Michael Wilbon of Pardon the Interruption is among those who oppose the proposed College Football Playoff changes from the SEC and Big Ten conferences. During a recent episode of PTI, Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser debated the implications of these changes, which would increase the overall spots in the CFP and guarantee more spots for teams from these two conferences.
Despite being a trustee and alum of Northwestern, a Big Ten university, Wilbon was candid in his criticisms. “It leads toward the ruination of what I appreciate about college football,” he stated. “Having followed it all my life — having covered it half my life, I hate what this is doing. Yes, I’m a trustee of a university in one of those conferences at the big kid table. OK? It’s a golden child table to be in the Big Ten or the SEC. And I’m grateful for that. But I’m sure I’m gonna make people in the Big Ten cringe.”
PTI host and Northwestern trustee Michael Wilbon on the SEC and Big 10 pushing for 8 auto bids in the CFP:
“It leads toward the ruination of what I appreciate about college football. … I don’t like exclusion when it comes to sport. I want inclusion.” pic.twitter.com/OwxLsFNWpN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 19, 2025
Wilbon elaborated on his concerns regarding exclusion, stating that the proposal not only sidelines certain teams and conferences but also jeopardizes longstanding rivalries and traditions. “Tony, I don’t like exclusion when it comes to sport. I want inclusion. When you cut out fanbases, you cut out regions of the country—not just conferences,” he explained. “USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon can join the Big Ten, but you do exclude rivalries. You eliminate them. By doing this, you chop down a crucial part of what college football really is, and I find it loathsome. It distracts, in a major way, from college football for me.”
While not everyone may share Wilbon’s perspective on the value of rivalries and traditions, he makes a valid point; college football has significantly transformed over the years. Changes began as far back as the Bowl Championship Series in 1998, which, in some years, overlooked traditional Conference/Bowl Game tie-ins. The College Football Playoff’s introduction in 2014, its planned expansion in 2024, and various realignments in the interim have all further altered the sport’s landscape. For those who don’t value these changes in the same way Wilbon does, they may view them as beneficial; nevertheless, his viewpoint is certainly understandable.
