Last week, the CFB Playoff committee set parameters of selecting the four participants of the College Football Playoff.
The format and ideals appear to be both solid and forthright on the surface. However, college football has far too many variables to make apples to apples comparisons of the country's elite programs.
The SEC plays only eight conference games with a newly incorporated non-conference game against a power conference opponent (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12).
Comparatively, Pac 12 teams play nine conference games, and eight of the conference's 12 teams already have a power conference opponent (including Notre Dame) on their non-conference schedule next season.
That means 75% of the conference will play 10 games against power five level opponents in the regular season. The SEC only has one team (Georgia) slated to play that many power conference opponents in the regular season.
The Big 12 also plays nine conference games, and all of their teams, except Baylor, have a non-conference match up against a major conference opponent.
Unlike the other power five conferences, the Big 12 does not have a conference championship game.
All of the disparity makes it nearly impossible for the committee to accurately decipher which conference has the toughest path to the playoff, and whether Team A is more deserving than Team B.
The selection committee has basically left themselves wide open to be more heavily scrutinized than the BCS.
Polls are the fabric of college football. They're not an exact science, but still the best option to come up with rankings using a wider scale.
The BCS system was a total sham, but the ranking formula was actually very useful in this regard and generally got the two most deserving teams in the NCG.
A similar formula should be applied to create a ranking system, which should include the selection committee's poll as part of the equation.
Using that ranking system, the selection committee should go down a list of automatic qualifiers to get the best four teams into the playoff format or create a pool of teams to vote on.
*Notre Dame is considered a power conference team
1. Any undefeated team from power five conferences
An undefeated season usually meant a shot at the title in the BCS era (sorry Auburn). These are no-brainer decisions for the selection committee.
2. Any power five conference champion in the top six
Winning your conference must carry weight towards securing a spot in the four team playoff.
Especially when compared to other highly ranked teams since all teams and conferences aren't created equally.
It would be a huge injustice to the purpose of a sports playoff -- finding out who the best team is on the actual field -- if this wasn't the case. Just like the NFL division winners getting home field advantage over a wild card opponent.
The top six teams in the 2013 final regular season poll: 1. Florida State, 2. Auburn, 3. Alabama, 4. Michigan State, 5. Stanford, 6. Baylor.
Starting with guideline #1, Florida State would secure the first spot in the playoff.
The selection committee would then use guideline #2 to form a field of Auburn, Michigan State, Stanford and Baylor to vote on for the final three spots. All conference champs in the top six.
Of course, we want
the best schools in the four team playoff, and a lot of folks will complain about a team of Alabama's caliber being
left out of the picture.
The Tide certainly appeared to be one of the top four teams in the country last season. However, can the 'eye test' actually guarantee that was the case for Alabama? It absolutely cannot.
The eye test failed miserably last year when heavy underdog Oklahoma laced the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl.
This is why there must be a caveat in the selection equation that uses major conference championships as a trump card for teams with similar resumes.
3. Any undefeated team in the top six
This would allow for an undefeated team outside the power conferences an opportunity to compete.
TCU (2009 & 2010), Boise State (2009) and Utah (2004 & 2008) are some teams that would've qualified in the past.
All of these teams had marquee victories over one, two or three BCS opponents in the regular season, which was reflected in their lofty ranking in the final regular season poll.
All of those teams also went on to win their respective BCS bowl games too (with the exception of TCU who played Boise State in 2009).
The BCS buster is likely an obsolete phenomenon in the post-realignment era. However, any team with a similar resume to those listed above is absolutely worthy to be in the playoff conversation.
4. Any at-large selection in top four
Here is where a 2013 Alabama squad could sneak back into the picture given the right scenario.
Given the final regular season BCS standings of recent years, it's highly unlikely a 9-3, or a weak 10-2, conference champion would be ranked high enough for automatic qualifier #2.
This would allow for some extremely talented non-conference champions to still be in the playoff picture.
5. Any power conference champion in top eight or at-large in top six
If all else fails, then the committee can put in work and pick who gets the final spot(s) from a group of these parameters.
