They are all exactly the same. ESPN announcers asked the smug chairman – for the record, the current chairman, Boo Corrigan, is a friend – of a smug group of alleged football experts to “explain” how the committee arrived at the conclusions that l ‘have led to… that the ranking of the week makes absolutely no sense.
Let’s look this week’s “unveiling.” (I keep using quotes around these words because I can’t write them with a straight face.) Oh look, the top four teams were the four teams remaining undefeated – with apologies to Liberty, who might remain undefeated and still find yourself in the same type of minor bowl as 5-7 Minnesota.
The top four teams in the second-to-last rankings of the season were Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State. All are 12-0 and will play in conference championship games this weekend. The next four teams – Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama – are 11-1. Only the state of Ohio, which lost to Michigan last week in what amounted to a conference championship game, will not play this weekend.
What does that mean? That means none of the previous rankings mattered, no matter how earnestly Corrigan answers questions from an equally earnest ESPN broadcaster. You know what else doesn’t make sense? The “analysis” from ESPN’s equally serious talking heads after the “unveiling.” (I think I’m missing quotes on my computer.)
On Sunday, after several more minutes of pointless and time-consuming “analysis,” the four playoff teams will be announced. Then, after another round of mind-boggling analysis and advertising, we’ll know who will be playing in the “New Year’s Six” bowls. Personally, I’ll be on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the game in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Here are three words that must be banned forever from the English language: “The Committee feels…”. Okay, “road work forward” is probably more obnoxious, but not by much. What does “the committee considered” mean? Was there a vote, and who voted for whom? Like the NCAA men’s basketball committee — which is only slightly more secretive than the CIA — the 13-member committee acts as if it is keeping state secrets by discussing how it “feels” about virtually any subject.
Retired CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock has valiantly tried to bring some diversity to the committee, but this year’s group has just one woman: Kelly Whiteside, also the committee’s token reporter after working for years at USA Today. Whiteside may be the best journalist in the world, but her experience is meaningless as long as she — like every member of the committee other than the president — is gagged from the moment they enter the room.
This year’s final standings could be different from the previous nine in that there could be some real controversy, depending on this weekend’s results. In recent years, at least three of the teams have been locked out, while there has always been yelling and screaming from the fifth team. This year could also be a slam dunk – every undefeated team in the power conference will participate. That includes Florida State, which opened the season with a victory over what became a three-loss LSU team, then faced little competition in the ACC, the home of American football’s mediocrity. Of course, if the Seminoles lose to Louisville, they will go to the Orange Bowl.
Everything changes next year with the CFP which will become a 12-team tournament. All the “traditionalists” will moan and moan that the regular season no longer matters and, as I have written for years, they will be wrong. What would be at stake this week in setting up a 12-team tournament? Only a first-round bye, meaning a team ranked in the top four would only have to play three games to win a national championship instead of four. At this time of year, that extra game could have huge implications, with players banged and bruised as the season draws to a close.
By the way, does anyone remember the days when college presidents opposed any type of playoffs on the grounds that “student-athletes” would take too many physical hits after a regular season of 11 games – not to mention how it might affect their “academics.” » I might need an extra set of quotes after that one. Next year, a non-bye playoff team could play 17 games (!!) if they reach the CFP championship
You can also bet that ESPN – which practically owns the CFP, having apparently paid rights worth around $500 million a year – will expand the insignificant Tuesday broadcasts to an hour since there will now be three team levels to discuss. : the four bye teams, the four teams hosting first round games and the four first round road teams. If you think the rush for basketball bubble teams in March is getting ridiculous, just wait until the No. 5 SEC and No. 3 ACC battle it out for 12th place. The screaming and screaming will likely start around Halloween, which is Exactly what the CFP and ESPN want.
When they finally get to the Sunday show that really matters next year, they’ll probably be on the air for six hours instead of four. I can’t wait to see the end of the game at Tennessee’s feet.
Twelve teams is the ideal number for the playoffs, although there should be spots for at least two Group of Five teams, not one. Given that the fourth-ranked team in the Big Ten will undoubtedly draw better TV numbers than Tulane, SMU or Liberty — unless it’s Iowa — you can bet that a second-ranked team in the Group of Five is about as likely as next year’s president starting his first “interview.” ” with a knowing joke. How about this one: “A college president, an athletic director, and a commissioner walk into a bar…” Oh wait, no one that distinguished would ever walk into a bar. A “student-athlete” surely wouldn’t either.
So let’s enjoy Saturday’s games and endure the Sunday buzz. At least there could be some suspense. A significant suspense.
