College football’s six conference championship games and the finalized playoff bracket over the weekend led to a few playoff shockers set for the first round, while several high-profile teams were left out entirely, sparking controversy from fans.
Indiana defeated Ohio State in the Big Ten championship, lifting the Hoosiers to the No. 1 seed. Indiana’s stout defense limited the Buckeyes to only 58 rushing yards in the 13-10 contest. Ohio State dropped to second in the rankings, also with a bye in the first round.
The win is Indiana’s first win against Ohio State since 1988, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hoosiers. After many years of Big Ten mediocrity, the program has turned itself around in just a few short years. Indiana is the only undefeated team left in college football, showing that they are truly deserving of their first No. 1 ranking in program history.
Georgia, meanwhile, rolled past Alabama in the SEC championship, 28-7, keeping the Bulldogs at a No. 3 ranking and a playoff bye. Texas Tech beat BYU in the Big 12 championship 34-7, moving the Red Raiders up the No. 4 ranking and the final playoff bye.
Other conference winners included James Madison, which beat Troy in the Sun Belt championship to be the 12 seed, and Tulane, which beat North Texas for the American championship and the 11 seed.
The playoff bracket was revealed on Sunday afternoon, with six of the 12 teams being the conference champions. Other high-level regulars, including Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, were included.
The final two teams that made it in were heavily scrutinized by fans.
No. 9 Alabama and No. 10 Miami both had playoff-worthy seasons, but that left Notre Dame on the outside looking in. All three teams finished with a 10-2 record before the championship games, so it came down to tiebreakers to determine the playoff selection between the three programs.
With an early-season head-to-head win, Miami was selected over Notre Dame despite the Irish’s dominant season. Notre Dame’s harder strength of schedule and overall better resume were not enough, as the Hurricanes were selected over them due to the head-to-head victory.
Many fans believe that Miami was the right choice.
Even with a stifling loss in the SEC title game, Alabama still made it into the playoffs. Some fans criticized this because of the sheer size of that loss in the conference championship. Losing by three touchdowns, even to a top-four team, is a blemish against a program’s overall resume and should have affected their playoff aspirations.
Even with the exclusion from the playoffs, Notre Dame remained bowl eligible. However, they will not be playing in one, as the team declined to play after the playoff snub.
This example showcases a way that the playoff system can change. Having low Top 25 teams included in the playoff, even if they won a smaller conference championship, can skew the balance of teams that are included.
This year’s playoffs still include a heavy majority of deserving teams, but there are still flaws in the system. Dominant teams like Notre Dame shouldn’t be left out because of a close loss. The CFP committee should review the playoff system and make changes for next year.
