Before I tear up the current college football playoff concept, I would like to take a moment to appreciate the fact that we have entered a new era. College football fans can all take a huge sigh of relief knowing that the BCS system has been abandoned. We are one step closer to proper representation in the college football bowl subdivision (FBS). Now that we have that out of the way, I must say the selection committee has no chance of getting it right this season.
We all hope that the four best teams are selected for the upcoming playoff, but this already presents a problem; there are five "power conferences". These conferences are the ACC, Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12, and the SEC. How exactly is this a fair system when one of the major conferences cannot be represented? It can't be. Watching the regular season unfold, a case can be made that some conferences might deserve multiple representatives in the playoff. The selection committee has already exhibited favoritism and judging teams on different criteria.
Florida State is the defending champion of the college football world. They are the only undefeated team left in the nation. Over the course of the season the selection committee has steadily dropped them from the first to fourth, where they currently stand. Although the Seminoles have had their struggles this season they have beat every team they faced, and no other team can say that. The committee has decided to penalize FSU for not winning in an impressive fashion. This is not supposed to be taken into account, according to the criteria.
Here is the criteria teams are supposed to be based on:
1. Winning your conference championship
2. Strength of schedule
3. Head to head competition
4. Comparative outcome of common opponents (without incenting margin of victory)
5. Key injuries that affected performance or may affect postseason performance
The next blunder the committee has made regards the top two Big 12 teams in their rankings. Texas Christian University (TCU) and Baylor are two one loss teams. TCU is ranked third and Baylor is outside the dance sitting at six. Essentially, Baylor needs some serious help to get into the inaugural playoff. I would contend that this shouldn't be the case. I'm not a fan of using game scenarios to make a point, I feel this one is somewhat relevant. TCU and Baylor played head to head this season, which is an important criteria. Baylor erased a 21 point deficit in the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter en route to a victory over TCU. For those who aren't familiar, both teams are in the Big 12 and have a nearly identical schedule. There is no conference championship game for their conference. Therefore the next most important criteria should be the head to head result. Yet we find Baylor three spots behind TCU, and out in the cold for a national championship opportunity.
Some might say I should cut this committee some slack, since it is the first year college football has a playoff system in place. People might speak to the idea that we should all withhold judgment and see how this first season plays out. I cannot agree. I see no purpose for outlining criteria, only to veer away from it with your selections. The mission statement for this committee is first and foremost to choose the four best teams. A common coach cliché is that you can only play who is on your schedule. Florida State and Baylor have done so, and are being disrespected and judged under a different set of rules.
On Sunday afternoon, the playoff bracket will be set. Controversy is unavoidable at this point. I will point out three teams that are in essence linchpins in the college football world this weekend. Those teams are #16 Missouri, #8 Arizona, and #6 Baylor. These three teams can send shockwaves through the FBS one last time before bowl season begins.
Missouri faces top ranked Alabama for the SEC Championship. Missouri will be a decisive underdog to Alabama, but the Tigers have one of the best defensive lines in the nation. That game should not be a walkover for the perennial powerhouse Crimson Tide.
Arizona has a date with the second ranked Oregon Ducks for the Pac 12 Championship. I highlight this game because Arizona beat Oregon in Oregon, handing the Ducks their only loss of the season. If the Wildcats pull off the upset, the committee will have to question whether or not Arizona deserves to be among the four best teams. The Wildcats are the highest ranked two loss team.
Lastly, Baylor has one more chance to make a case for their inclusion in the playoff. For some odd reason, they are sixth in the ranking. They play a home game against #9 Kansas State in their regular season finale. Apparently the Baylor Bears need to win by a large margin to get the attention of committee members. Even that may not be enough to save them, as they are already ranked behind a team they beat.
This season will forever be remembered as the first to have a college football playoff. We can only hope the selection committee makes as few mistakes as possible, so that this season is remembered for the right reasons.
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