Written by Phil Harrison at The Comeback
The final College Football Playoff rankings are out, and according to almost everyone in the media and beyond, there was an absence of controversy this year. Notre Dame tapped out last week and all the conference championship games went to form, leaving a somewhat drama-free, status quo four-team selection with Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma.
What a difference a year makes.
Okay yeah, this year sorta worked in 2015, but is it going to play out nice and neat going forward? What happened to the outcry of last year? The whole argument that things seem to work themselves out with a four-team playoff doesn’t cut it because it didn’t work itself out last year, and it more than likely won’t work itself out going forward. Three very deserving teams were playing musical chairs for the last spot in 2014, and it was more improbable that we didn’t have something similar this year than what the committee lucked into, with all the results going the way of a smoothly paved roadway.
In reality, we were just one Notre Dame win, or a North Carolina upset of Clemson, away from this whole thing going sideways and people complaining about who got snubbed. Again, I hear you that it didn’t happen, but it easily could have.
Despite the narratives this year, there are still some things to be concerned about, hidden in the weeds of what everyone’s talking about this year.
For starters, the SEC continues to get a perception boost despite being beaten as the No. 1 seed in 2014’s semifinals. This year, Alabama lost to a 9-3 Ole Miss team at home, yet got elevated over unbeaten teams, and teams that have better losses all throughout the season. Why? It’s hard to argue that the Tide shouldn’t be in this year, but what if the scenario played out where Nick Saban’s team was vying for that last spot? Would there really be a fair debate? It’s doubtful.
To continue reading this article, click here
