This weekend marks an important weekend for Division I college football teams. Conference championships will be played, signing the last chance for teams to make a move into the top four of the rankings and contend for the national championship. While
many praised the decision of the NCAA to go with the playoff style format, they will be disappointed to find out that this system will soon become just as controversial as previous systems because of one thing, money.
As mentioned before, the current system allows the top four teams to compete for the national championship with
two semi-final games and a final to determine the champion. However, the success of last year’s playoff, the most watched event at the time of the National Championship Game, means that the playoff will expand. How far the playoff expands is the real question.
The current system allows for only four of the five so-called “Power Five” conferences to be represented. Not to mention the fact that there are independent schools such as Notre Dame along with conferences, such as Conference USA, that may be left out.
This creates controversy over what conferences should be represented (such as the Big 12 last year) or whether a strong independent school should be represented (Notre Dame this year).
Eventually, this controversy will become so over-blown that the NCAA will do what they have always wanted to do, expand the playoff to six, eight or maybe even twelve teams. This will allow for more games, thus creating more ticket and commercial revenues that go directly to the NCAA.
While the NCAA gaining money over amateur athletes is a completely different story, the inevitable expansion of the playoff is wrong for college football.
Fans have complained that a champion should not be decided by a computer after the BCS system was put into place in 1999. However, the BCS system may have been the system people always wanted. Even the current playoff system works due to the fact that it does not dilute the championship contenders.
If the NCAA were to expand to even eight teams, teams that many people feel should not be contending for a championship would be bought in. Take for example the most current college football playoff rankings as of November 24.
If the playoff were to expand to eight teams, there would be three Big Ten teams, two Big 12 teams, one independent, one from the ACC and one from the SEC.
The third best team in the Big Ten (Ohio State), according to the rankings could suddenly become the national champion.
Suddenly, the third best team in their own division is the champion, and fans of the ACC, SEC and Big 12 are complaining that their champion did not win.
If the NCAA were to expand, it should only be to six teams. This would allow for each of the “Power Five” conferences to have a chance to be represented along with a “wild card” team.
However, like with the NCAA basketball tournament, the playoff will continue to expand as far as the NCAA desires.
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