The B1G rig ran out of gas. The SEC drained its fuel.

The Big Ten waged an all-out pursuit to rig the College Football Playoff with a stacked deck of automatic bids . Its plan for playoff evolution stalled after facing resistance from rival conferences.

The Big Ten lacked support from the SEC, a necessary ally, to advance a 16-team playoff that would preassign half the bids to the Big Ten and SEC .

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey extinguished what little life remained for the Big Ten’s auto-bid-laden plan when he put his foot down last week at his conference’s media days. If the SEC doesn’t secure one of the expanded playoff plans it desires, Sankey said, then it’s comfortable sticking with the current 12-team playoff format. And the SEC doesn’t want the Big Ten’s plan.

Well, that’s

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