Tim Tebow questions value of conference championship games in current College Football Playoff model

Conference championship weekend has arrived, and with that so does the conversation regarding the value of playing these matchups in the first place. A majority of teams playing on Saturday would make the 12-team field if the College Football Playoff began today – so why risk their spot in the first place?

Tim Tebow joined SportsCenter on Saturday morning to discuss the downside of having to play for a conference championship. He believes the argument against conference championships can be made “very easily.”

“I love conference championship games. This is one of my favorite weekends, but I think if you look at the future, you just don’t see the same value for these conference championship games as you’ve seen in the past,” Tebow told Gary Striewski.

“I think you will constantly continue to see change going forward, because if you look at the 12-team playoff, maybe going to expand to a 14 or more likely a 16 team playoff, then how valuable are the conference championship games? How much do the commissioners of these conferences want to put their teams at jeopardy and at risk when you’re not getting the same payoff?”

There’s a strong possibility that the loser of the Big Ten championship game between Ohio State and Indiana will still receive a first-round bye in the CFP. Earlier this week, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke on the importance of winning Saturday’s matchup, noting that it was one of his team’s preseason goals to win it, and that the Buckeyes want to be the No. 1 overall seed.

For No. 3 Georgia, seniors who have played four seasons on that roster have never defeated Alabama. They’d love to not only earn their win back from earlier in the season while also solidifying a first-round bye.

There is another side of that coin. Teams like Virginia and Duke are playing for the ACC Championship Saturday night, and neither would likely be in the playoffs without it. BYU, which is set to matchup against No. 4 Texas Tech for the Big 12 title, may also be in the same boat. Alabama perhaps, too.

“Is it still such an honor to win an SEC or Big Ten Championship? Yeah, that’s a really big deal,” Tebow said. “But in terms of the college football playoff and where we’re heading, I do not think that they have the same value for that as they once did on the big scale.”

It remains to be seen how, or if the College Football Playoff format will adjust to better incentivize these conference title games. For now, Tulane has already punched its ticket by winning the American Conference. Saturday’s action kicks off at Noon ET between the Red Raiders and Cougars for the Big 12 championship.