The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season came out this week.^[1] Two Big Ten coaches accused the selection committee and ESPN of favouring the SEC.^[2] SEC commissioner Greg Sankey fired back.^[3] The Big Ten side Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said ESPN favours the SEC and that this influenced the first rankings.^[4] Indiana was ranked fourth in those rankings.^[5] The team held an 8-1 record at the time.^[6] CentralJersey.com reported Cignetti's claim and the ranking together.^[4][5] Pro Football Network projected a 94.0 percent chance that Indiana reaches the playoff.^[7] The network's commercial ties are a matter of record. ESPN holds exclusive rights to SEC football through the 2033-34 season.^[8] It holds the rights to the College Football Playoff through 2031-32.^[9] The rankings themselves are set by the selection committee, not by ESPN.^[10] The SEC side Sankey said he does not lobby the selection committee.^[11] He invited the Big Ten's coaches to schedule nonconference games against SEC teams.^[12] He pointed to Illinois, which cancelled a scheduled nonconference series with Missouri.^[13] The Comeback reported his reply as a direct answer to the two coaches' claims.^[3] What is at stake The next set of rankings was due on 10 November.^[14] The playoff expands to 24 teams in 2027.^[15] Until then, the field is smaller and the order of the rankings decides who plays. The Comeback reported that the dispute began with the release of the first rankings.^[1] It reported that two Big Ten coaches, not one, made the accusation.^[2] Where it stands Each side has stated its case in its own words. Cignetti says the network's preference reached the rankings.^[4] Sankey says he does not call the committee and that the Big Ten could test the SEC on the field by scheduling it.^[11][12] The committee, not the network, publishes the list.^[10] The two reports in this set do not record a reply from Cignetti to Sankey's invitation, and neither names the second Big Ten coach.^[2]