'Let's fight it out on the field': Texas Tech's Joey McGuire rebukes conference 'bias' in CFP format debate
The Big Ten and SEC have driven CFP discussions, but McGuire isn't ready to just hand them the keys

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire isn't buying the narrative that certain conferences automatically deserve a bigger slice of the College Football Playoff pie. With the SEC and Big Ten firmly driving the CFP discussion -- and with the latter lobbying for four automatic bids for itself -- McGuire is pushing back on that preferential treatment.
"We've got to take some of the bias out of conferences — that, 'This is a tougher conference because of this and this and this,'" McGuire said on SiriusXM College Sports. "Let's fight it out on the field. I'm all for that. If we win the Big 12, then we should be in the playoffs."
The Big Ten has reportedly pushed for a 4-4-2-2-1-3 model, which would award itself and the SEC with four automatic bids in a 16-team playoff format. The ACC and Big 12 would get two auto bids, and the Group of Five would receive one, leaving three at-large teams. Notre Dame is also in the field depending on its season-ending ranking.
The SEC may be reversing course, however, and now leaning towards a 5+11 model, according to John Talty.
McGuire wants to avoid a system that rewards the two most powerful conferences while forcing others to do more with less.
"I think you've got to earn it on the field, and if you're a conference champion then you should be in," McGuire said. "And then everything after that, we've got to figure out who the best teams are to get in the playoffs. It's not who the best teams are in certain conferences. It's who the best teams are in the country.
"Let us do it on the field," he continued. "If you win your conference, you're in, and then find the best teams that way. I think that's the way we should do it."
The number of guaranteed spots per league remains a sticking point. Ohio State coach Ryan Day, for example, has been outspoken about a multi-automatic bid model, toeing the Big Ten's line of receiving at least four guaranteed playoff spots to reflect the conference's size and depth. He argues that with 18 teams and multiple elite programs, the Big Ten deserves more opportunities for postseason representation.
McGuire certainly isn't the only coach outside the Big Ten or SEC that opposes the idea of multiple automatic bids. Miami's Mario Cristobal has voiced concerns that the proposed system could deepen the divide between the so-called "Power Two" and other conferences, potentially creating an even bigger imbalance in college football.