What Does Winning Your Conference Mean Anymore?

Welcome to the Defector College Football Watch Guide, where Israel Daramola and Ray Ratto will tell you which of the weekend’s college football games are worth giving a crap about.

Israel: It’s conference championship weekend … a thing that matters! Right? There are rematches and gritty duels and a 1 vs. 2 matchup between undefeated juggernauts and no one can be bothered to give much of a shit about any of it. Is it the expanded playoff’s fault? Have they really ruined conference championships the way they ruined the bowls and threaten to ruin the regular season as a whole? It’s hard to disagree with that idea. This year especially it feels like the sport has devolved from significant games that build toward a national championship matchup to a rankings-reveal television show orchestrated by a shadowy committee, where the games merely provide window dressing. This is not just about whether Notre Dame should be in the playoff; it is about the playoff debate itself overwhelming the sport. Not one outcome from this weekend will actually determine anything regarding the playoff. It all comes down to what the committee decides they want, which is what’s good for their television show. A new era of fantasy football.