Two years ago, the hated Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system was scrapped for what was thought to be the savior of college football postseason play — the College Football Playoff. The four-team playoff system was initially expected to eliminate controversy.
Not so much, it seems.
With only four spots, at least one Power 5 conference is left out of the playoff. We knew this going in, but that didn’t make things easier for the Big 12, who felt both TCU and Baylor deserved a spot in the playoff.
For what it’s worth, Baylor lost a high-scoring encounter with Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. However, TCU made many question the committee’s decision with a 42-3 trouncing of Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl.
Last season, there was a lack of dominant mid-majors. In fact, a two-loss Boise State was the only non-Power 5 team in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 20.
This year is shaping up to be the polar opposite of 2014. There are currently 12 undefeated teams remaining in college football including four promising mid-majors. In all likelihood, at least one of these teams will finish the season undefeated and could be joined by the likes of Clemson, undefeated B1G and Big 12 teams and one-loss teams from both the SEC and Pac 12.
It will then be up to the playoff committee to break the hearts of at least one contender. In my opinion, Clemson and Ohio State, when led by J.T. Barrett, have looked like the most complete teams in college football.
The SEC will not be left out of the playoff, barring a catastrophic, conference-wide meltdown. The top Big 12 teams pass the eye test; the best from that conference will make it.
That makes four teams.
That means that if Michigan State were to lose on the road to top-ranked Ohio State, they would be left out. Up to three undefeated teams could be left out. A second, seemingly deserving SEC team would be left out. A one-loss Pac-12 team would be left.
That’s a lot of potential for national champions to be left out of the fray by the committee simply because the current playoff only allows four teams.
Regardless of the set-up, there will always be controversy. With the old BCS system, the third-ranked team often felt snubbed. With the current system, the fifth and sixth-ranked teams will feel left out. In an eight-team system, the ninth and tenth teams would be unhappy, and so on.
I do believe an eight-team system maximizes effectiveness, though. The drop-off in talent between the fourth team and the eighth team is typically small compared to the 16th-best team in the country.
Last year for example, No. 16 Missouri finished the season 11-3, with blowout losses to Georgia and Alabama, and an embarrassing loss to 4-8 Indiana. No. 8 Michigan State, on the other hand, finished 11-2 with losses to only the top two teams in the country.
No system is perfect, but this year is shaping up to be a nightmare scenario for the current four-team bracket. In the landscape of college football, where the top 6 to 8 teams are typically leaps and bounds above the next grouping of teams, an eight team playoff makes more sense.
By the end of this season, there will be a plethora of teams and fans unhappy with the current four-team system.
The way to maximize the competitiveness of the playoff while minimizing length and controversy is to go with eight teams. The idea was floated around when the BCS was scrapped, but the NCAA instead opted for the current four-team system. Seeing their mistake, the governing body should amend the system to allow eight teams in.
The committee and selection process can stay, but eight teams need to have a shot at the title. Only then can stakeholders truly be appeased.