Written by Dennis Dodd at CBSSports.com
The College Football Playoff starts this week.
Oh, you haven’t heard? Then you’re not paying attention. Topping the list of my 25 Things to Watch in 2016 is the best opening week of college football ever.
“Been doing this a long time,” said veteran scribe Tony Barnhart, a former CBS Sports columnist. “In terms of quality matchups and what they mean, this is the best opening weekend of college football that I’ve ever seen.”
Six of the top 15 teams in the CBS Sports 128 are playing each other in Week 1. All six are putting their seasons on the line by opening with neutral site or true road games. That list includes the entire top four: Alabama, Clemson,Oklahoma and Florida State.
Two 2015 CFP participants are playing top 15 opponents to start: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 15 USC and No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Houston.
By Monday night, the favorites of the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 may all have their playoff chances severely damaged by an opening-week loss.
In that sense, the playoff race begins immediately. A two-loss team has yet to make the Football Four.
“I think CFP committee has made it clear they’re looking at strength of schedule as a strong barometer.” Houston athletic director Hunter Yurachek said. “Look at the opening weekend … this is as much excitement about an opening weekend that I can remember.”
Blame/credit the CFP. The number of quality season-opening quality games has just sort of grown organically as a reaction to the two most powerful words in the sport: schedule strength.
“What they look at in the new CFP is … if you’re going to lose, lose early and lose to a team that is going to be ranked at the end of the year,” said Gary Stokan, executive director of the Peach Bowl.
While it’s not possible to look inside Barry Alvarez’ sweater vest to judge where his heart resides, the CFP mandate has been clear throughout.
“It’s still going to be, ‘Who did you play?'” said Bill Hancock, CFP executive director. “That’s in each committee member’s perception.”
The sport has reacted accordingly. There are 20 neutral site games spread throughout the 2016 season. Quality is front-loaded. Nine of those will have been played by Monday night.
Five of those nine include at least one ranked team. Four of them include teams from the SEC, the conference gold standard.
Upgrading schedule strength has become an art. The ACC and SEC already mandate their schools play at least one nonconference game against a Power Five opponent. The Big Ten no longer plays FCS opponents. The only Power Fives not playing nine conference games are the ACC and SEC.
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