We have long pointed out in our MNC Wednesday initial series the corruption the Southeast Conference brought to the Bowl Championship Series (especially after 2004) and the subsequent College Football Playoff. Year after year, the SEC “wins” the “debates” over which teams should get invited, conveniently setting itself up for maximum opportunity at the expense of the B1G and the Pac-10/12. And here we go again in 2022.

The initial CFP rankings don’t really matter, so we’re not going to link them here, but we see this shaping up as a unique scenario for the SEC to try to grab three of the four playoff spots—again, at the probably expense of the B1G, this time around. To wit, there are two undefeated SEC teams right now and two undefeated B1G teams … along with one-loss Alabama. And we know how the Crimson Tide has connived its way into multiple BCS/CFP situations it did not deserve over the last 15 years.

But keep your eye out for this probability now, and don’t say we didn’t warn you: Georgia beats Tennessee this weekend, to hand the Vols their only loss on the season (11-1 finish). The Bulldogs then win out to get to the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, which lost to Tennessee in October. The Crimson Tide then beat Georgia in the SEC title matchup, so all three schools finish with one loss: Alabama (12-1), Georgia (12-1), and Tennessee (11-1).

No matter what happens between Michigan and Ohio State later this month, the winner probably goes on to win the B1G Championship Game and finish undefeated—while the loser will end up with an 11-1 record, just like the Volunteers. Even though the SEC champ will have one loss, the argument will be made that Tennessee’s loss to Georgia was “better” than the loser’s loss in the Michigan-Ohio State game, and the Vols will get elevated above the B1G equivalent.

Which won’t even be an equivalent, because the loser of the B1G matchup will have lost to a team still undefeated and a team that actually won a conference title—while Tennessee’s loss will have come against one-loss Georgia, which did not win its conference. You can see the false equivalency that will be used to promote the Vols already, but hey, logical fallacies have never been a problem for the BCS/CFP selection committees, you know? How many times have SEC also-ran teams won the MNC? Too many.

Throw in the fact here that there is a probability that Clemson will finish 13-0 as champions of the ACC, and this gets even more complicated. The Tigers should reach the ACC Championship Game, though, as they will be favored in their remaining four games, rather readily. Imagine a scenario now with an undefeated ACC champ, an undefeated B1G champ, three one-loss SEC teams, and a one-loss B1G team. There also is a very remote chance that TCU could win the Big XII with an undefeated record.

All this handwringing is irrelevant, of course, right now, as the games still have to be played. But in the above hypotheticals, the SEC will find its usual way into buying itself more access than it deserves to the CFP, even if the Pac-12 champ also emerges with one loss (Oregon, USC, or UCLA). Ever since Auburn was rightfully shut out of the BCS title matchup in 2004, this is the way it’s always been. Just remember when the time comes in December, you read it here first.

That rumored future 8- or 12-team CFP tournament can’t come soon enough for college football.