Josh Brooks defends Georgia football’s ‘sweet spot’ scheduling model

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Josh Brooks wants to see immediate results from the SEC adding a ninth conference game in the College Football Playoff Committee rankings this season.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated clearly on Wednesday that the league adding a ninth conference game this season should carry more weight, saying, “We are by far the most competitive, the strongest in football,” in his Wednesday presentation at the SEC Spring Meetings

But is the SEC strong enough to make the playoff field — be it the current 12 or potential expansion to 16 or 24 — with one more loss than teams from other conferences?

“It’s all going to come down to 9-3 (record) versus 10-2 (for final playoff spots),” Brooks said, “so when the SEC is 9-3, versus a 10-2 team from another conference, that’s the great debate.

“That ninth (SEC) game has to show up in the metrics immediately.”

Brooks defended UGA’s recent scheduling decisions as an attempt to hit the “sweet spot” for fans and the best interest of the program.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart noted during his appearance on the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum Show this week that teams playing weaker schedules have been rewarded in the past.

“There were a couple of numbers thrown out in our meeting of teams that have been 20-0 in nonconference games and how big of a benefit it was for them, because they didn’t really play anybody,” Smart said, sharing insight from the SEC coaches’ meeting with CFP executive director Rich Clark at the league meetings.

“I’m an enthusiast of playing these big games, I think fans want them, I think TV wants them, the players, if you ask them, they want them,” Smart said. “But so many people are about self-preservation, ‘I have to make the playoffs,’ so are we trying to do what’s best to make the playoffs, or are we trying to do what’s best for the fanbase, TV and players?”

That’s where Brooks said he has to step in, and that’s why Georgia elected to play a neutral site game with Florida State, rather than uphold the contract of a home-and-home with the Seminoles.

“We’re getting complaints about losing that home and home with Florida State, but we’re trying to find that balance and that sweet spot,” said Brooks, whose program already plays a 10th Power 4 team with its annual home-and-home with Georgia Tech.

“It becomes increasingly difficult to commit to that 11th Power 4 game — Kirby has always been a proponent of playing a tougher schedule, but I have to do what’s right for him and the program, if it (tougher schedule) is not appreciated in that room …. (So) is that ninth (SEC) game going to be appreciated or not when we talk about the evaluation of SEC teams?”

Smart made his feelings clear on the issue.

“If we’re not already weighing it enough to play a really good schedule,” he said. “We need to double that weight, we need to give more emphasis to that.”

Sankey said the SEC is continuing to support a 16-team playoff model and opined his league is delivering a product to ESPN that’s currently undervalued, in terms of the current contractual numbers.

Sankey, however, expressed confidence in the relationship and future dealings with the league’s media partner after sharing the following data:

SEC football last season ….

• Most-watched conference in college football

• 36% share of college football viewership

• 68 billion minutes of TV coverage

• ABC/ESPN average of 7.3 million viewers across 37 games

• Most-watched college football season on record