Paul Finebaum remains a big fan of how the SEC and the Big Ten are operating in the latest round of negotiations for the College Football Playoff.

Previously, Finebaum pushed back at the media outrage toward a CFP proposal that would greatly benefit the two power conferences in 2026 and beyond. On Monday, he said that reaction has simply been by people who don’t like the SEC and Big Ten, a group that contains just about everybody else in the country.

As for the reality of the latest proposal, Finebaum says it was always the goal of the two powerhouses to simply get more money in the next contract agreement. Finebaum also explained the automatic byes that were reported were likely just leverage to get the rest of the sport past concerns about equal shares.

“I think the goal of the Big Ten and the SEC from Day 1 was to go in there and grab more money. That’s the most important thing here is quit giving money to leagues that don’t show up and are representative,” said Finebaum during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

“As far as the byes, I was never crazy about that. I think we ought to have a representative tournament, and if you give the Big Ten and SEC automatic byes it would skewer the view of it. But I’m sure that’s something that was thrown on the table to get everyone else to simply move off trying to go for an equal share. That’s just not the way the world works anymore, and I compliment the SEC and Big Ten for flexing its muscle in that regard.”

As we gear up for the 12-team Playoff, be sure to track the latest odds for the national championship. Fans can also take advantage of SDS’s sports betting links to follow all the action.

Why Finebaum is right

College athletics is heading into the future, whether we like it or not. For some that’s a sad reality spurred on by the death of the Pac-12, but it’s a reality nonetheless.

The eventual announcement of a 5+7 selection format for the Playoff was all but a foregone conclusion that was recently confirmed. However, it was always a longshot to be a permanent status quo when the full pieces of realignment are considered.

Consider the realignment moves from the remaining 4 “power” conferences and the expanding discrepancy between the SEC and the Big Ten and the Big 12 and the ACC.

The SEC did not simply poach some middle-of-the-road programs to move to 16 teams. They landed Texas and Oklahoma, the marquee football brands in the Big 12 to add massive value for the future.

The Big Ten’s move was similar, adding USC and UCLA to corner the Los Angeles media market with major brands in football and basketball. Adding Oregon and Washington came after the fact, but the Ducks are among the premier football programs in the country while the Huskies also bring value.

The moves in the Big 12 and the ACC were simply not the same with the Big 12 replacing the Longhorns and Sooners with secondary pieces from the Pac-12. The ACC’s expansion decision was even further down the pecking order when it comes to major college football.

As Finebaum points out, equal shares are not the way the world works when one league adds Texas and Oklahoma and another adds… Cal and SMU. Equal shares? For that?

In reality, that’s all you need to know about the reasons behind recent discussions to expand the brand-new format in the CFP.

12 teams and a 5+7 format is great. However, it was never the end goal for the brand new era of college football.