SEC Bias: CFP rankings committee rewards SEC for things others are punished over

The College Football Playoff rankings committee released the latest list of Top 25 programs. Surprise, surprise, the SEC and Big Ten had the most teams on the list with a combined 13 squads included.

By comparison, the Big 12 and ACC have seven teams combined on the list. When you take a look at the 12-team bracket, the Big Ten and SEC are given eight bids. Two of those SEC teams have two losses and have a significant chance at a third if they make the conference championship game.

Some will say SEC teams have better talent and pass the eye test, and that's all fine but where was that enthusiasm for a conference that is currently cannibalizing itself when the Pac-12 was around?

CFP committee rewards SEC for the Pac-12's legacy

No other conference prior to this season ate itself alive more than the Pac-12. Teams rarely escaped undefeated or with just a single loss. And for that, the conference would usually receive just one or two teams ranked in positions with playoff possibilities recognized.

Now that the SEC is in that position, it gets four teams in the field and several others just outside. South Carolina came in ranked No. 21 and sits a spot above No. 22 LSU, a team that beat them earlier in the year. Both squads have a 14 and 7 percent chance to make the playoff, respectively, according to the ESPN Playoff Predictor.

The Pac-12's legacy of any team being able to beat any other team on any given week was seen as a sign of weakness for the conference. Slap the SEC logo on it and now it's a sign of strength and talent. Pick a lane.

Don't get me wrong, the SEC is rightly being recognized in this case but the fact that it took having the SEC being in the same position as the Pac-12 to have that acknowledged is agitating.

The Big 12, which inherited the four teams usually doing the cannibalizing in the Pac-12, is now the one experiencing the cannibalization; They're likely only going to get one team in the playoff period.

The Big Ten isn't safe from criticism either. No. 7 Indiana is undefeated but their best win is a weak Michigan team. The rest of the conference outside those in the top four are soft this season.

No. 3 Texas may pass the eye test but their best win is Vanderbilt. The CFP committee is buying stock in the Longhorns and betting that they'll play like the No. 3 team at some point, preferably in the SEC championship game.

Don't let the expanded field fool you into thinking there's more opportunity for all conferences to make the playoff. Sooner than later it's going to look like a Big Ten-SEC invitational tournament with a smattering of ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame involved.