College Football Playoffs Are Racist
Well not really but you were curious
Today will be a shift from the usual. A break from politics and race to discuss something also near and dear to me— sports. And as the college football season winds down, I wanted to share my thoughts on something I’ve wanted to write about for years and never really took a stab at it. It might be confusing. Might be ridiculous. But my hot take is this— the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a microcosm of how white supremacy and whiteness works and goes unchecked in society—often benefitting the privileged at expense of others.
UGH of course he made it about race, of course he did. Well like it is examined in the great book by Keith Boykin— EVERYTHING IS ABOUT RACE
But for real, it is hard to watch SEC football without thinking about race. Not just the fact that most of these schools and teams trot out mostly Black men to perform hard labor that entertains majority white crowds and enriches majority white schools and corporations. That sound familiar to anyone?
But not just that, the SEC moves in the spirit of whiteness because no matter what data and metrics say, they claim they are superior and perception is created to reflect that, no matter the proof to the contrary.
A quick explainer for those who don’t do sportsball-
The SEC, Cultural Dominance, and Reflections on Privilege
When it comes to college football, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) reigns supreme—or so it proudly proclaims. This dominance is evident in national championships, media contracts, and a cultural swagger that shapes the sport. But it is not just about winning games. It’s about a cultural narrative. Fans and commentators often claim that SEC football is inherently better—more passionate, more competitive, more important—than other conferences. This narrative fuels recruiting power, lucrative TV contracts, and fan loyalty, creating a self-reinforcing system of perceived superiority.
This mirrors how power operates in other systems, such as white supremacy, where dominance isn’t merely about tangible outcomes but the narratives and systems that sustain the belief in inherent superiority. Just as the SEC enjoys a larger slice of the spotlight in sports media, white-centric systems have historically received unearned prominence and control in cultural, political, and economic spheres.
The Benefit of the Doubt
A critical component of privilege is the benefit of the doubt—the idea that certain individuals or groups are given leeway, credibility, or forgiveness based on who they are, not what they’ve done.
In SEC football, this might look like a four-loss team being hyped as “the best bad team in the country,” while teams from other conferences face dismissal despite strong records. The same pattern is visible in broader society, where white individuals are often afforded second chances or leniency that others do not receive. Studies show, for example, that white job candidates with criminal records are often judged less harshly than Black candidates with clean records, highlighting the inequities baked into our systems.
Oh They Aren’t Motivated
I remember the huge bowl game where my school, University of Louisville was facing SEC bad boy University of Florida. It wasn’t supposed to be close. Florida was supposed to dominate. They are the SEC afterall. Early in the game, all around good guy and amazing Louisville ambassador (who I named my dog after) and Florida native Teddy Bridgewater took a HARD hit losing his helmet.
Ouch. But to be expected right? Big Bad SEC. Well— Louisville was ready to fight and here is how that ended:
STUNNING UPSET! But was it though? Louisville had an incredible season and played a tough schedule. They both finished the season 11-2 But the schedule Florida played was considered tougher JUST because of the conference. Not factoring in the head to heads outside of conference. They just WERE better.
And here is what immediately followed, and ALWAYS happens when the SEC inevitably underperforms in the postseason against a ‘lesser’ team.
“OH they weren’t motivated” That is always said after they lose. Never fails. Or “They ran a gauntlet of a schedule in the regular season.”
A gauntlet? Really? Okayyyyy
I really don’t care that much and get that money…but a problem that I have is when this privilege is at the expense of others and that is what makes me think of the inherent privilege that exists with this current model.
The New College Football Playoff
A few years ago college football FINALLY added a playoff system in lieu of the antiquated rankings that often picked the top SEC team and another team to play for the national championship. We created a playoff system where the top four teams would get to play for right to call themselves champion.
Sounds good right? Meritocracy and all that. Well… Here is where it gets gross. The playoff system basically became the SEC invitational and created a pathway for SEC teams with losses to still make it to the championship game if they lose a few here and there. The rest of the teams— they still have to be perfect. Zero losses and apparently zero injuries.
Last year, Florida State had an incredible season, finishing 13-0 and beating Louisville (them again) in the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) championship game. But oops— the starting quarterback and heisman (college football top award) contender was injured and the ‘selection committee’ decided they were not as deserving as Alabama who had a loss. (spoiler Alabama will come back again in this btw.)
Who cares that Florida State played a tough conference and played a conference championship game? Who cares that another undefeated team, Washington, was picked over for Alabama? THEY ARE SEC so they deserve to be there. Even with blemishes, losses, imperfections.
As a Black person I am taught to be twice as good for half as much. Adjusted for inflation it is now three times as good for 1/3 as much (see: Harris, Kamala) and football plays by those rules in the new playoff system. So— a school with 34 felonies and 6 bankruptcies, 91 indictments — can still be in the playoff as long as they are white. Oooops! Wrong point.
Following the madness last year, the playoff expanded from 4 teams to 12. More opportunity for others right? Nah look at the most recent (yesterday) rankings:
Bunch of SEC teams in there for the 12 teams. Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas. The most egregious is Alabama (them again) who is 9-3 with some BAD losses over Miami from the ACC who is 11-1 and lost to a pretty good team this past week after a season with no losses.
So lemme get this straight, Alabama can fall 3 times and still be treated better? Hmm what does that sound like?
Miami’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff, despite an impressive season, raises significant questions about the criteria used to select the top teams. Miami’s resume—strong wins, a conference title, and a high-powered offense complemented by a disciplined defense—deserved greater recognition. Yet, Alabama’s inclusion, even with a less convincing season marked by uncharacteristic struggles, highlights a systemic bias toward the SEC. This preference often values reputation and historical dominance over actual performance on the field.
It Gets a Little More Gross
This bias isn’t just about tradition; it’s a reflection of how power structures in college football operate. The CFP selection committee’s decisions often align with media narratives, which are heavily influenced by ESPN’s coverage of the sport.
ESPN is the primary broadcast partner for the SEC. Meaning they are the ones who air their games on TV. They even have a whole network FROM ESPN thus ESPN has a vested interest in promoting the conference as the pinnacle of college football. This dynamic skews public perception and puts teams from other conferences at a disadvantage in the playoff conversation.
All About Da Money
The financial relationship between the SEC and ESPN cannot be ignored when analyzing the playoff selection process. ESPN’s multibillion-dollar deal with the SEC incentivizes the network to promote the conference aggressively. This promotion creates a cycle where SEC teams receive more media attention, higher rankings, and greater visibility, ultimately influencing the CFP committee’s decisions.
Apples to Apples
Comparing the fake dominance and narratives of the SEC has always felt off to me and been a bit triggering. It is maddening to see teams, often full of Black men, around the country putting so much into what they are doing in order to reach the pinnacle of the sport only to have that work ignored in favor of a privileged group that gets the benefit of the doubt for much less of the work.
Like I said at the beginning, maybe I am off base, maybe I have lost my mind. But Saturdays as I watch college football I can’t help but notice the parallels to society.