The new 12-team version of the College Football Playoff is officially here, and the final CFP bracket is less than two weeks away from being revealed. This year's CFP is the most anticipated by far with three times as many teams qualifying and the the first round games taking place on campuses for the first time in the CFP's history.
These first round games have been the biggest talking point in recent weeks, especially from programs up north. Those fanbases and teams think they have an advantage compared to the SEC and other teams in the south because of the cold weather the game will have in mid-December. But it's not just Big Ten fans that are saying this, CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell agrees with them as well.
"The SEC is terrified to travel up north to try to play a road playoff game."
"The SEC is TERRIFIED to travel up north to try to play a road playoff game"@dannykanell believes the SEC is scared to play in cold weather🥶😱 pic.twitter.com/ioHQAtA8d1
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024
Should Georgia be "terrified" of playing up north?
This discussion has never really made much sense. Does the cold really impact teams that much? Maybe it impacts the road team slightly, but there are many more things that have a greater impact on a visiting team than the temperature at game time.
Things like crowd noise, having to fly a long distance to the game and sleeping in a hotel have more of an impact than what the temperature is outside. And if everyone is being honest with themselves, the weather probably impacts the home team just as much as the visiting team.
Do people think that conditions like rain or snow wouldn't impact the home team as well? Or what about really cold weather? All of these northern teams that Georgia or any southern team would play all have indoor practice facilities. So do you think they would choose to practice every day in the cold or are they spending a majority of their time indoors in their facilities?
One way or another, this debate will be put to the test this year. There is a great chance at least one team from the south has to travel north in December for their first round CFP game. There is even a chance that Kirby Smart and Georgia are one of those teams that has to.
And whether it's Georgia football or some other southern team, it would likely be in UGA's best interest that they win this game up north, that way the Big Ten schools can put this boring argument to bed.