For some reason, ESPN's Chris Low believed the SEC's shift to a nine-game schedule was a chance to take a shot at the Ohio State Buckeyes and TTUN.
To be fair, the latter team deserved it for not only having an easy path to the College Football Playoff National Championship in the last four-team field. It helped that they were literally filming opponents and barely got punished for it years later.
OSU, though? After knocking off the Tennessee Volunteers, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish en route to being the first champion to have played 16 games?
It's not right, but it's what Low did.
"Long been a proponent of the SEC going to 9 league games and also playing a Power 4 nonconference game. Makes the sport better. But let’s not forget that each of the last two national champs, Ohio State and Michigan, didn’t play a single nonconference game against a Power 4 foe," Low wrote.
SEC's schedule change helps Big Ten with more CFP bids
Giving the SEC an additional game to every team so the conference can further cannibalize itself is a win for the Big Ten's desire to have more autobids. The B1G may not get every concession, but this is a pretty big one.
That means the Alabama Crimson Tide has to contend with the Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and LSU Tigers every season. It means the Georgia Bulldogs have to play AU, UT, and possibly the South Carolina Gamecocks annually.
It...just...means...more...Big Ten CFP bids.
Granted, any given season could be a difficult one in the Big Ten, given the lack of protected rivalries/locked-in games. But while the planets can align scarily, as the Indiana Hoosiers proved in 2024, sometimes it also can mean you get a cakewalk slate.
Overall, it's good for Ohio State and Michigan. And it's why an ESPN/Disney person got mad at the FOX/CBS brand making out like bandits.