Itâs a recurring nightmare for SEC Commish Greg Sankey. As in Poeâs âThe Pit and the Pendulumâ he sees the eyes of his inquisitors and then their thin lips as they âfashion the syllablesâ of his name. Only this time, those inquisitors are the SEC football coaches. In Sankeyâs nightmare, Ole Miss has won out after getting wiped out by Florida and then losing in convincing fashion to Memphis. The conferenceâs chances of playing in the national championship playoff have vanished, albeit like Emilyâs husband in Ole Miss Alum Ernest Hemingwayâs noted short story.
For anyone who can understand the verbiage of the playoff contract the sum may be clearer, but apparently the league would only lose about six million dollars if catastrophe strikes, you know, in the form of Ole Miss victories. Sure, itâs enough to build a bionic man but in the grand scheme of things for a conference as powerful as the SEC, itâs a penance. Whatâs lost is the prestige, and that has to have Sankey losing sleep.
Say SEC fans wear tin-foil hats all you want, but evidence of SEC fatigue is as plentiful as points scored in the BIG12 Conference, which doesnât have defenses only empty uniforms laid on the field in formation. Take for example Utah, an undefeated team not favored over an unranked USC squad who was ranked third before they were annihilated and exposed. Or how âbout Ohio State who has squeaked by unranked teams for weeks and has remained number one? Later, theyâll play another âhighly rankedâ team who has also barely beaten the âweak sisters of the poorâ all season, Michigan State âwhose deus ex machina occurrences would tire even the most clichĂ© of writers . The winner of those two titans will be declared playoff worthy. Cue the laugh track. Finally, the ACCâs undefeated participant, Clemson, will also have a lightweight schedule. They will have beaten Notre Dame though, so the Tigers must be invincible.
So whatâs a guy like poor ole Greg Sankey to do? Take a sleeping pill? Go on a late night show to demonstrate his and his leagueâs affability? I know. How about campaign for a real playoff? Or else get used to this. One thing's for certain. That pendulum is a killer.
For anyone who can understand the verbiage of the playoff contract the sum may be clearer, but apparently the league would only lose about six million dollars if catastrophe strikes, you know, in the form of Ole Miss victories. Sure, itâs enough to build a bionic man but in the grand scheme of things for a conference as powerful as the SEC, itâs a penance. Whatâs lost is the prestige, and that has to have Sankey losing sleep.
Say SEC fans wear tin-foil hats all you want, but evidence of SEC fatigue is as plentiful as points scored in the BIG12 Conference, which doesnât have defenses only empty uniforms laid on the field in formation. Take for example Utah, an undefeated team not favored over an unranked USC squad who was ranked third before they were annihilated and exposed. Or how âbout Ohio State who has squeaked by unranked teams for weeks and has remained number one? Later, theyâll play another âhighly rankedâ team who has also barely beaten the âweak sisters of the poorâ all season, Michigan State âwhose deus ex machina occurrences would tire even the most clichĂ© of writers . The winner of those two titans will be declared playoff worthy. Cue the laugh track. Finally, the ACCâs undefeated participant, Clemson, will also have a lightweight schedule. They will have beaten Notre Dame though, so the Tigers must be invincible.
So whatâs a guy like poor ole Greg Sankey to do? Take a sleeping pill? Go on a late night show to demonstrate his and his leagueâs affability? I know. How about campaign for a real playoff? Or else get used to this. One thing's for certain. That pendulum is a killer.
