Michigan vs. Alabama is Fox vs. ESPN and college football in 2024
LA TimesDuring the postcard hour of last year’s Rose Bowl, when gray clouds covered the San Gabriels and rain peppered the Granddaddy’s glorious green turf, the scene made for easy metaphorical references to Mother Nature expressing her displeasure at the sad end of one of college football’s timeless traditions — the champions from the Big Ten and Pac-12 playing in Pasadena to ring in the new year. The TV networks were proven right to have invested so much time and resources into constructing a “Power Two” conference structure that would provide the best inventory to consumers more consistently, and, sure enough, four big brands that will live in the Big Ten and SEC starting next season were invited to the College Football Playoff at the season’s end. As more time passes, it will become even more obvious that there is the SEC and the Big Ten and then what may as well be called the “Group of Seven.” This year’s Rose Bowl previews a new era in which the game annually will be part of the CFP’s tournament along with the other five “New Year’s Six” bowls, hosting two teams coming from whatever the bracket spits out in the 12-team format. “It’s pretty clear to just about anyone that covers college football that the decision was made without a doubt that there had to be a Southeastern Conference team in this playoff, that they would not have a four-team playoff without an SEC team,” says Tim Brando, the longtime college sports commentator who calls games for Fox.
History of this topic
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