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Ed Zachery

Ratings would be much better for Notre Dame, than most any other contender for that 4th slot

I keep seeing this, but have yet to get a valid 'why'.  There is no motivation for the SEC to do this, so why would they?

I agree with you and I'll add that Florida was an early adopter of the weak game before rivalry weekend scheduling model.  I think they figured out that it was a virtual necessity once the SEC adopted a CG because otherwise they needed to win back-to-back-to-back-to-back games against high-level opposition.  Florida NEVER managed to accomplish that and I think that is not a knock on the Gators it is simply that it is REALLY difficult.  
From the beginning of the SECCG era in 1992 through 2005 the Gators played either Vandy or USCe in their last regular season SEC game (right before FSU).  Then in 2005 they lost to USCe and since then their opponent the weak before FSU has been either an FCS team or a bad FBS team with the exception of 2016 when LSU was rescheduled to that week.  
Now that we all have CG's and a playoff if you have a tough rivalry game to end the season as many teams do you are faced with the prospect of likely needing to do what Florida could never accomplish and win four straight high-level games.  In the CFP era no team has accomplished that:

• In 2014 Ohio State's rivalry game was against a Michigan team that finished 5-7.  
• In 2015 Alabama's rivalry game was against an Auburn team that finished 7-6.  
• In 2016 Clemson's rivalry game was against a USCe team that finished 6-7.  
• In 2017 Alabama lost their rivalry game which caused them to miss the SECCG.  

I'm sure that eventually some team will manage to achieve four straight high-level wins to end the season as National Champions but it hasn't happened yet.  Asking a team to achieve five straight is even more ridiculous and that is why it makes sense for the SEC powers to play the little sisters of the poor the week prior to rivalry weekend.  

This is why I am so unhappy about the insanity of some of Ohio State's future schedules:

• In 2019 and 2021 the Buckeyes close with PSU and M.  
• In 2024 the Buckeyes close with MSU and M.  
• In 2025 the Buckeyes close with PSU, MSU, then M.  

Imagine if 2025 ends up as a year in which tOSU is a NC Contender.  The Buckeye's last six games would be:

• vs Penn State (typically very good)
• vs Michigan State (typically very good)
• at Michigan (typically very good)
• B1GCG (typically very good)
• CFP semi-final (obviously very good)
• CFP Championship (obviously very good)

Seriously?  Who thought this was a good idea?  

A fair number of usually younger Dawg fans want to drop the series with Tech.  They like playing programs like ND and UCLA etc.  Tech is a quirky offense that can beat you with much less talent, or if not, hurt some of your players.  Beating them gets you nothing.

Frankly, I would prefer playing a ND and a Arizona State in a season, home and away, or at least playing someone in a one and done plus another P5 somewhere.  

The Dude... we're Bama tiebreaker seems to work out for them, more often than not.

I’ll be honest, it happened what? Once? In 11? 
Last year they edged UW and UCF, which isn’t a hill I’ll die on. Unless we’re talking about them going over 2-loss conference champs, in which case, we’ve seen a 1-loss team go ahead of it’s own division champ that won the title game before Bama pulled that in the CFP era. 

Yeah, the Sec has a lot of teams that are not only willing to maintain a big out of Conference rivalry, but they are also willing to play those games on rivalry week.

Some do a bye week AND an an FCS tune u[ before Rivalry Week.

If they moved to nine Conference games then we might lose Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida St, USCe-Clemson, Kentucky-Louisville, etc.

I hear you, but USC plays Notre Dame every year and also plays 9 conference games.  

Ohio State this year played TCU and Oregon State, both P5 teams AND 9 conference opponents, of course.  That is good scheduling in my book even if OSU Lite was especially lite this year.

Just play ten P5 level teams, any fewer is not good scheduling in my book.

I hear you, but USC plays Notre Dame every year and also plays 9 conference games.  

And Texas doesn't play aTm every year, while playing 9 Conference games. 
Nebraska-Oklahoma? Gone. 
9 Conference games seems to discourage schools from maintaining an out of Conference rivalry a LOT more often then not. 
There are a few exceptions such as USC and Utah playing Notre Dame and BYU respectively. But those teams are also out west where there aren't really a lot of major teams nearby for them to be playing instead.