Urban Meyer Can't Fathom Lane Kiffin Assertion That Coaches Want to Avoid SEC Title

The Ole Miss coach said that some of his fellow SEC coaches are hoping to avoid the conference championship game ahead of the CFP.

Ohio State Buckeyes former head coach Urban Meyer walks by the end zone during the first half between Michigan and Ohio State at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. / Detroit Free Press-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff's expansion to 12 teams this season has changed the equation for teams looking to make the field, especially when it comes to conference championship games. For teams in leagues like the Big 12 and ACC, which may only receive single bids to the Playoff, winning the title game is essential. For the top teams in leagues like the SEC and Big Ten, some believe getting extra rest and avoiding a potential third loss on the résumé outweighs the benefits of potentially winning a conference championship and securing a bye as a top-four seed in the Playoff.

According to Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, some of his SEC counterparts are among that group.

"The conference championship could have a big impact both ways for people. I’ve talked to other coaches, so I’ll just kind of give you the feeling from some other coaches, that they don’t want to be in it," Kiffin said of the SEC championship game on Monday. "You know, the reward to get a bye [in the Playoff] versus the risk to get knocked out completely. I mean, that’s a that’s a pretty big—that’s a really big risk just to get a bye."

Former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer—a winner of two SEC championships and three Big Ten championships—acknowledged the risk that Kiffin and other coaches are concerned about, but cannot imagine a situation in which he wouldn't want to play for the league title. Meyer couldn't come to terms with the concept after his podcast co-host Rob Stone compared the situation to college basketball teams bowing out early in their conference tournament with their NCAA tournament bids already secured.

"I'll be honest, I'm shutting you out because I can't even think like that. What do you mean you hope you don’t go to the championship game?" Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast Wednesday. "You get up in the morning and as you’re driving to work, you say, 'Boy, I hope we don’t win the SEC Championship.' That doesn’t compute."

And as for the idea of missing the conference title game altogether?

"Even worse," Meyer said.

At the same time, Meyer believes the risk of losing the conference championship and missing the Playoff altogether is real, despite Stone believing it wouldn't be held against teams.

Texas has the SEC's best record at 9-1 while another five teams in the league sit at 8-2: Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M. The Longhorns, Crimson Tide, Rebels and Bulldogs would make the Playoff as of today, while Tennessee would be the first team out (getting jumped by projected Big 12 champion BYU).

The expansion of the Playoff to 12 teams has significant benefits, as far more teams have realistic access to play for a national championship. Combined with conference expansion, which led to most leagues scrapping divisions and using elaborate tiebreaker scenarios to decide conference title matchups, there are some messy consequences as well.

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