Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) throws the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith (not pictured) in overtime against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 CFP national championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
At birthday parties when we were young, they played a game called musical chairs.
Not sure if they still play that game, but in case you’re not familiar, it was really simple.
You put chairs in a ring and made sure that you had one more person that you had chairs. For example, if you had five people, put out four chairs.
When somebody turned on the record player (yes, we had record players back then), the people started running around the ring of chairs. When the music stopped, they all scrambled for a seat. Since there were more people than chairs, somebody always ended up on the floor.
College football fans are still familiar with that game.
It’s called the College Football Playoff.
The current set-up is guaranteed to end with somebody that feels deserving sitting on the floor. After this past Saturday’s games, a scenario can easily be imagined that would have the floor around those four chairs this year littered with multiple folks that think they got a raw deal.
The system is inherently flawed.
There is a conference Group of 5 – Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern. The emphasis being … “5.”
It’s set up so that each conference should be viewed equally in terms of football … in theory. But, of course, that can’t be true. Remember, they’ve only put out four chairs.
No other NCAA football championship field has that limit, only the BCS (Bowl Championship Series). The FCS (Football Championship Series) selects 24 teams to compete for the national title. Division II football has a field of 28. Division III has 32 teams.
The NCAA baseball field is 64 teams, same as NCAA softball. Women’s basketball also selects 64. Men’s basketball increases it to 68.
The selection process for all other major NCAA athletic championships at least makes an effort to be fair. But for BCS football, arguably the most popular, highest profile, most financially lucrative college sport … there are four chairs.
Fans of every Group of 5 conference understandably feel that their champion deserves to at least have a chance to compete for the national title. So, imagine how they feel when two teams from one conference are chosen for the Final Four. That means that a team that isn’t a league champion – maybe not even its own division champion – gets preferential treatment over Power 5 champions.
And, that doesn’t consider what could be the elephant in the room, so to speak.
Here’s how things shape up at this season’s midpoint…
West Virginia of the Big 12, ranked No. 6 in this week’s Coaches poll, continues undefeated, but with some challenging games still ahead.
Ohio State, ranked No. 3 this week, took a big step in the Big Ten with the comeback win over Penn State last week and could end up with no losses.
Clemson, ranked No. 4, is clearly the best team in the Atlantic Coast Conference with or without Kelly Bryant. It will take a significant upset for the Tigers to lose.
In the Pac-12, No. 7 Washington, with only one loss, still has several challenging games ahead, but right now looks like the best team in the league.
Two Southeastern Conference teams – Alabama and Georgia – sit atop the poll, but again this year, they don’t play each other in the regular season. After the SEC Championship Game, you could have two teams that feel they have a legitimate claim for a Final Four berth … again.
And, how about that big elephant that could be in the room – No. 5 Notre Dame?
The Irish, already with wins over nationally ranked Michigan, Stanford and Virginia Tech, should be favored over its remaining six opponents. Some of those could pose a challenge, but does anybody believe that an undefeated Notre Dame team would not be included in the CFP Final Four?
If the Irish are the big elephant in the room, the little elephant has to be UCF. Ranked No. 9 with the nation’s longest winning streak (17 games), the Knights would end the season with 25 consecutive victories if they run the table in the regular season and league title game. How do you claim credibility and not consider giving a team with that record at least a chance to play for the national title?
When the committee gathers to determine this season’s CFP pairings, here is what they could face:
** Clemson – undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference champion
** Ohio State – undefeated Big Ten champion
** West Virginia – undefeated Big 12 champion
** Washington – one-loss, but undefeated in the league, Pac-12 champion
** Alabama – undefeated SEC champion, or one-loss runner-up
** Georgia – undefeated SEC champion, or one-loss runner-up
** Notre Dame – undefeated
** UCF – undefeated American Athletic Conference champion, 25-game winning streak
That list ignores a good many undefeated or one-loss Power 5 conference teams that could still be a factor, including Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Wisconsin and maybe others.
In a little over a month, they’ll be plugging in the record player and picking out the songs. A lot of unexpected things can happen before then and probably will, but if they don’t happen, we could have a lot of contestants crammed around those chairs when the music starts in late November. And, when it stops, the floor could be littered with the ones not given a seat.
This won’t be the last time it happens. It’s an inherent problem, a flaw in the current system. Remember they only have four chairs.
And until the decision makers correct their mistake, do the right thing and put eight chairs around that circle, there will always be deserving folks sitting on the floor.
