Since the NCAA implemented the College Football Playoffs (CFP), we have seen plenty of major improvements to how the game is played. It seems less and less that the system is “Rigged” or “Cheated” for the high market teams. Or so we thought.
Are the rules they made for the playoffs actually fair? Or is it even reasonable? With that, this is only the second year we have had the playoffs, and there already seems to be problems.
Now don’t get me wrong, the 12 team playoff has already been leaps and bounds ahead of the 4 team playoff, solely on the purpose that it has become fair for the highly ranked teams.
This even includes the Group of 5 conferences that include the American Atlantic Conference (AAC), Conference-USA (C-USA), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Mountain West Conference (MW), and the Sun-Belt Conference (SBC). Giving those teams a somewhat chance at a National Championship.
This being said, that’s one to two spots for a G5 Champion, and another 4 for the automatic qualifiers, which are the winners of their respective conferences, leaving about five to six extra spots for the top ranked teams. Which is where things get interesting, because this is an easy way for the College Football Playoff Committee to sneak in a high market team that may not belong.
This year, 2025, the playoffs consist of the power four conference winners, not in order, that are:
Indiana (13-0), Texas Tech (12-1), Georgia (12-1), and Ohio State (12-1). The fifth seed belonging to Oregon (11-1), sixth to Ole Miss (11-1), seventh to Texas A&M (11-1), eight to Oklahoma (10-2), ninth to Alabama (10-3), tenth to Miami (10-2), eleventh to Tulane (11-2), and twelfth to James Madison University (12-1).
First off, the three obvious points here are; Oregon is too high based on the other teams in the playoffs, Alabama is the first three loss team to make it, and what all went down with Notre Dame and Miami.
These seemingly small adjustments to the playoffs, somehow go unnoticed with numerous College Football fans. Teams that are given extra privileges because of name, money, etc. It ruins the excitement and authenticity of what College Football is all about. It’s what has always set it apart from any other sporting event. But it easily is being ruined, over and over and over again.
Oregon had a great year, and overcame some crucial injuries that almost cost them a chance at making the playoffs. They managed to find themselves ranked 4th in the nation with defense, only having three opponents reaching over 140 yards through the air.
However, it wouldn’t seem so hard to do that when your opponents combined total record is 31-53. Beating teams like FCS School Montana State, Oklahoma State (1-11), Northwestern (6-6), Oregon State (2-10), Penn State (6-6), Rutgers (5-7), Wisconsin (4-8), and Minnesota (7-5).
Now beating teams such as USC, Washington, and Iowa were big factors to their high ranking in the CFP. But that was it. If we compare this to Texas A&M who beat LSU, Missouri, Auburn, and Arkansas, which were all away games, and most of them being formally ranked earlier in the season. It’s hard to see why they are seeded lower.
Then, if we look at Ole Miss, they beat Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arkansas, and even playoff team Tulane. That’s two playoff teams they beat. Oregon played one playoff team this year, and lost. Now, I’m not saying the Ducks shouldn’t be in the playoffs at all, they have earned their spot to be in. But it’s the audacity to push these certain teams down who have rightfully earned a higher spot. The CFP Committee needs to improve, especially in its strength of schedule department.
With all that being said, let’s say these teams move around, Texas A&M becomes the 5 seed, Ole Miss the 6 seed, and Oregon the 7 seed. It’s hard to want to move past the fact that Notre Dame isn’t in the playoffs.
Having two losses, to Miami and Texas A&M, at the beginning of the season and from that point on rolling through the rest of the competition. Beating teams like USC, who apparently had enough status to put Oregon in the 5 spot, so why not put Notre Dame in there.
But when you look at Miami’s spot, they have losses to Louisville and SMU who are both 8-4, and not in the playoffs. Now, head to head definitely had a factor in choosing between the two, but it still doesn’t seem right that the Irish can’t be in at all, when they have close losses to teams in the playoffs, and not just conference teams. It’s almost like there was one more spot for Notre Dame to find themselves in?
Alabama has three losses this year, two of which to playoff teams Georgia and Oklahoma, but also a random loss to Florida State at the beginning of the year.
Now I know what most people think, “Oh, it’s just the beginning of the season, the team isn’t developed yet. It happens to the best teams all the time, we can’t just go off of that”. Then why is Notre Dame being punished for their losses early in the season as well?
If the CFP Committee was really completely fair, they would realize that Alabama should not be in the playoffs, let alone the 9 seed. Every single top ranked team like Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and LSU all played at Alabama, giving them the upper hand already.
More the reason why Oklahoma should be even higher as well, they beat Bama, at Bama. Not to mention beating Tennessee, at Rocky Top and South Carolina, at Williams-Brice Stadium.
It’s always been like this for the Crimson Tide, they have always seemed to find ways into a playoff spot. Take the 2023 season for example, when Florida State had an undefeated season, won the ACC Championship, and yet still didn’t make the playoffs.
Why? The Committee claimed that the Seminoles missing their star QB Jordan Travis perceived a weaker team, and wouldn’t compete well with their opponents.
They let Alabama take that spot, of course. This was absolutely absurd, being that Travis got hurt in mid November, and they still held their own to stay undefeated and win the ACC. But the Committee just couldn’t fathom not seeing Alabama in the playoffs right?
Not to mention the fact that there had been 4 SEC teams winning the National Championship since the playoffs started 10 years ago. It’s just not right, it’s not how the game should be played, and the fact that nobody has really done anything about it, just hurts to watch.
You can’t even go off of their final record or strength of schedule for Alabama either. They have the worst record in the playoff, as we all know, as well as playing 4 teams that were not a power four caliber. Two of which had a below .500 record and the other two were FCS schools. One of which played right before the Iron Bowl, their rivalry game against Auburn.
Just like they did in 2023 (Chattanooga), 2022 (Austin Peay), 2020 (Kentucky), 2019 (West. Carolina), 2018 (Citadel), 2017 (Mercer), 2016 (Chattanooga…again). The list keeps going. Quite a coincidence right?
Thats your 9-seed college football fans! 10-3 and beating teams that are of the lower ranks of college football, and in the FCS.
If the CFP Committee were to really take things seriously and fairly, the first round of the playoffs would be;
12 Seed JMU v.s. 5 Seed Texas A&M
11 Seed Tulane v.s 6 Seed Ole Miss
10 Seed Miami v.s 7 Seed Oklahoma
9 Seed Notre Dame v.s 8 Seed Oregon
Just because they are a well known, high success team, does not mean they should automatically make it into the playoffs. Let alone a team that accomplished less than average for a dynasty their caliber.
The fact of the matter is College Football is fun. It will always be fun, and no matter what the CFB Committee wants to try and ruin it with, it won’t stop us from loving the game.
It’s hard to say whether we will see any improvements to, either the playoffs or the committee. But at the same time, the one thing they have right is an actual, 12-team playoff, and not a four team scam they had us with for 10 seasons.
But the College Football Playoffs are always gonna have us hesitant to want to support, because they can just never back out of the money and popularity side of college football. Like a wise man once said, It’s like watching your mother in law drive off a cliff in a Cadillac, and just like us with the CFP, you’re gonna have mixed feelings.
