The 12-team College Football Playoff will bring a vastly different experience for fans, players and coaches this fall -- but probably not a different result.
The SEC and Big Ten have combined to win eight of the first 10 playoff titles, and that trend is expected to continue this season. According to ESPN's College Football Power Index, 12 of the top 15 teams are from those two conferences. The Allstate Playoff Predictor gives the SEC a 53% chance to win the national championship, followed by the Big Ten (32%).
So which one is really better and deeper? It depends on which commissioner has the mic at media days.
"On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America," Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. "Every week will matter. I'm going to say that one more time. We will be the deepest conference in America, and every week will matter."
The Big 12 might not be the best, but it could be the most competitive. ESPN Analytics projects nine schools with at least a 10% chance to reach the Big 12 championship game and a 5% chance to win the conference title.
And yet ... the Allstate Playoff Predictor gives the Big 12 just a 4% chance to win the national championship.
The more things change, the more they stay the same?
Here's a ranking of how the Power 4 conferences will stack up this season, based on their potential playoff contenders.
1. SEC
Should be in: Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide
