The NCAA just can’t help themselves, can they? In the past few years, the tradition surrounding the National Championship in college football has gone through a series of changes that some would say is for the better while others would say it’s even better than better. I’m going to guess the latter has money riding on every bowl game known to man, like the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl or the First Responders Bowl. Is that second one just firefighters, policemen, and EMTs knocking each other’s heads off…because I’d watch that in a heartbeat. Ooh, that hit had to hurt…he’s gonna need a para…oh there are already two on the field.
Traditionally, the championship was a unilateral decision by a committee choosing the best two teams in the nation and pitting them against each other; however, the need and growing desire to implement a more “fair” system like a playoff bracket that started in 2014. Four teams were selected that produced two semi-final games and then a championship game, and for the most part, four seemed to be the right number for most critics and fans. Did it make the other bowl games, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (seriously?), or the Pop-Tarts Bowl–which I’m guessing is played during breakfast – inconsequential? Absolutely. Unless you’re a degenerate gambler, I can’t think of any reason to watch any of the games that aren’t labeled under the College Football Playoff. Now, some might wonder if I’m a degenerate gambler, and my response would be to throw a Pop-Tart with a Guaranteed Rate of speed at your head…I’m just your average degenerate, thank you very much. You see, I start talking about food and I get derailed with my column.
Anyway, four teams appeared to produce the overall best results despite some years having lackluster semi-final games and a few duds of a national championship–TCU ring a bell? But the unending thirst for money and power by the NCAA has brought in some new changes to the playoff structure. Now, there will be 12 teams for the playoffs instead of four. What happened to eight? Personally, I’m a fan of seven teams with the #1 seed getting a bye week–it really makes the regular season worth it for teams if you truly give them an incentive. It’s easy to deduce why the NCAA made this decision-Mo’ Games/Mo’ Money, but I worry the overall product of the playoffs will be reduced substantially due to this decision.
Oh wait, hold on. I’m receiving breaking news from my governmental tracking device–er–I mean my cell phone stating that the NCAA wants to add two more teams to the playoffs to make a 14-team tournament. We haven’t even tried out the 12-team bracket and you want to make changes already? You weren’t happy with the 32 oz steak dinner, so you added two sides to the meal? Get ready for that full belly waddle that will make you question your life choices.
The NCAA can’t help themselves, can they? I can understand wanting to make changes to make your sport more appealing, but it is so blatantly obvious this decision is solely for the purpose of extra money. These college football playoff games get a ton of eyeballs on the screen because it is football and the schools are rewarded a huge surplus of cash if their team gets into the playoffs. I’ve read there will be “reserved” spots for conferences like the SEC or Big Ten while the other lesser conferences will fill out the spaces. I’m not even that big of a college sports guy, but it is dumbfounding to me that college sports as a whole have gone away from the competition aspect of sports. The best two teams, determined by whatever measurement you want to use, play in the championship game; I can’t think of many National Championships pre-CFP that were as big a dud as Georgia vs TCU in 2023. By adding more teams to this ridiculous bracket, we dilute the product of college football and risk injuring these players who might have to play in up to three intense playoff games.
Are there even 14 college teams good enough to stand up to the powerhouses of the sport like Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Alabama? I don’t believe so, and the 14-team playoff would certainly expose the NCAA to this widening disparity between the elites of the sport to teams better served to play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Ugh. Did you see that video of a coach getting a mayo bath–instead of Gatorade–after he won the bowl game this December? Shudders. Yeah, we’re going to need some First Responders over here, stat, because I just threw an Idaho Potato through some guy’s chest.