The College Football Playoff Works
Quit questioning the college football playoff and enjoy the results it delivers
Already, we’ve heard the second guessing.
Indiana didn’t deserve to be in the playoff.
SMU didn’t deserve to be in the playoff.
Clemson didn’t deserve to be in the playoff.
Stop it!
The College Football Playoff, and the selection committee, did exactly the job it was supposed to do.
How do I know this?
Easy.
After this weekend’s games, do you have any question whether Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State all belong in the playoff?
The answer is a resounding, “No!”
And that was the whole idea of expanding the playoff from four to 12 teams.
Giving the opportunity to more teams that deserved a shot at a national championship, and objectively eliminating the teams that don’t.
And that’s exactly what we saw demonstrated Friday and Saturday.
Need further proof?
Let’s go to Vegas, where the sharks have Texas, 38-24 winners against Clemson, installed as a 13.5 point favorite in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Arizona St.
Or the Rose Bowl, presented by Prudential, where the Buckeyes, 42-17 winners against Tennessee, are a 1.5 point favorite against Big Ten champ Oregon, and in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, where Penn State, a 38-10 winner against SMU, are installed as 10.5 point favorites against Boise St.
Even Notre Dame, a 27-17 winner against in-state rival Indiana, is only a 1.5 point underdog to SEC champion Georgia.
People, including ESPN’s KIrk Herbstreit, said Indiana was “outclassed” by Notre Dame on Friday. The implication being that teams such as Alabama, Miami, South Carolina or Ole Miss, belonged in the playoff over teams like the Hoosiers or Mustangs.
But ask yourself this: Do you really think any of those teams would have performed any better in the freezing cold of South Bend, State College, or Columbus?
If you’re being honest with yourself, the answer is, again, a resounding, “No!”
I’m not here to say the current 12-team CFP is perfect. It’s not. Sixteen teams seems the right number to me. That would have also allowed a Miami (10-2), a Bama, South Carolina, Old Miss, or maybe an LSU or Army, an opportunity to play.
But this year’s playoff worked. Four lesser teams were eliminated this weekend. And another four will be eliminated in roughly nine days. And come January 20th, there will be no debate about which team is the deserving National Champion.
It also worked in other ways that some myopic college football fans don’t realize.
In the end, the CFP is a reality television show.
The CFP is trying to deliver the biggest audience to television networks, so the networks can in return profit from advertising.
That’s why the CFP needs teams from Oregon to Arizona, Idaho to Indiana, and Pennsylvania to Georgia.
What we don’t need is a three-loss Alabama team, including a loss by three touchdowns to an unranked Oklahoma team.
And do we really need to witness a sniveling Lane Kiffin and his team from Mississippi, trying to acclimate their offense to a cold night on a midwestern plain?
And as prolific as they were, what are the chances Miami and Cam Ward would have been able to sling the ball around like they had all season while battling frostbite and 100,000+ rabid fans screaming in their ears?
So not only did the CFP work, but it also showed the value and importance of the regular season and conference championship games.
Home field is a true advantage in the First Round of the playoff. I mean, you got to think the Clemson-Texas game is a bit closer if played in Death Valley, right? And can we all agree the Tennessee-Ohio State matchup is a smidge tighter played in Rocky Top?
So the First Round has set the stage not only for the Quarterfinals, but also next season.
Win your conference. Be one of the top 8 teams in college football to secure a home playoff game. And be considered one of the top three teams in your conference if you play in the Big Ten1 or SEC.
The teams that made this year’s CFP deserved to be in it. The teams that won this weekend earned it.
And the winner of the remaining eight-team tournament will be the first true National Champion.
No questions asked.
I know the Big Ten got four teams in this year, but Indiana was 11-1. That’s not their fault they didn’t play anyone, that’s the schedule maker. And in the Big Ten’s defense, Penn State and Ohio State both dominated, including over an SEC opponent.