Inside The SEC Championship: Kiffin Backs Out, CFP Panic, And A Push For Play-In Games
Could SEC Championship Weekend turn into a play-in weekend?
ATLANTA — Fans have once again flocked to the ATL for an SEC Championship game between Georgia and Alabama that should draw plenty of attention in the form of College Football Playoff drama. As for Lane Kiffin’s scheduled appearance on College GameDay — well, that’s no longer happening.
Is the playoff committee prepared to move Alabama out of its final rankings if the Tide loses by more than 14 points today?
That’s been one of the main talking points this week after several nonsensical explanations from the playoff committee, with chairman Hunter Yurachek fumbling his messaging along the way.
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That conversation would certainly be an interesting one, especially with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey prepared to lobby committee members if Georgia puts it to Alabama inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lane Kiffin Is The Talk Of SEC Championship Weekend
Outside the on-field noise between Alabama and Georgia — with the Bulldogs already securing a playoff bid — the attention has centered almost entirely on new LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who backed out of an in-person GameDay appearance late Friday night.
Although Kiffin posted that he canceled due to recruiting and retaining a coach, sources told OutKick that this wasn’t actually the case. The LSU coach simply decided it was best not to show up in Atlanta.
Oh, and this story isn't going away anytime soon, considering Kiffin lit a match and tossed it into the Ole Miss football building on his way to the Oxford airport en route to Baton Rouge.
Did you expect anything different?
Walking through the SEC's fanfare event on Friday evening, plenty of Alabama and Georgia fans had a lot to say about Kiffin bolting Ole Miss before the Rebels started practicing for the postseason.
Inside The SEC Championship: Lane Kiffin Backlash, CFP Controversy, And A Push for New Play-In Games
When asked for his thoughts on the entire ordeal, one Georgia fan warned LSU that the same thing could happen to them down the road.
"They might be happy right now, but I just don't trust the snake," Anthony, from Athens, told OutKick. "You leave a playoff team right after your final regular season game and before the Playoff, karma has a real way of coming back to bite you.
"I feel sorry for the players, having to deal with all of that nonsense while trying to lock up a playoff bid. Sure, they didn’t look distracted against Mississippi State, but I'd bet they already knew he was gone anyway. LSU will find out, or maybe Nick Saban can lobby for him again when he decides it's time to leave Louisiana."
But, that feeling wasn't shared by everyone, as one Alabama fan essentially had nothing but nice things to say, even lobbying for him down the road.
"I hope he wins a title at LSU, then he can come take over when Kalen DeBoer leaves town," Ronny from Montgomery told OutKick. "Sure, I feel bad for the players, but we're living in a different world right now. All those players can transfer or hold the school up for more money. It just so happens that the timing occurred right before the playoffs started.
"Hell, I hope he's coaching us one day. So, go do you, Lane. Then come on back to Tuscaloosa and finish your career."
We Probably Need ‘Play-In’ Games, Not A Title Game
Another major topic around Atlanta: turning SEC Championship Weekend into a play-in weekend — essentially two semifinal games for two playoff spots.
Talking with multiple sources over the past 24 hours in Atlanta, the idea of having two games in Atlanta could be a solution down the road when the Playoff expands.
Right now, Vanderbilt and Texas are essentially headed for bowl games in Florida, even though they are within striking distance of the CFP's top 12. Unfortunately, the likelihood of them getting into the postseason is essentially nonexistent with the current rankings.
So, the answer to solving this problem could be turning this one-day event into a two-day event that has four teams battling for two playoff spots. Even though this has been discussed behind closed doors over the past year, there could be a scenario where this occurs, sooner rather than later.
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Commissioner Greg Sankey could save himself the hassle of having to lobby, and turn Atlanta into what is essentially an NCAA Tournament-like atmosphere that takes place every year with the First Four In.
"They gotta come up with something different, because we're getting to the point where this game is meaningless, outside of pride," one industry source told OutKick in Atlanta. "These coaches might want to act as if it means something, but we all know they are more worried about a star player being hurt and missing the playoff. .
"I know it's tough for some folks around the conference to admit, especially with ticket sales and viewership maintaining at a very high level, but this game is losing its luster with the playoff format where it's at. Can you imagine what this place would look like if Vanderbilt and Texas were also playing again this weekend, or two other teams on the outside looking in. Something will change, and I would imagine the SEC is already preparing for what that would look like."
I'm not going to call this game meaningless, given that both teams take a serious amount of pride in winning the SEC.
It's obvious that the hype we've seen in previous years has dissipated. I'm sure that will change once the game starts this afternoon. But I would imagine both coaches will breathe a sigh of relief once it's over, and they check with the team doctors to make sure everyone will be healthy for the Playoff.
And, yes, the same can be said for tonight's Big Ten Championship, where both teams will receive first-round byes regardless of score.