to conference champions without considering their season performance. Winning a conference should be rewarded, but top seeds and byes must be earned. You can’t argue, without bias, that Arizona State and Boise State truly “deserved” a first-round bye. If schedules and records matter, seeding should reflect that. Using this year’s CFB Committee rankings, Texas and Ohio State should have received byes, while Boise State (#9) and Arizona State (#12) should have been on the road.
LWOCFB Instant Reaction: 
This is a slam dunk and a no-brainer for the SEC and Big Ten. The conferences will face pushback from the G7 schools (there is no P4 anymore, follow the money). The ACC and Big 12 are doing all they can to hold out hope to cling to their seat at the table. Brett Yormark said so much last month when the topic arose. “I do not have the appetite to give up any financial reward that comes with a bye.”
It Just Means More AQs
Speaking of earned, not given. AQs were another significant part of the SEC Expansion chatter. The current setup has the five highest-rated conference champions earning a spot in the playoff. That leaves seven at-large spots for the rest of the college football (but let’s be honest, it’s probably six if we include Notre Dame). In most years, the SEC and Big Ten will take most of those at-large spots. In 2024, the CFB committee had the audacity (sarcasm font) to take four Big Ten teams and only three SEC teams. Finebaum is still trying to console the SEC nation as they feebly try to recover from the slight.
In response, administrators and coaches have talked about expanding the Playoff to include more teams and more AQs for their conference. Ole Miss’s athletic director, Keith Carter, was one of the biggest proponents of the expansion. “There’s got to be some tweaks. The first year was good, but like anything, there’s going to be some change.” Carter said. “I think it gets expanded to give more teams an opportunity.”
LWOCFB Instant Reaction: 
Earned, not given. Now, this mantra works against the SEC. Ole Miss had multiple opportunities to earn its way into the CFB Playoff. Giving away games to Kentucky, LSU, and Florida demonstrates how the Rebels squandered their opportunity. The playoff doesn’t need to expand to 14 or 16 games. The TV windows and media dollars won’t support it. The at-large spots should not be free handouts or AQs. They should be earned, not given.
SEC Expansion: Nine Game Conference Schedule
Unbalanced schedules are a problem in college football. The ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten all play nine conference games, while the SEC only plays eight. Sure, we in the SEC like to beat our chests about how our conference is a meat grinder, and it’s just different down South. Whether true or hyperbole, the schedule imbalance between the SEC and other leagues must be fixed. For many years, the teams at the bottom of the league have argued about the challenges of adding another conference game. The logic goes that playing an FCS school instead of a conference rival provides the school with another home game and the team with another win. Unless you count the five times, it’s happened.
The SEC Commissioner stated this week that the team’s positions were beginning to change when the topic came up in New Orleans. “There is a lot of interest [in going to nine games].” Greg Sankey said. “People change. Positions change.” For the change to happen, it will have to come in the form of more dollars from ESPN or guaranteed spots in the playoffs. However it comes, we’re ready for it. Enough will Old Dominion and Akron give us more Texas A&M and Arkansas on the schedule.
LWOCFB Instant Reaction:
B1G SEC Scheduling Alliance
The Big Ten joined later in the week to coordinate with the SEC—not to take over the world like Pinky and the Brain, but to present a united front. Next week in Dallas, they’ll face fellow conference commissioners to debate proposed changes to the CFB Playoff structure. One of the things that came out of that meeting was the idea of the Big Ten and SEC forming a scheduling alliance. Not only would both teams be playing nine games in the proposal, but this would provide a tenth “meaningful” game on the schedule. Let’s be honest: nobody should want to enter into an alliance with the Big Ten. Ask the Pac-12.
LWOCFB Instant Reaction:
Scheduling alliances is fun to discuss at the bar but more complex in reality. Look at what happened between Nebraska and Tennessee this week. Nebraska is canceling its 2026-27 football series with Tennessee, aiming for eight home games in 2027 to offset reduced stadium capacity due to renovations. Teams and schools want more money and home games. That is true in the SEC and the Big Ten. A scheduling alliance would be fun. A Michigan, USC, Ohio State, Washington road trip? Let’s go. Minnesota, Purdue, or Indiana? We’ll pass.
Main Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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