College football playoff system needs to evolve and improve

Evidently, the 12-team College Football Playoffs were a success, or so we are told. Two teams seeded near the middle of the pack, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State, played for the national championship in Atlanta. 

 

It certainly helped that the Jan. 20 title bout featured two of college football’s truest bluebloods. It was expected to produce a massive television audience after plenty of pre-game hype.

 

But could you imagine if the championship featured Arizona State vs. Boise State to cap the longest college football season in history since Rutgers and New Jersey (later known as Princeton) battled in the first college game back in 1869.

 

And yes, the college football season is too long. Back in the day, the season concluded on New Year’s Day, but this year, the season lingered past the traditional closing date by 19 days and ventured into NFL playoff territory.

 

If you need proof, television ratings for the College Football Playoff semifinals were down about 17 percent in the first season of the expanded 12-team format.

 

That’s the lowest average since a New Year’s Eve doubleheader in the 2021 season drew an audience of 16.9 million, according to Sports Business Journal.

 

But the new playoff format is better than past ways of determining the king of college football. Remember when polls of sports writers and coaches determined the champ?

 

The playoff format has evolved and will continue to evolve. Here’s what I would like to see happen as we move forward.

 

The playoff committee scored a huge victory by having the first-round games played on campus. After all, this is college football, and there’s no better way to celebrate the college experience than having the path to the championship begin at venues such as Ohio State, Penn State, Texas and Notre Dame. Three of the games attracted crowds of more than 100,000 fans and showcased the pageantry of the game.

 

The playoff committee struck out by giving conference champs an automatic bye, except for Clemson, which was a head-scratcher. The seeds, Nos. 1-4 included Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State. Was Boise State really the third best team in the playoffs?

 

Sixth-seeded Penn State’s two-touchdown victory would indicate no.

 

The playoff committee scored a victory by having the traditional major bowls as venues. Is there anything better than watching the Rose Bowl in all its awesomeness, including the San Gabriel Mountains that glisten during sunset. The other major bowls, Cotton, Fiesta, Peach, Orange, and Sugar keep us connected to college football’s past.

 

The playoff committee committed an error by focusing too much on winning records and not enough on quality wins.

 

How else do you explain Indiana and SMU in the 12-team field? The Hoosiers played two good teams, Ohio State and Notre Dame, and lost both while SMU played in what might have been the weakest major conference in football, the ACC.

 

If you look at strength of schedule, you could have replaced them with, perhaps, the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan didn’t have a glamorous record, but they probably were one of the hottest teams at the end of the regular season. If you need proof, just ask the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

 

Connect with Phil Bowman for sports ideas and suggestions at sports@thedanielislandnews.com.