Let's Have a Real Playoff, End of Season Edition
Let's Have a Real Playoff, End of Season Edition
The College Football Playoff has shown itself to be nonsense
This is the 5th week in which we’re taking a look at what my proposed 16-team NCAA playoff would look like.
If you need a refresher, take a look at the 1st version. But the short version is this: In my playoff scenario, all ten conference champions automatically make the tournament. The field is then rounded out with six at-large teams. Independent schools would be eligible to make the field as an at-large selection.
The College Football Playoff process has again shown itself to be nonsense by including a #3 Ohio State team that only played 6 games and a # 4 Notre Dame team that just got blown out last night by # 2 Clemson. This left # 5 Texas A&M on the cutting room floor, and left # 8 Cincinnati and # 12 Coastal Carolina asking exactly what else they were supposed to do.
UCF can sympathize.
Cincinnati at least gets to go to play a road game….er, neutral site game against Georgia at the Peach Bowl. Coastal Carolina gets shunted off to the Cure Bowl to play a Liberty team they were supposed to play a few weeks ago. Undefeated San Jose State? They’re playing Ball State in the Arizona Bowl.
So yes, once again the CFP has not exactly covered itself in glory.
Anyhow, here’s what a *real* playoff would look like if we were allowed to have nice things.
# 16 UAB (CUSA) at # 1 Alabama (SEC)
# 9 Georgia (at-large) at # 8 Cincinnati (AAC)
# 13 San Jose State (MWC) at # 4 Notre Dame (at-large)
# 12 Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt) at # 5 Texas A&M (at-large)
# 14 Oregon (Pac 12) at # 3 Ohio State (Big 10)
# 11 Indiana (at-large) at # 6 Oklahoma (Big 12)
# 10 Iowa State (at-large) at # 7 Florida (at-large)
# 15 Ball State (MAC) at # 2 Clemson (ACC)
IN: UAB, Ball State, Oregon
OUT: Buffalo, Marshall, USC
It’s amazing to think that the top 12 teams are the same, just reshuffled a bit. Some of the matchups are even the same as last week (Coastal @ Texas A&M). Georgia and Cincinnati swapped places and thus, home locations.
I note the delicious fact that UAB would play Alabama in the first round, something I bet that UAB would like to actually do every once in a while if Alabama would actually schedule more than one non-conference non-cupcake per year. UAB has never played Alabama. Ever!
At least Auburn played them once.
As we close this thought experiment for the year, it’s stunning how much easier it would be to crown a national champion if we could just make sure all teams had access to the tournament and if they would just settle the damn thing on the field.