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The 12-team College Football Playoff is a welcomed change after decades of exclusionary practices among the sport’s elite. Even still, the bright, shiny machine remains deeply flawed.
A world where legitimate top-five teams like Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State cannot obtain a first-round bye simply because they didn’t win a conference title (an impossibility for the Irish) is ludicrous. It also complicates what has been deemed an inclusive system, which makes it difficult for casual fans to trust the process.
Controversy stemming from complicated processes is nothing new for college athletics, especially football. Red tape was invented by the big boys to keep the smaller programs within arm’s reach and happy, but they rarely realize they’re still under their thumb.
There’s just one problem with the powers-that-be’s grand plan: they’ve also hamstrung themselves.
The 12-team playoff was designed to reward the five highest-ranked champions automatic bids with the four highest-rated teams among them garnering a coveted bye into the quarterfinals. It’s easy to understand the process at face value, but it’s still shocking when the practice becomes reality and a double-digit number flashing across the television screen morphs into a single digit.
No. 12 Arizona State is actually the No. 4 seed?!
The new CFP format was developed in the time of five power conferences. Four survived after the Era of Great Realignment between 2022 and 2024. Those surviving conferences also got bigger, making it more difficult for elite teams to exit the season without one or two losses. Now that it’s a reality and the big boys are hobbled, you can bet the big dogs will be on the hunt soon.
“Well, I just look to the NCAA basketball tournament, you…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-power-rankings-oregon-starts-on-top-notre-dame-among-top-three-in-field/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2024-12-09 14:59:00
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