College Football Playoffs Undergo Changes
It seems the college football playoffs have seen some adjustments lately.
Last season, the structure shifted from four to twelve teams, which, well, revealed a few issues along the way.
This year, instead of just the top four conference champions automatically getting the top seeds, the playoff bracket now consists of straight seeds. There are still five positions reserved for conference champions, according to sources.
“After reviewing the first year of the 12-team playoffs, the CFP Management Committee concluded that this change would benefit the game overall,” said CFP Executive Director Rich Clark in a statement. “This adjustment will ensure that winning conference championships is rewarded while also allowing a postseason bracket that reflects teams’ performances throughout the regular season.”
If this new format had been in place last year, teams like Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Pennsylvania might have enjoyed some time off. Instead, Texas and Pennsylvania had to fight through the first round, both winning decisively. For example, Texas defeated No. 12 Clemson, which was ranked 15th nationally, with a score of 38-24, before overcoming No. 4 seed Arizona.
Meanwhile, ASU faced Ohio State in a matchup between the No. 11 and No. 6 seeds. If we’d looked at straight seeding from last season, Boise State would have taken on Indiana for the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.
Interestingly, Boise State, as the Mountain West champion, got the bye as the third seed in the quarterfinals but found themselves as the sixth seed in the Fiesta Bowl, ultimately ranked third nationally. The Nittany Lions managed to beat No. 11 SMU with a score of 38-10 in the first round.
However, it’s worth noting that all four conference champions met their end in the quarter-finals.
No. 8 Ohio State, despite being in the first round, dominated the competition on the way to the national title. It’s kind of amusing how they got there, especially after losing to Michigan at home to close out the regular season, yet they were still ranked sixth by the committee.
Now, with these rule changes, it also opens the door for Notre Dame, which isn’t affiliated with any conference, to be eligible for those bye weeks.
