Bowl selection winners and losers: CFP selections reflect coming reality where Big Ten and SEC dominate the sport

The final year of the four-team College Football Playoff offers two sizzling match ups, one major controversy, and a glimpse into college football’s next iteration.

The era of SEC and Big Ten hegemony, which officially begins next season when the conferences add a slew of powerhouse programs, is already underway.

Who won Sunday with the reveal of the playoff and bowl pairings?

The Big Ten, because Michigan is the No. 1 seed.

The SEC, because one-loss Alabama snuck in at the expense of undefeated Florida State.

The other two teams in the semifinals? Washington is leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, and Texas is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.

All four participants will be in the two wealthiest conferences at this time next year.

The other leagues are left with little but frustration and destruction.

The Pac-12 (as we know it) is going away.

The Big 12 is losing its blue bloods.

And the ACC would be concerned about the landscape if it weren’t outraged over Florida State, its 13-0 champion, being excluded from the playoff.

“It’s unfathomable,” Commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement.

Not when you see the sport for what it has become: The Power Two and everyone else.

“What happened today goes against everything that is true and right in college football,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said in a blistering public critique.

Those elements were cast aside long ago.

Sure, the 12-team playoff that begins next season will have room for ACC, Big 12 and Group of Five representation.

But two heavyweight conferences will account for seven or eight bids each year. Everyone else will be marginalized — the start of that process was evident Sunday morning.

More winners and losers …

Winner: SEC media machine. For 48 hours, we were treated ad nauseam to the narrative that 2023 would have marked the start of the 12-team playoff — thus avoiding the Florida State controversy — but for the delay in approving the new format. The cause of that delay back in the summer of 2021, according to the narrative? The alliance between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12. Meanwhile, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been cast as the sport’s white knight, pushing for expansion because it was in the best interest of all parties.

Loser: SEC media machine. Unfortunately, the narrative fails to acknowledge that the alliance was a response to Sankey’s secret negotiations to add Texas and Oklahoma while he was serving on the playoff expansion committee. The realignment thunderbolt led directly to the formation of the alliance and subsequent delay in approving the 12-team event. Of course the other conferences hit pause! And guess what: The SEC would have done exactly the same thing if the Big Ten had secretly added USC and UCLA while then-commissioner Kevin Warren was working on the CFP expansion plan. In a sport without a true governing body, all entities act in self interest. Nobody should be blamed for the lack of a 12-team playoff this year, or everyone should be blamed.

Winner: Alabama. The Crimson Tide needed a miracle to beat Auburn and remain alive in the playoff race, then became a lock with the upset of No. 1 Georgia. There was no chance (none, zero, zip) of the SEC champion being left out. That said, the Tide’s improvement throughout the season has been remarkable. Count 2023 as one of Nick Saban’s best coaching jobs.

Loser: Florida State. The Seminoles became the first 13-0 champion from a Power Five conference to miss the playoff. They finished No. 5, one spot behind Alabama, after the injury to quarterback Jordan Travis led the committee to conclude FSU isn’t good enough to warrant a spot.

Winner: Mike Norvell. Florida State’s coach went scorched-earth after the announcement. “I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games. What is the point of playing games?” He’s not wrong, but the four-team system isn’t built to accommodate five worthy conference winners. The CFP has been fortunate to avoid situations like this for most of its existence.

Loser: ACC. We can’t help but wonder if playoff exclusion will expedite Florida State’s departure from the ACC. After all, the Seminoles have made no secret of their desire to join the SEC or Big Ten. While the cost of breaking the contract would soar past $100 million, the school must consider the price of staying put.

Winner: Steve Sarkisian. The former USC and Washington coach battled demons (alcoholism) but got his life straightened out and has lifted the Longhorns into the playoff in just his third season. Good for him.

Loser: Rose Bowl. Sure, Michigan-Alabama is a terrific matchup. But if Georgia had won the SEC title and held the No. 1 ranking, the Granddaddy would have hosted No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Washington — the Big Ten against the Pac-12 for one last hurrah.

Winner: Orange Bowl. Event organizers could not ask for a more compelling matchup than Florida State against Georgia. Both teams are coming off huge disappointments: FSU’s exclusion from the playoff; and Georgia’s loss in the SEC title game. But if the Seminoles beat Georgia, and if Alabama wins the playoff, there’s a pathway for FSU to stake claim on the national championship. The bowl, and the ACC, would be wise to hammer home that narrative for the next month.

Loser: Fiesta Bowl. It’s difficult — no, impossible — to imagine a worse opponent for Oregon than Liberty. Good luck selling tickets for that, folks. The committee did the Fiesta dirty.

Winner: Rece Davis. ESPN’s host masterfully navigated the lengthy selection show through the Florida State controversy and the heated studio discussion. He added context when needed, asked the right questions of interview subjects and never let the conversation veer too far off course.

Loser: Oregon. Three days ago, the Ducks were ranked fifth, heavily favored to beat Washington and playing for a spot in the CFP. Now, they must find the motivation to prepare for Liberty in the Fiesta. Fortunes change quickly in a leaderless sport.

Winner: Pac-12. In its final year, the conference hit the daily double by securing bids to both the CFP and the New Year’s Six — and sending six other teams to bowl games. A fabulous end to a sterling season.

Loser: Pac-12. This is, of course, the final year of Pac-12 football as we know it. Had the leadership been stronger — both from the commissioner’s chair and the board level — the conference could have bet on itself in 2023. In other words, it could have delayed signing a media rights deal until this winter, after a season of soaring TV ratings and playoff contenders. Leverage would have been high; suitors would have been numerous; and a future would have been secured.