College Football Playoff Bracket: What 12
College Football Playoff Bracket: A Complex Maze of Rankings and Rivalries
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) regular season. It is a four-team single-elimination tournament that determines the national champion of college football. The CFP Selection Committee uses a variety of factors to rank the teams, including their record, strength of schedule, and head-to-head matchups. However, the committee's rankings are often controversial, and there is no guarantee that the best team will always make it into the playoff.
Selection Process
The CFP Selection Committee is composed of 13 members, including former coaches, athletic directors, and media members. The committee meets in Dallas, Texas, in early December to rank the top 25 teams in the country. The top four teams in the rankings are then selected for the playoff. The committee's rankings are based on a variety of factors, including:
- Record: The committee considers each team's overall record, as well as their record against ranked opponents.
- Strength of Schedule: The committee also considers the strength of each team's schedule. Teams that play a tough schedule are more likely to be ranked higher than teams that play a weak schedule.
- Head-to-Head Matchups: The committee also considers the results of head-to-head matchups between ranked teams. A team that has defeated a higher-ranked opponent is more likely to be ranked higher than a team that has not.
The committee's rankings are often controversial. In 2017, for example, Alabama was ranked No. 1 in the CFP rankings despite losing to Auburn in the regular season. The committee argued that Alabama's overall record and strength of schedule were more impressive than Auburn's. However, many fans and pundits disagreed with the committee's decision, and Auburn ended up winning the national championship.
Criticisms
There are several criticisms of the CFP selection process. One criticism is that the committee is too subjective. The committee members are human, and they are inevitably going to have their own biases. This can lead to teams being ranked higher or lower than they deserve. Another criticism is that the selection process is too opaque. The committee does not release its criteria for ranking teams, and this makes it difficult to understand how the rankings are determined. Finally, some critics argue that the CFP is not fair to teams that play in non-Power Five conferences. The Power Five conferences (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) are considered to be the best conferences in college football, and they are given preferential treatment in the CFP selection process. This makes it difficult for teams from non-Power Five conferences to make it into the playoff.
Future of the CFP
The CFP is still a relatively new system, and it is likely to undergo changes in the future. One possible change is to expand the playoff to eight teams. This would give more teams a chance to compete for the national championship, and it would also reduce the likelihood of a deserving team being left out of the playoff. Another possible change is to make the selection process more transparent. The committee could publish its criteria for ranking teams, and it could also provide more information about how it makes its decisions. Finally, the CFP could give more consideration to teams from non-Power Five conferences. This could be done by giving automatic bids to the winners of the Group of Five conferences, or by giving the committee more discretion to select teams from outside the Power Five.
Conclusion
The College Football Playoff is a complex and controversial system. There are several criticisms of the selection process, and the future of the CFP is uncertain. However, the CFP is also a popular and exciting system that has added a new level of excitement to the college football season. It is likely that the CFP will continue to evolve in the years to come, and it will be interesting to see how the system changes.