Out of all the unpopular opinions I’ve formed about sports, there isn’t one I stand by more firmly than this: I hate the College Football Playoff.
It’s the absolute worst. It sucks.
That four-team tournament held every year to determine a new national champion for the most popular sport in America?
I’d rather have Donald Trump be president for the rest of my life than have to watch more than five minutes of that garbage.
OK, not actually. But you get the point. I really, really don’t like the CFP. Here’s why:
It’s a total disgrace and embarrassment for the NCAA that only four teams are selected to participate in one of the biggest and most-watched events in all of college athletics.
Believe me, I’m well aware of the fact that up until three years ago, there were only two teams granted an opportunity to fight for the national title. So sure, four is definitely an improvement over two.
But how can you watch the NCAA Tournament for men’s basketball — which features a bracket comprising 68 teams — every spring and not fantasize about the drama and intrigue that would surround college football if more teams were included in its postseason.
It would be so much more exciting and fair than the current format.
Just ask Washington State coach Mike Leach, who has repeatedly called for the playoff to expand from four to 64 teams.
“I don’t know why you don’t have 64 teams,” he said in 2015. “The notion of pinpointing and selecting four perfectly, well that’s not going to happen.
“It would be indisputable that it was settled on the field, and somebody that wins playoff games accordingly deserves to be champion… It would be great fun to watch.”
That it would, Mike. That it would.
Can you imagine if the NBA, for example, decided that starting this season, only the league’s top four teams would qualify for the playoffs. Or what about the NFL or MLB?
Imagine how insanely boring those postseasons would become. There’d be no room for crazy upsets. There wouldn’t be as many games.
And I guarantee you, fans of those leagues would be beyond furious with such an exclusive format.
So what’s the difference between that hypothetical scenario and the current setup of the CFP?
Dylan Dixon is the Alligator’s assistant sports editor. Contact him at ddixon@alligator.org.
This Oct. 16, 2013 photo shows the College Football Playoff logo printed across a backdrop used during a news conference in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
