Welcome to SEC Tailgate Talk, your weekly dive into all things Southeastern Conference. Here at Last Word on College Football, we’ll break down the biggest storylines from the heart of college football’s most passionate fanbase. This week, we’re kicking things off with a look back at the highlights and headlines from 2024.
SEC Tailgate Talk: Turn Out the Lights
Welcome to SEC Tailgate
Tailgating and football. It’s what we (the SEC) do. Tailgating at The Grove is a scene of southern elegance—where tents look like designer showrooms, fans dress like they’re heading to a cocktail party, and the phrase ‘Hotty Toddy’ echoes over chandeliers and gourmet spreads. Tailgating at LSU isn’t just pregame—it’s a culinary pilgrimage. Where else can you find gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish étouffée cooked on-site under the shadow of Tiger Stadium?
The SEC doesn’t just throw a party—they put on a show and can ball while at it. The SEC has held the crown of the best college football conference in the country. We have the country’s best players, coaches, teams, and fans. Don’t believe us? Why is the rest of the country celebrating that an SEC team will not play in Monday’s national championship game? Let’s be honest: it’s weird to see Notre Dame and Ohio State playing in Atlanta for the title. Atlanta is home to the College Football Hall of Fame and the SEC Championship, and most years, it seems like Athens West or Tuscaloosa East. Not so, as we (finally) bring the 2024 season to a close.
Turn Out the Lights…
Turn out the lightsThe party’s overThey say that allGood things must end
There has been a running joke amongst a handful of our college football writers during the College Football Playoff. “Andrew, play Willie.” Turn Out the Lights is an iconic Willie Nelson song. “Dandy Don” Meredith used to sing the lyrics at the end of games on Monday Night Football when the outcome was assured. Notre Dame and Ohio State are not only playing for a national champion on Monday night. More importantly (arguably), both teams have accomplished an even more significant accomplishment, dismissing all three teams from the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State started the party in Columbus during the first round of the playoff. The Buckeyes were on their heels, embarrassed by Michigan (again) two weeks before in The Shoe. The “lunatic fringe” of the Buckeyes faithful had their pitchforks out and wanted Day out. The Vol Navy traveled in droves to Columbus and were sunk before the game seemingly started. The Buckeyes dispatched the Vols 42-17. Willie played, and then there were two.
Notre Dame and Georgia met in the Sugar Bowl on January 2nd. The Bulldogs were without QB1, but had confidence and were 3-0 lifetime against the Irish. A 57-second span turned a 3-3 tie into a 20-3 Irish advantage from which the Dawgs failed to recover. Georgia fought and tried but was no match for the luck of the Irish, and then there was one.
Texas was the SEC’s only hope. They had won two playoff games, knocking off Clemson and Arizona State. They drew the task of taking down the Buckeyes. It would be challenging, but they played them at home (in Texas). But, when Jack Sawyer strip-sacked Quinn Ewers for a scoop and score on fourth down last Friday night, Andrew and the SEC got the message. Play Willie; the party’s over.
…The Party’s NOT Over
Call it a nightThe party’s overAnd tomorrow starts
The party is over for the SEC in 2024. Notre Dame is looking for its first national championship since 1988. Hell, coming into the CFB Playoff, they hadn’t won a meaningful bowl game in almost 30 years. Ohio State will look to win its first national championship since 2014 and give the Big Ten its first back-to-back national champions in over sixty years. Hey, Michigan. Look at us. Who would have thought that? Hats off to both programs. They earned their spots, took their swings at the kings of college football, and didn’t back down. Losing provides insights that we sometimes miss when we are winning.
The SEC has won six national championships in the college football playoff. Eleven teams played for a national championship during that time. Twice, in 2017 and 2022, two SEC teams faced off for the title. An expanded playoff has made the road more difficult. The path to those titles was stockpiling and hoarding talent. Two things that are almost impossible to do in 2024, thanks to NIL and the Transfer Portal.
Neither Notre Dame nor Ohio State would have had a chance for a championship in the BCS or four-team playoff era. The answer is not more guaranteed spots. Sorry, Lane and Alabama. Ohio State and Notre Dame have done a masterful job of building SEC-esque rosters using NIL and the Portal. The game has changed, it’s time for the SEC to adapt so we can once again party.
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