As Clemson defeated Alabama by a score of 44-16 in the 2019 College Football Championship game, college football fans might have experienced deja vu. Alabama has played in all five College Football Playoff series since its inception in 2014 and has played Clemson in either a semi-final or the championship four of those five times. Both teams have now won the College Football Championship four of the past five years with Ohio State being the exception, winning the inaugural championship. This has caused fans of the game to question the new playoff system, as the parameters on which teams are picked seemingly changes every year as overqualified teams get pushed out of the CFP Championship picture, and they question why Clemson and Alabama have continued to play each other the past four years.
The College Football Playoff was first created after the annoyance with the Bowl Championship Series system, or BCS. To understand where we are today, we must first understand the BCS system and the frustrations that followed the BCS system that led to its downfall.
The BCS utilized an algorithm that combined polls and six different computer rankings to give each team a certain number of points. These points created the rankings used to help pick the top ten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. These ten teams were then in turn placed into different bowl games such as the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl, with the top two teams playing for the BCS title. Many of these bowl games featured teams in Power-5 Conferences: Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Big-12, because of the automatic qualifications into bowl games. This left teams like those in the Mountain West or the independent Notre Dame out of the top ten due to lower conferences seen as obsolete compared to the Power-5, no matter their records.
As athletic departments and college football fans became frustrated with algorithms deciding their team’s fate, ultimately resulting in being cheated out of a spot to play in the biggest stage of college football, the system changed. Today, the playoff consists of four teams who play in two of the New Year’s Six bowl games, which serve as semi-final games with the winners moving onto the College Football Championship. These teams are selected by a thirteen-member committee consisting of athletic administrators, coaches and former players who help decide the top four teams in the nation. This decision is based on factors such as strength of schedule or conference championships to decide the four best teams in the country to enter the playoff. However, these lines are blurred as multiple teams worthy of a spot in the playoffs are skipped over. One example of this issue includes Baylor and TCU being jumped over Ohio State in 2014.
Even with fans frustrated about which teams get left out of the College Football Playoff, all credit should be given to Clemson and Alabama for their continued success in the playoff. No other teams in recent years can match the success these two championship caliber teams are producing year in and year out. However, there needs to be better guidelines for fans to understand how the selection committee decides which four teams in the nation will play for the championship if the current system wants to survive. Also, some are tired of watching Alabama and Clemson play year after year in the playoff or watching two teams from the same conference both receiving spots in the playoff. There might be a need to change the number of playoff spots.
If the College Football Playoff decides to expand, I believe that the CFP should expand its field to a six-team playoff system. This would allow for the top two teams in the nation to receive a bye as the other four teams battle it out. This would offer teams that might have missed a chance to play with the heavy hitters of Alabama and Clemson to get their shot through teamwork, grit and determination.
In a press release by President Mark Keenum, Chairman of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, he states, “It is our unanimous agreement that the Playoff has been a tremendous success for students, fans and universities.” Keenum continues, “We are very proud of it. Fans love to watch it and we look forward to its continued success. As far as expanding the number of teams in the Playoff, it’s way too soon – much too soon – to know if that is even a possibility. It’s fair to say the speculation about expansion has outdistanced the reality of what the commissioners and the presidents have discussed. If a decision were to be made down the road, the Presidents would be the ones to make it and we are not there.”
The College Football Playoffs have been a huge success, as it makes watching the sport much more entertaining; however, it might be time to change the playoff outline, as it would widen the field, creating more competition and fan involvement in the playoffs.
