Prominent SEC Athletic Director Says It's Time To Eliminate Conference Championships: 'It's Run Its Course'

The end of the 2025-2026 season revealed several important truths, namely that the balance of power in college football has shifted from the Big Ten to the SEC and that schedules and championships are being viewed in a whole new light. 

This dynamic played out in both of the two mega conferences. The Big Ten Conference Championship game was between the Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes. Both teams entered the conference championship game undefeated, having essentially already secured their spot in the College Football Playoff. 

The only thing at stake? Seeding in the expanded tournament. Sure, winning locked up the #1 seed for Indiana and conference bragging rights, but just like the Hoosiers, Ohio State was given a first round bye in the Playoff as well. And ironically, since the Miami Hurricanes beat Texas A&M in the first round, the Buckeyes actually played the #10 seed while Indiana played a "tougher" opponent in the #9 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide.

Speaking of Alabama, their appearance in the SEC Championship game against Georgia highlighted the other side of the issue: the game was pre-determined to be irrelevant for making the tournament. The College Football Playoff selection committee decided the week prior that Alabama and Georgia would both be in the field, regardless of the outcome. That proved to be an embarrassment when the Tide were obliterated by a much stronger Georgia team, yet still reached the playoff ahead of other teams like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

RELATED: College Football Playoff System, Committee, Is A Joke And Needs A Complete Overhaul

So both outcomes revealed an uncomfortable truth about conference championship games in the modern era: they have no purpose. And Alabama's athletic director, Greg Byrne, now agrees.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Greg Byrne Wants Conference Championship Games Ended

Byrne, one of the most powerful people in college football, told USA Today in a new interview that it's time to end the SEC championship game moving forward. 

"I think the ship has sailed. It’s run its course," Byrne said. 

"It’s a great event," he continued. "I don’t like the idea of it going away, but I think it’s reality, with an expanded playoff."

Byrne also explained it wasn't just the 12-team expanded playoff that made it unnecessary, but with the inevitability of further expansion, it becomes even less justifiable. As for how many teams he'd like to see? Byrne has landed on 16, while other entities, like the Big Ten, have wanted more, even up to 24. 

"I think we need to pick a lane," he said. "We were headed for 16, and then there seemed to be pressure for 24. So, as soon as we get to 24, I guess you could say, ‘Well, we better go to 48.’ I mean, at some point, we have to pick a lane."

Regardless of the number, and 16 does seem to make more sense than 24, Byrne explained that top SEC teams are going to get in anyway. Whether through an automatic bid for the winner of the conference, or through a greater number of at-large selections. Winning the conference used to be a primary goal. Now, ask Georgia fans if they were happy winning the SEC and losing in the first round of the playoff to Ole Miss. 

There's so little upside now to conference championship games. Seeding is nice, bragging rights are nice, but in coming seasons, not every team might be treated with the same deference Alabama was. Losing and not moving down a spot was, until 2025, unheard of. There's also the possibility of a hard-fought game against a conference rival leading to injuries that keep important players out of the playoff.

What's the point? Use conference record and tiebreakers to determine the conference winner, stop wasting a week with the championship round, expand the playoff and move the first round closer to the end of the regular season. 

The obvious reason to continue playing these games is money. Conference championship games bring in big dollars from TV partners and ticket sales. But more playoff games could make up for the lost revenue, and ultimately make for better regular season schedules if teams aren't as concerned about losing a potential championship game. We'll see if it happens, but when voices as powerful as Byrne and Texas AD Chris Del Conte are saying the same thing, it's likely a matter of time.