How Many SEC Teams Will Make the 2024 College Football Playoff Field
The number of how many SEC Teams that will make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field will be a big part of the annual playoff debate all season. Many feel that if you lose 2 or fewer games during the SEC gauntlet there is no doubt you should be included in the playoff field every year. Of course, the SEC and Big 10 will normally have the most teams in the field, but it will be interesting to see how two-loss teams from the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and ACC are considered. Unless it's a big-time name like FSU or Clemson it will be harder for the lesser of the Power conferences to get multiple 2-loss teams in the field, if at all.
In year one of this new playoff format, I predict there will be 3 SEC locks and a possible part of this year's field. It wouldn't shock me if there were more. But I think the committee will be as cautious as possible at making it seem like the SEC has all the power when it comes to the playoff. We saw quite a few debates after last year when Bama jumped over an undefeated FSU team to make the field. We all know an undefeated team will never be shunned in this new system, but debate will rage when comparing one-loss, and especially two-loss teams.
It will be tough at the end of the day for the committee to keep out a 2 loss Tennessee or Alabama team if compared to a two-loss Kansas State or Iowa State team. Money talks and a team with a large fan base that travels well will have a good chance of making the field compared to a school that doesn't have as big of an alumni or fan base. It may not be fair but that is the way of the world because TV wants the best ratings possible. Debates may be intense between the decision makers of the Playoff Committee, but I am confident the SEC will fair better than most when it comes to picking teams from different conferences with the same Win-Loss numbers on the season. The playoff committee will have its hands full with the new system, but adding eight spots definitely takes off some of the pressure of the last decade.