Josh Brooks’ out of the box thinking may not be the best idea after all. As it is, the SEC is staring at an uncomfortable question as the idea of expanding the College Football Playoff to 16, or even 24 teams continues to float. What happens to its conference championship game? And while some, including Kirby Smart, have cautiously entertained the idea of scrapping it altogether, the Georgia AD decided to add his own twist.
“I’ve been a proponent of maybe thinking outside the box a little bit if we were to go to 16,” Josh Brooks said on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan during the Cellini and Dimino show. “I would be in favor of maybe the fifth-ranked SEC team playing the eighth-ranked team, the sixth playing seventh. That way five through eight get data points to show.”
Instead of the traditional No. 1 vs. No. 2 SEC title game, Josh Brooks suggests turning championship weekend into a play-in showcase for teams ranked fifth through eighth in the conference. It sounds like a lifeline for bubble teams with more games, more exposure, and more chances to impress the CFP committee. But if you’re already one of the SEC’s best, it’s not a favorable structure. And that’s where the logic starts to get questions.
“I would hope one through four [in the SEC] would probably be in that top 16,” he added. “So then, again, five play eight, six play seven, and that’s almost like a play-in game to make them bolster their resume to make a case for them.”
Josh Brooks’ proposal hinges on the assumption that the SEC’s top four teams are playoff locks in a 16-team field. That might be true to some extent but there are no guarantees. What would happen when the conference has a down season or what if the No. 4 SEC team is sitting at 8-4, barely snagging a CFP berth? In his model, that team doesn’t get a shot to improve its resume because there won’t be an extra game.
The playoff will remain at 12 teams for the 2026 season, but beyond that, there’s still no answer. ESPN even extended a decision deadline to January but even then, conference commissioners couldn’t decide whether they’ll go with 16 or 24 teams. But if it changes from 12, something has to give.
The SEC’s championship dilemma is getting real
Kirby Smart has already started preparing for that reality. Despite his affinity for the SEC Championship game, he didn’t deny the fact that it “probably has to go.”
“Is there a time that I could say that the SEC championship might not be there? Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “It could have be headed towards that. But I love the game. I love the championship factor… It’s great for the student-athlete.”
That’s the tension because the SEC title game is an event in Atlanta. It’s legacy, the kind of stage that defines seasons and cements reputations. Josh Brooks’ idea, though, risks turning that stage into something else entirely which is a glorified wildcard round for teams that couldn’t crack the top tier.
And yeah, there’s an argument to be made about adding “data points” for bubble teams. But if championship weekend stops rewarding the best teams and starts catering to the middle-tier teams, it’s going to create more problems than solutions. People need to consider that not every idea born outside the box is progress. And if this is the direction the SEC is considering, it’ll only be a matter of time before public pushbacks surface.
