Do we still need conference title games?

It's been 30 years since the inaugural SEC Championship Game took place between Florida and Alabama at Legion Field. The brainchild of longtime SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer and an indelible crowning jewel to his legacy. The SEC title game was the first of its kind, but spawned similar contests in practically every major conference. The idea of a "shared" league title seems laughable today, but was the norm when I was growing up. As far as I'm concerned, the SEC title game is one of the greatest additions to the college football season in the history of the sport. It provided the premier conference in the country an opportunity to legitimately decide its championship on the field and also be incredibly entertaining in the process. Through the years, it has often been more difficult to win the SEC title than the national title. Of course, things change and the sport of college football continues to evolve even as we speak. The transfer portal and NIL legislation have brought free agency to college athletics. Whether good or bad, they're here and here to stay. The Playoff has revolutionized how college football crowns its national champion. It will now expand to 12 teams beginning in 2024 and have a whole new set of challenges and intricacies. However, I believe the Playoff is also one of the best things to ever happen to college football. I certainly wouldn't want to go back to "the good old days" when championships were rarely unanimous and mostly subjective. While imperfect, I love the Playoff and am eagerly awaiting its expansion. How in the world could more college football and more compelling matchups ever be a bad thing?

Unfortunately, with all of the change going on in college football, there are bound to be some casualties along the way. I'm afraid one of those casualties is probably going to be the conference title game at some point. As much as I love the SEC title game, it may very well become superfluous very soon. We've already seen examples of conference championship games becoming irrelevant or even a detriment to teams with only a four team playoff. I can only imagine that will increase with the addition of eight more teams to the postseason. TCU lost to Kansas State Saturday and it made no difference, but could have been very costly. Michigan had really nothing to gain and everything to lose against Purdue. There have been quite a few examples like that over the last several years. Another factor working against it is how many games are too many? In 2024, the national champion could play 16 games. Conference title games served a great purpose for the last 30 years, but times have changed and football has changed. When it becomes difficult to determine whether it's a privilege or a punishment to actually play in the game, I think it's time to reevaluate the game itself. I seriously doubt anything drastic will happen in the next few years, but I wouldn't be surprised if the SEC title game isn't on the endangered species list before too long. Enjoy it while it lasts.