NCAA Football

5 Reasons Why the College Football Playoff System Didn’t Work In First Year

Reasons Why the College Football Playoff System Didn’t Work In First Year

TCU Football
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Fans of the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes are as happy as can be. Those are the last two teams standing, the ones that will be playing for the national championship. As awesome as that matchup could be, the College Football Playoff system did not work in its first year.

5. TCU Horned Frogs Were Left Out

TCU Horned Frogs
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

5. TCU Horned Frogs Were Left Out

TCU Horned Frogs
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

TCU was ranked No. 3 in the CFP rankings in Week 15. As long as the Horned Frogs won their last game, they would be in the playoff, right? Wrong. Out of nowhere, TCU dropped to No. 6 in the rankings in the very next week, which just so happened to be the final rankings. I am still scratching my head. For the record, TCU beat Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl in blowout fashion, 42-3.

4. So Were the Baylor Bears

Baylor Bears
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

4. So Were the Baylor Bears

Baylor Bears
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Although Baylor sat at No. 6 in the rankings in Week 15, it still only lost one game during the regular season, and beat TCU. The Bears may have lost their bowl game, but they certainly made a great case for the playoff.

3. Ohio State Made the Playoff Out of Nowhere

Ohio State
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

3. Ohio State Made the Playoff Out of Nowhere

Ohio State
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, Ohio State was ranked No. 5 in Week 15, but there is no way it should have just jumped TCU. Cardale Jones and the rest of the Buckeyes put on an impressive show in the Big 10 title game — won 59-0 — but TCU won its last game of the regular season by the score of 55-3. Don’t look now, but Ohio State is in the national championship game.

2. There Is No Room For Error

Mississippi State Football
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

2. There Is No Room For Error

Mississippi State Football
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

This is the biggest problem — in my mind — with the current system, and the previous system. If a team goes through a rough patch, like loses two in a row, it is doomed. Mississippi State was the best team in college football for most of the season, but it lost two of three to close out the regular season, and was, of course, left out of the playoff.

1. There Will Always Be Controversy

College Football Playoff
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

1. There Will Always Be Controversy

College Football Playoff
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Whether there are two teams, four teams, eight teams or 100 teams, there will always be controversy, and one or more fanbases will be left complaining. Heck, there are teams that are snubbed out of the NCAA tournament, and the Big Dance features a 68-team field.

With that, I conclude with this: Four teams is better than two, so at least there is that.

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