College Football Playoff: Which Four Teams Will Be Selected This Afternoon?
By Brett Tunno
Let the controversy begin. College football fans have wanted a playoff system for several years, and today is the day that it becomes a reality.
At 12:30 today, the NCAA Playoff Selection Committee will decide the top four seeds for college football’s first ever playoff.
So who will make it?
There appears to be three teams who are a lock: 1) Alabama, 2) Oregon, and 3) Florida State.
No. 1 Alabama (12-1, 7-1 SEC) has been “rolling” as of late, and the Crimson Tide blew out Missouri 42-13 to claim the SEC Championship.
No. 2 Oregon (12-1, 8-1 PAC) got redemption against Arizona in blowout fashion with a 51-13 win to claim the PAC title.
No. 4 Florida State (13-0, 8-0 ACC) has been losing ground in the playoff rankings despite being undefeated, yet the Seminoles defeated a tough No. 11 Georgia Tech squad 37-35 to claim the ACC Championship.
I don’t think No. 3 TCU should have ever been placed above Florida State, so I ultimately believe the Seminoles will be rewarded the number 3 seed in the playoff.
For me, the playoff will be No.2 Oregon versus No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. On the other side, I believe No. 1 Alabama will matched up against No. 4 TCU in the Sugar Bowl.
The heated debate is between TCU, Ohio State, and Baylor.
Did we think BCS controversy was bad?
This may be even worse.
The committee put TCU (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) over Florida State this week, so it is going to be really hard to leave out a TCU squad that steamrolled Iowa State 55-3 yesterday. In my opinion, you can’t penalize a team because its conference does not have a championship game.
Ohio State fans will not agree with me. The No. 5 Buckeyes (12-1, 8-0 Big Ten) dismantled the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers 59-0 to state their case with a third string backup quarterback.
Baylor fans will not agree with me either, as the No. 6 Bears took care of No. 9 Kansas State 38-27, and Baylor had beaten TCU 61-58 earlier this season.
Do you reward Ohio State for winning their conference? Do you reward TCU because they have the “best” loss? Do you reward Baylor because they defeated TCU head-to-head?
I am no expert, but I think the decision needs to be based on two key aspects:
- The current rankings. TCU was deemed No. 3, Ohio State No. 5, and Baylor No. 6. The committee saw TCU as the best of the three, so if all three schools win, can you really alter these rankings?
- Bad losses. TCU lost to No. 6 Baylor 61-58, in a game where they blew a 18-point lead in the fourth quarter. Ohio State lost to a bad Virginia Tech team 35-21 at home. Baylor lost to a mediocre West Virginia team on the road 41-27.
TCU is ranked highest of the three, and they have the best loss. If you want to look at a common opponent, TCU beat Minnesota more convincingly than the Buckeyes. That is why I give them the nod over the other two schools. Looking at overall body of work, TCU has to be given the edge.
The Big Ten has been down all season, with a lack of quality wins, so I’d give the nod to the Big 12 in this case.
Regardless, there will be controversy no matter who is selected. With this added drama, I think the college football playoff system should expand to eight teams, as all conference champions would get a chance at a title.