In case you haven’t noticed, things have been changing in college football. The playoffs will soon be expanding and some of the major conferences have been as well. Whether a direct result of conference expansion or not, the popular trend among the biggest and best conferences (SEC and Big Ten) has been to ditch divisions and go forward with the top two teams regardless of location playing in the title game. The idea is that conferences will benefit greatly from having their teams make the expanded playoff, and limiting the teams eligible for the championship game could have a negative impact on the chances of that happening.
It makes sense and the Big Ten is the perfect example. Between Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State, all three of the most elite teams in the conference have resided in the East. Each year only one of those teams has been eligible to play in the conference championship game while less deserving teams from the West (Purdue, Iowa, & Northwestern most recently) have ended up in Indy only to be ran off the field. Going forward in a division-less world, the best two teams will be able to match up no matter what.
That brings another dilemma. Many have been speculating recently about the chances of Michigan and Ohio State matching up in back-to-back games due to this new format. The greatest rivalry in sports has customarily taken place during the final week of the regular season, as most of the biggest rivalry games do. With both teams typically among the best in the conference, the prevailing wisdom would be that more often that not they will end up meeting again in the championship game a week later.
At Big Ten Media Days Ohio State head coach Ryan Day hinted at the idea that The Game could eventually be moved up a few weeks to avoid this possibility, and the very next day Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh echoed the sentiment. The general reaction from the public, however, has been negative. Fans and media members alike are seemingly once again going to die on the hill of familiarity, leaving logic behind. Michigan running back Blake Corum even came out against the idea, stating that the players would still give their all if playing in the first of two consecutive games. I believe this wholeheartedly, but what I don’t believe is that they would even play.
Time and time again we have seen how risk averse coaches must be in order to give their teams the best chance to reach the greatest heights. If the Buckeyes and Wolverines were enter the final week of the season having already clinched the top two spots in the conference, both would be forced to rest many of their best players to minimize injury risk. You can say whatever you want about the pride of playing in the most hyped game of the regular season, and I don’t doubt that the players feel this way. They just won’t be the one making the call. Any coach who plays his best players in a game that is inconsequential to the greater goal would be putting his job and reputation at risk in the event of an injury.
I love tradition as much as the next guy, but sometimes traditions must change. Due to conference expansion and reformatting, the biggest game of the season simply isn’t actually likely to be the most important anymore. What has often made The Game so special is the do or die nature that will likely be lost. Fans may just have to get used to a late October matchup where the stakes (beyond bragging rights) are limited to who is better set up for a run to the championship and who is forced to dig themselves out of a hole over the final month of the season.
Superior CFB 