ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, in discussing his reasons for opposing expansion of the CFP field beyond its current four-team makeup, made a point I’d like to hear addressed by Georgia players:
“We’ve tried to get feedback from [our athletes] and for us, it’s been Clemson,” he said. “They don’t want to play any more games. They don’t. I don’t know what Georgia and Alabama felt like after Monday night, but Clemson student-athletes that have participated, they don’t.”
Somebody ask that at the next player presser, okay?
Get The Picture 
I was amused yesterday at the social media barrage of snark directed at CFP expansion advocates by CFP writers.
Basic theme: “Damn, all these NFL wildcard blowouts clearly mean we need more teams in the playoffs.”
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You make it sound like you aren’t excited to see the Cards and Rams play tonight for the third time this season!
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Damn, man…tough crowd. Maybe somebody should ask the Clemson players how much they like having their manhood thrown under the bus by their conference commissioner…
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You tell most of these clowns never spent a day I a college sport or had a son/daughter in a college sport. Football is a FULL time job. It is an absolute grind. The problem; if you are truly going to be fair about it, you have to go from four to twelve to keep the SEC from getting screwed. It isn’t fair if your 3-6 teams are better than almost all of the conference champions that would represent in a 8 game round robin.
This would either kill the SEC Championship game or you lose at least one game during the season (which I wouldn’t mind).
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I don’t dispute your assertion about football being a full-time job and a grind. The problem is that FCS has a real playoff where teams play up to four additional games, right there in another part of the CFB landscape. I’m not personally advocating for expansion to the FCS level, but it does beg the question as to why FBS can’t do something like a smaller version of that, no?
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It’s exactly because the FCS post-season is a grind that FCS teams only play 11 regular-season games. Conferences that participate in the playoff don’t have any post-season championship games of their own.
Here’s a link to FCS champion NDSU’s schedule: https://masseyratings.com/cf2021/5545
They finished the regular season 10-1, then won 4 playoff games.
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Yes. Right. Still 15 games, with a playoff that was 27% of the schedule. Again, I’m not advocating for that, nor for more than 15 games. But when there’s a model right there under your nose, it’s especially hard to claim you can’t fucking do it.
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FCS doesn’t have the sit-out problem the SEC would have.
For most of the FCS players it’s the opportunity to put a great finish on the end of their careers. For many FBS players it would be an opportunity to put a terrible injury end or dampener to an otherwise very rich career.
The players know and understand this. Severe injuries are too frequent as it is without adding two more games to the grind.
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Agree completely on that. It’s all political posturing, for sure.
If playoff expansion has to happen then I’d be ok with eliminating the 12th regular-season game AND conference championships given that both our trips to the CFP prove they are pretty pointless now.
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Playoff expansion is for the money, so it would be counterproductive for the SEC to ditch a hugely profitable SECCG for that.
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Sad but true, Senator. Still, the other conferences do seem to have realized that they hold some of the cards in negotiations now. I know I shouldn’t place any faith in their commissioners to do anything responsibly, but in the meantime I’ll hope the CFP expansion money can force the SEC’s hand on the CCG if it comes to it.
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Not for nothing… those dudes don’t have FBS bodies. There is something to be said for the development of a kid’s body and what it can handle during that stage. A football season puts a hell of a lot of strain on a kid, and I’m sorry… but playing another few games against the likes of Villa Rica and playing another few games against UGA are two INCREDIBLY different propositions.
And then you ask yourself – Why?
Why is it necessary to do that to the kids? Because then somehow the champion is Even ChampionER? Some would say “it’s the only way to truly know who the best is!” Ok, but no it isn’t. A grouping of single-game samples doesn’t tell you who the “best” is. Bama beat the brakes off UGA a month before Stet and Co delivered that special package to the Dawgs Fanbase. A single-game sample size (like that of a playoff) could easily have eliminated the Dawgs from contention.
Well, it’s for Entertainment, then! More games means more entertainment! The month of December would like a word.
Well, more MEANINGFUL games, with fewer opt-outs, etc.. that would be more entertaining! The SemiFinals would like a word. As would the Rose Bowl.
You can’t re-organize and legislate yourself to parity and to greater opportunity for teams that simply aren’t playing championship football. In any given year, there are a handful of teams who are better than practically the whole of the college football landscape, but against one another are a virtual coin flip. That group is never 8 – 12 teams large.
So, what you’re ultimately saying is that the players on those teams should be willing to risk their bodies/futures etc purely for your entertainment, with no real hope of a championship. No thank you. Let the kids play a similar-level opponent in an exhibition bowl, if that’s what they want to do. But to make them fodder for a monster? And even more, bring in another game of risk for a star on the juggernaut, in a game that shouldn’t exist due to the lack of worthiness on their competitors’ part? No thank you.
As silly as it sounds, the 4 team playoff is likely the best answer for this insanely huge field, once the entire season has been played.
When we get to a year with 5 undefeated P5 champs, maybe I’ll change my mind… but more likely, I’ll just leave the PAC12 out.
Go NationalChampion Dawgs.
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Excellent arguments.
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Now, did all this come to light right after the start of UGA football championship drive that began in side the Charlotte city limits in September …GO DAWGS!
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Either keep it at four or go back to 2 (BCS style).
More games mean worn out and injured players.
More games will mean more sit-outs.
It’s ridiculous.
How these kids even attempt to be students is beyond my imagination.
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If this year were limited to 2….doubt UGA gets in. Just sayin
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Can you imagine being a high draft pick player and him being told he has to play an additional 2 games!!! Opt-outs all over the place. How does that determine the best team when all these players opt out? Putting 4 or 8 more shitty teams in is dumb and totally screws the value of the regular season.
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Sorry to be off topic but my son told me yesterday that Justified is returning to TV with new episodes. You hear anything about this, Bluto?
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Oh, it’s happening.
The book it’s based on is one of Leonard’s best. Can’t wait!
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Is this book the one where Givens is in Italy?
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No. Givens isn’t a character in the book. It takes place in Detroit.
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Thanks.
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There is A LOT to live up to. Justified is my favorite TV series of all time.
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The good news is that the entire creative team from the series will be involved with the new show.
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begin aggressively scrolling Walton Goggins upcoming projects on IMDB
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It’s true. Has been reported by multiple sources, and can be found on some site named Google.
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The Senator two minutes ahead of me!
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Get used to that. 😉
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If Mickey is willing to renegotiate the ACC TV contract in exchange for supporting CFP expansion, I imagine Phillips’s concern over the number of games will melt away just like the snow in Greensboro.
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what in the hell does that have to do with Justified, ee?
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I believe the Mouse bought the Fox entertainment assets, perhaps including FX – remember, time is a flat circle, man…
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😂😂
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Translation:
“Notre Dame is our life raft moving forward and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they join before expanding.”
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I mean, while we all know this is a naked attempt to get Notre Dame to finally join the ACC full time in football, it is nice that he’s saying all the things that should be said in the attempt.
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Sounds like the commish knows Clempsons run is over.
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Nolan Smith has decided he would like to play between 12 and 15 more games for the Dawgs.
Woof.
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Yeah, Woof!
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Reactive leadership by conferences, while simutaneously exposing their penis envy must be inspiring to their membership schools.
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Also looks like JT gonna head on off. Good Kid – didn’t publicly complain, played his role, and helped bring home the hardware. Too much competition in that room, and gonna be real hard to unseat a National Champ.
Good luck to him wherever he goes. Hope it’s not Florida.
#GoDawgs
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