You didn't because as of the pre-bowl rankings in 2019 the SEC had a bunch of teams that would have gotten into the playoff:
- #1 Champion, LSU, 13-0
- #5 SECE Champion, UGA, 11-2
- #6 SECE runner-up, UF, 10-2
- #9 SECW runner-up, Bama, 10-2
- #10 SECW 3rd place Auburn, 9-3
They had five teams in the top-10 but no other ranked teams. The B1G by comparison had two in the playoff and four more ranked teams (more ranked teams than the SEC but nowhere close to as many highly ranked teams:
- #2 Champion, tOSU, 13-0
- #11 B1GW Champion, UW, 10-3
- #13 B1GE runner-up, PSU, 10-2
- #16 B1GW runner-up, MN, 10-2
- #17 B1GE third place, M, 9-3
- #19 B1GE third place, IA, 9-3
Every team in the SEC and B1G that had three or less losses as of the pre-bowl poll was ranked. The SEC did better with hypothetical CFP invites because nearly all of theirs had only two losses and the one with three (Auburn) lost to #1, #5, and #6. The major problem for the B1G was that Minnesota was good enough to wreak havoc but not quite good enough to gain national respect. They were a two-loss team having lost only to hypothetical playoff bound Wisconsin and ranked Iowa but they were only ranked #16. That also hurt Penn State because the Nittany Lions' two losses were to #2 tOSU and . . . Minnesota. Had the Gophers gotten a little more love either they or PSU or both could have made the playoff in lieu of perhaps three-loss Auburn.
If Minnesota had been slightly worse they would have lost to PSU and the Nittany Lions would have been an obvious playoff team with only a single loss and that to an undefeated #2 tOSU. OTOH, if they had been slightly better they would have beaten Iowa and gone to the B1GCG. Then 10-2 Wisconsin would still probably have made the playoff along with 11-2 or 12-1 Minnesota and 13-0 or 12-1 tOSU.
This would likely have resulted in a terrible bowl record for the SEC because their non-playoff teams would have been pretty far down the pecking order.
We have seen that before both during the BCS and CFP eras. When a conference gets extra major bowl teams, the rest of their teams end up moving up a slot or two and find themselves in over their heads in their bowl matchups. Ie, in theory the CapOne Bowl should be between the B1G #2 and the SEC #2. That would be Wisconsin vs Georgia which would probably be a great game. Instead, in this scenario it looks like it would end up being B1G #3 PSU vs SEC #6 aTm and PSU would be a pretty solid favorite there.
