Coaches want SEC title game to survive CFP tumult
Key takeaways
- The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 have all recently expressed support for a 24-team playoff model, which would eliminate their lucrative conference championship games.
- Georgia coach Kirby Smart said his biggest concern with eliminating the SEC championship game would be lost revenue -- an estimated $80 million to $100 million, according to sources.
- "But I'm really more worried about the financial burden that we're under right now of paying for all of the athletic department.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 have all recently expressed support for a 24-team playoff model, which would eliminate their lucrative conference championship games.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said his biggest concern with eliminating the SEC championship game would be lost revenue -- an estimated $80 million to $100 million, according to sources.
"I don't think it's great for the transfer portal to be ending the season that late, and if that championship game is in the way of that, or gets put on the back burner because of that, I think you'd have to accept it," Smart said. "But I'm really more worried about the financial burden that we're under right now of paying for all of the athletic department. And when you take that revenue stream [from the SEC championship game] out, can we make it work, and that is it sustainable to do without it? Would be my biggest concern."