Keeping or Eliminating Conference Championship Games

In 1992, the SEC officially introduced the conference championship game after expanding their conference to 12 teams. Since then, all other conferences followed suit and all FBS conferences now hold a conference championship game to determine their conference champion. However, as most of the conferences have eliminated divisions, determining the top two teams to play for the championship game became complicated due to the tie-breakers enforced in certain conferences. When the Big Ten introduced the 24-team format, the Big Ten is in favor of eliminating the conference championship game (but introduces a worse solution by proposing conference play-in games that would supplement multiple automatic bids). However, the SEC still wants to keep their conference championship.

You're likely going to ask: is it possible for certain conferences to not hold conference championship games while others still do? Yes, it is possible. There is precedent that it works in other sports and in lower football divisions. Let's look at the possibilities that would work.

The Recommended Approach

The optimal solution is for all conferences to eliminate championship games and determine champions through regular season records with tiebreakers. This provides:

• Consistent scheduling (teams play 12-14 regular season games)
• No bye week disparities between conferences
• Clear, fair championship determination
• Simplified playoff selection process

However, the proposal includes flexibility for conferences that choose to maintain championship games for revenue or tradition.

Regular Season Including Conference Championship Games

Here is how the regular season schedule would work if some conferences hold championship games, while others do not. The following table shows which regular season length would still have enough room to hold a conference championship game (CCG):

The Army-Navy game would still happen as a stand-alone game on Thanksgiving Weekend as mentioned in the the original proposed regular season.

• Conferences without championship games: Up to 13 or 14 regular season games (all teams)
• Conferences with championship games: 12 or 13 regular season games + 1 championship game = 13 or 14 total (for top 2 teams only); other teams play 12 or 13 games

Example:

• Big Ten (no championship game): All 18 teams play 13 or 14 regular season games
• SEC (keeps championship game): 14 teams play 12 or 13 games; 2 teams (championship game participants) play 13 or 14 total

The Problem This Creates: SEC teams that don't make the championship game play one fewer game than Big Ten teams. This disparity is why eliminating championship games is the cleaner solution.

Proven Precedent: This Already Works in Other Sports and Divisions

Division I Women's Volleyball

Some conferences crown champions after the regular season; others hold conference tournaments. Both models coexist successfully. The regular season ends around Thanksgiving weekend for all conferences, then the NCAA Tournament begins.

Division II Football

A few conferences hold championship games while others determine champions through regular season records. Teams play either 10-11 regular season games or 9-10 games plus a championship. This has worked for years.

Division III Football - SCIAC Model

The SCIAC has "championship week" as the 10th regular season game. Division winners play for the conference title while other teams play cross-division opponents based on standings. Everyone plays 10 games total. All other Division III football conferences play 10 games (except for the NESCAC, where all their teams play a 9-game conference only schedule).

If lower divisions can successfully implement flexible championship models, FBS can too.

Why This Flexibility Is Important

The current 12-team playoff has exposed a critical flaw: when both conference championship game participants are already playoff-bound, the game becomes redundant. In 2024 and 2025, both the SEC and Big Ten Champions and runner-ups were making the playoff regardless of the outcome, diminishing the game's stakes.

By making championship games optional:

• Conferences maintain autonomy over determining their conference champion
• The SEC can keep their lucrative championship games if they choose
• Other conferences can eliminate the expense and complication
• The playoff selection process becomes clearer and more transparent
• No conference is forced into a one-size-fits-all model
• Teams competing for at-large bids aren't disadvantaged by playing one fewer game

This flexibility is a strength of the proposal, not a compromise. It respects conference traditions while solving the structural problem of meaningless championship games in the playoff era.

Why the Mixed Approach Creates Problems (And Why Uniform Elimination Is Better)

In lower NCAA Divisions, there is no problem with unequal layoffs, bye-induced rust, and massive competitive imbalance. In Divsion I FCS and Division III, teams that make the playoffs and earn a bye would have their next game in two weeks. Otherwise, teams would play the next week concluding the regular season. Division II teams that do make the playoffs play the next week concluding the regular season.

Some will think the 24-team field is better because it closes the gap for bye teams. However, because the Army-Navy game stand alone game still gives all FBS teams at least one bye week at the end of the regular season, we would still be dealing with unequal layoffs, bye-induced rust, multiple autobids undermining conference championships (with conference play-in games making the solution worse), and massive competitive imbalance.

Timeline Comparison: Why Uniform Elimination Works Best

With the 32-team field and eliminating conference championship games, every team would end the regular season on the same weekend. Teams that end the regular season on the same weekend and make the 32-team field would all have no more than a two-week layoff and eliminate the induced-rust.

Conclusion

While the 32-team playoff provides flexibility for conferences to maintain championship games if they choose, the optimal implementation eliminates them entirely. This ensures all teams end their regular season simultaneously, provides equal rest periods before playoff games, eliminates competitive imbalances from unequal layoffs, and removes the complication of championship games where both participants are already playoff-bound. The precedent from lower divisions and other sports proves this flexibility can work, but the Army-Navy standalone game creates unique layoff disparities that make uniform elimination the superior choice. Conferences gain conference autonomy while the playoff structure remains fair and balanced for all participants.