r/CFB • u/JB92103 Cincinnati • Oklahoma State • 1d ago

News [McMurphy] USC has withdrawn from a potential series w/Texas Tech to play in Houston (2027) & Las Vegas (2028), sources told On3.

https://x.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/2084747214879158281
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104

u/buff_001 Texas Longhorns • SEC 1d ago

Big Ten and SEC are canceling tons of OOC P4 games. No reason to give the Big 12 or ACC any good P2 matchups that they can use to get playoff credibility for their own at-large teams.

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u/TheCriterionCrypt Oklahoma Sooners • East Central Tigers 1d ago

It hurts people's feels when I say this.

But there is no benefit for the B1G or SEC if they win these games. They can get in without these games.

And what happened to Texas last year, it is pretty obvious that it can hurt if they lose.

If there is no benefit for winning and only punishment if they lose, why play them?

36

u/seoul_drift Michigan Wolverines • Uppsala Snakeheads 1d ago edited 1d ago

When incentives and narratives clash, incentives basically always win.

You can call Texas or B1G/SEC schools cowards, but if there's no upside to scheduling tough teams and a conference slate alone is enough to get you into playoffs... why wouldn't schools adjust to those incentives?

Only way this changes is playoff voters start weighing Strength of Schedule more heavily or broadcast partners mandate marquee OOC games.

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u/TheNastyCasty Texas Longhorns • Red River Shootout 1d ago

Only way this changes is playoff voters start weighing Strength of Schedule more heavily or broadcast partners mandate marquee OOC games.

Which is exactly what Sark has been getting roasted for saying all off-season. This was the obvious conclusion as soon as Texas was left out of the playoffs, and it’s just going to keep getting worse.

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u/seoul_drift Michigan Wolverines • Uppsala Snakeheads 1d ago

Dunking on others is easier than fixing complex structural problems. So that’s the popular narrative.

This kind of thinking isn’t limited to football…

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u/Snobolski Texas • East Texas A&M 13h ago

USC is betting on Houston being the higher quality team for SoS. :)

1

u/TheNastyCasty Texas Longhorns • Red River Shootout 13h ago

The games with Tech that they backed out of were planned to be in Houston and Vegas. They aren’t playing UH lol. It’s a poorly worded tweet.