Edit: Scott clarified his comments. He meant conference winners, which implies division-winner, apparently.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott Wants Division-Winner Requirement For Playoffs
The Pac-12 seems to be a little bit out there in terms of what it wants out of a college football playoff: first, Larry Scott insisting a plus-one was still on the table when nobody agreed with him; now, he wants a division-winner requirement for teams involved in a potential four-team playoffs.
“That’s been as important as the format. It’s my own view, having evaluated all of the options, that I’m for earning it on the field by winning something,” Scott said. “I think what the fans want, in the call for a playoff in the first place, is to see it earned on the field. As I’ve studied it and talked to various people, if you look at the pro sports playoffs you have to win the division. You win the division, you know you’re in. Aside from that, you’re in a wildcard situation.
Scott’s intention - that you should have to win something to be the champion - is good, but the execution is a bit off. Pretty easy to demonstrate why: Alabama won the national championship but lost the SEC West to LSU, while in Scott’s PAC-12, UCLA won the division at 6-6 and went on to lose both the PAC-12 Championship game and a bowl game to finish at 6-8. But in Scott’s theory, the Bruins would be more deserving of a bid to a playoff than the Crimson Tide. If a conference-winner requirement seems unlikely to stick, this seems even more arbitrary and less likely.
For more on the college football playoff proposals, stick to this Storystream.
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