Over the past decade, the championship structure for college football has been continuously changing and evolving. In 2014, the BCS National Championship format was replaced by the College Football Playoffs, which allowed four teams to compete for the title.
That format lasted until 2023, and in the 2024 season, the 12-team format was debuted. The top five conference champions in the rankings were given an automatic bid, and then at-large bids went to the next seven most highly ranked teams.
For many years, it felt like teams had to win every game on their schedule to have the opportunity to play for the championship game, but with the expansion to 12 teams, that is slowly changing. In last year's championship bracket, one team had three losses, and seven of the teams had two losses.
However, with his team playing in the most competitive conference in the sport, Auburn football Head Coach Hugh Freeze would like the loss allowance to expand even further as the changing landscape makes more programs competitive.
“The days of teams running the gauntlet two and three years in a row of 12-0 seasons — I think those days are in the past," Freeze said, per AL.com. "We need to adapt more of the NFL mindset. Heck, NFL teams lose six games and go to the playoffs they’ll have a shot at the Super Bowl. Truthfully, An SEC team that ends up 8-4 or 9-3 — if you have a realistic shot at a playoff berth you might be playing your best football by then.”
Freeze went on to say that the top teams from the SEC should face the top teams from the Big 10 or other conferences for a spot in the playoffs, and that conference championships should be forgotten.
The Tigers return to action on August 29 when they face the Baylor Bears on the road.