Today, the College Football Playoff selection committee will re-shuffle its top four rankings heading into championship week. Three teams remain undefeated and hold a place in the top four, but the final slot became available after Alabamas recent loss in the Iron Bowl.
Oklahoma and Utah are two favorites for the spot, with many expecting the Sooners to skip past Utah. Either way, one set of fans will be unhappy, which is becoming a common occurrence of this four-team selection process that still fails to get it right. How can the NCAA fix this postseason problem?
In a perfect world, an eight-team playoff seems to be the most logical, featuring the winners of the PAC-12, Big 12, SEC, ACC and Big Ten conferences along with three wildcard spots.
These three openings could be filled by non-power five conference schools like the University of Central Florida, which went undefeated two seasons ago, but received no opportunity to play for the title. Notre Dame, which remains unattached to a conference, could also qualify, as well as strong one-loss conference runners-up.
This format is a people-pleaser, and gives the conference championship more meaning. Coaches and players need no longer worry about other results that may sway their playoff chances, but can instead focus on the game at hand.
Oklahoma is destined to a rematch with Baylor, which fell to the Sooners 34-31 in early November. Both teams have one loss to their record, but Oklahoma holds a slight edge with the selection meeting. Meaning even if the Bears topple Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, Baylor may not advance to the CFB playoff. Bears head coach Matt Rhule expressed his distaste to The Dallas Morning News about such a scenario.
To me, its not really about Baylor, its about the Big 12. If a team, any team, wins the Big 12 and doesnt get proper consideration, then thats not recognizing what the league is all about, Rhule said.
The possibility remains that two SEC schools could be in the final four. If Georgia takes down undefeated LSU in the SEC title game, both teams will power to the postseason.
Any system will have its downside. With an eight-team format, some teams could play in 16 games, the equivalent of an NFL regular season. More games means more contact, and the likelihood of more injuries. The playoff committee prioritizes academics, and an extra game more than likely affects preparation for semester exams, an obstacle the committee would take into consideration.
Most likely, changes to the current system are nowhere near being in the works. Contract bowls make it difficult for the committee to search for new playoff formats. For example, the Sugar Bowl has a contract with the SEC and Big 12 to feature teams from each conference, and until these contacts expire, expect no changes to the system.
Until NCAA overhauls the format, only four teams will have a shot at the title. And although the playoff is more satisfying than previous postseason formats, fans, coaches, and the players deserve a broader and fairer playoff system.
