There was always going to be controversy and a worthy participant being left out. It just so happened that this year’s College Football Playoff selection process excluded perhaps the biggest single brand name in the sport, Notre Dame.
When the bracket was unveiled and the Fighting Irish were left out in favor of Miami (who beat ND in a head-to-head) and Alabama (who got crushed in the SEC title game) it put on display once again the subjectivity and unavoidable flaws of the current selection process.
As ESPN analyst Greg McElroy pointed out, part of the failing lies with conference tie breakers, and the convoluted method used to determine who plays the games that produce automatic qualifying conference champions. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Duke – with five losses on the season – slipped into the title game ahead of 10-2 Miami due to a tiebreaker. When Duke defeated Virginia, it created a scenario where the conference champ was not able to claim a spot in the field. Miami had to be chosen as an at-large team, thereby taking away another bid.
Notre Dame Left Out Because They Aren’t in a Conference?
Another issue is Notre Dame’s steadfast refusal to join a conference (presumably the ACC) and thereby have a chance at earning an automatic bid for themselves. By playing a relatively weak overall slate (they lost to the only two playoff participants on their schedule, Miami and Texas A&M) they left the door open for Alabama, who despite “leaking oil” down the stretch as ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit pointed out, played a demanding schedule – including winning AT Georgia – and got rewarded for it.
Due to the fact that the current selection process has flaws that seem to get exposed every season, there has been an idea floated that could potentially fix the entire thing. Proponents of the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) playoff model have tossed out the idea that it could be used at the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) level as well.
There has previously been growing support for the plan.
It’s unlikely the two formats could be exactly the same. The FCS currently begins their playoff with 24 teams. That would be problematic at the FBS level for many reasons, including the sheer number of games and the academic calendar. Such a move would likely mean the elimination of non-conference games and perhaps even Conference title tilts. A more likely model for FBS would be 16 teams, with more conference champions earning automatic bids.
Divisions Would Have to be Brought Back by Power Four
The size and configuration of the “Power Four” conferences would have to be looked at as well. Perhaps a return to division formats? The 18-team Big 10 could easily produce two geographical divisions – eight (or seven for smaller divisions) conference games within their division, plus three (or four) non-conference games. Two automatic qualifiers produced by each P4 league. Conference title games to determine the champ and seeding.
Win and you’re in. No more complaints about strength of schedule, etc.
Same could work with the SEC, the ACC and the Big 12. That’s eight automatic qualifiers, plus AQ’s for Group of Six conference champs from the Pac 12, AAC, MAC, Sun Belt, Mountain West, and Conference USA. That’s 14 teams with two more at-large AQ’s, presumably from the Power Four. Of course the Power Four conferences would lobby for more inclusion for them and less for the G6, but that would be up for discussion.
What happened with the CFP this season will lead to changes next season, just as it did a year ago when the format was altered to reward the top four seeds, regardless of conference. The only question is how soon those changes are made.
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