The College Football Playoffs – Vegas Knew All Along That Alabama Was In
Call me a conspiracy theorist. I will take that as a badge of honor. That's because I look at big time college athletics for what it really is, a business.There are billions of dollars on the line every week during the season and nobody knows more about money than Las Vegas sportsbooks.
The date November 27, 2017, the day after the Alabama Crimson Tide fell to Auburn in Iron Bowl. Guess what team was still one of the favorites to win the College Football Playoff Championship? That's right "the team that shouldn't have been included" Alabama was a co-favorite with Clemson and Oklahoma at 4 to 1. Georgia was 7 to 1 on that odds sheet.
So, what did Vegas know that the national media didn't know or wouldn't dare say out loud? Vegas knew that even with a loss to Auburn Alabama was still strong enough to get into the playoff bracket.
How did Vegas know? It's their job to know. Those sportsbooks make billions of dollars every year. Also, there is the NCAA's silent partner in all of this and don't think they didn't have a voice in that committee room. That partner is ESPN.
Conspiracy theory number two. How's the economic climate around ESPN these days? Oh, they've only laid off a lot of people over the past year. Subscribers are down, revenues are down, and ratings aren't what they used to be.
I can't prove it but would it surprise you if you found out that someone from ESPN happened to mention to the committee which four teams would deliver the best television ratings? By mention, I mean told the committee " we pay you a lot of money to deliver great ratings".
The bottom line is this, the College Football Playoff is a made for TV event. If it wasn't a made for TV event then the College Football Playoff would be just like the actual playoff the NCAA sanctions for the FCS Schools.