People seem to be missing the signs of the times.
Let’s take one viewpoint and go from there. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports brings the opinion that the College Football Playoffs race is littered with mediocre contenders down the stretch. He talked about Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss faltering when it mattered most.
“With a week to go in the regular season, it has become clear the CFP doesn’t deserve itself,” Dodd wrote. “There’s too much mediocrity, mostly. It’s actually too big at this point. Well, at least too big to make it a quality playoff. The three SEC teams listed above lost Saturday for the third time. Each one of them was upset with everything on the line.”
Less is not more when it comes to college football

But Dodd is missing the point on this one. And here’s the reason: If you only took the most deserving teams, we would be back to a four-team playoff system. After all, looking at the body of work, the only worthy teams seem to be Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, and … well, maybe Penn State.
But, oh, the uproar! Only one SEC team? How dare you! Miami and the ACC deserve a shot! Georgia must be included! And very few people would be in sync about who the best four teams are.
That’s the brilliance of a 12-team playoff. The CFP committee wants so-called mediocre teams in the playoffs. The more you include, the less people can complain about not getting a shot.
College basketball understands the need for more
Think about it: The NCAA Tournament had 64 teams. And people said it needed more! So they went to 68 teams. And guess what? People have said, ‘Let even more teams into the field.’ Because if you lose on the basketball court, at least you lost on the basketball court — instead of a CFP board room.
It’s the same deal in football. The playoffs could expand to 16 teams with no problem. That’s four fewer teams to say they got ripped off.
And when people like Dodd say teams like Alabama don’t belong, it’s because they got upset. But the upsets are why the playoffs need more teams.
Can you feel the paradox?
The upsets aren’t the reason fewer teams should get into the CFP. They’re the reason to include more teams. If No. 4 beat No. 1 in the old system, it’s hard to be shocked. But what if No. 12 beat No. 1. That’s … wow!
Bring on the upsets, baby!

Upsets can, will, and do happen. There’s a pretty good chance one of Dodd’s mediocre teams will win the CFP national championship. Who has Oregon as untouchable? The Ducks barely beat Boise State, which is apparently one of Dodd’s mediocre teams. Oregon only beat a 5-6 Wisconsin team by three points. Do those wins make Oregon mediocre? Or do the Ducks get a pass because they squeaked out a win?
That’s the crazy thing. What if Alabama had finished against Vanderbilt and Tennessee? Even with the loss to Oklahoma, would anybody call the Crimson Tide mediocre? So the dividing line between great and mediocre is 12 total points? Man, that’s a tough line!
Signs of the times, folks. College football is watered down from a team standpoint because of the transfer portal and NIL. Just because a team grabs an ultra-talented quarterback out of the portal, it doesn’t mean he’s going to lift the team to greatness.
Also, school loyalty is a fading thing. A university like Tennessee — where it still means what it used to mean to be in that program — will have an advantage over teams like Alabama and Florida. Those programs look more like a business than a source of pride. But even Tennessee’s pride will eventually crumble into the past as the sports drifts further into transfers and money deals.
So for those who think 12 CFP teams are too many, take a step back and consider things from this perspective. It doesn’t hurt to let more teams into the playoffs. The riff-raff will get brushed aside.
The Indiana Hoosiers are a case in point
Do the Hoosiers have a snowball’s chance of winning a CFP game? Well, let Indiana and its fans find that out. Or let the Hoosiers pull off a tremendous upset and shock the college football world.
Truth be told it wouldn’t be bad to automatically qualify all undefeated and one-loss teams. You get one chance to stub your toe, but you control your destiny until you get that second ding.
The more the merrier in the CFP. Again, think NCAA Tournament. Nobody is lobbying for a return to the old 32-team field in basketball. And they shouldn’t.
Eventually, college football will go to a 32-team field. They’ll shorten the regular season and start the playoffs a week earlier. And it will be a blast. Who knows, maybe even Mr. Dodd will attend and watch a few games?
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