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CFP committee not doing us justice

CFP committee not doing us justice

What was supposed to fix bias only created more

The collapse of the BCS system was inevitable. For years, polls generated by computers only told us who the two best teams — on paper — were, and we watch some good championship games like Texas and USC in 2006. And we saw some really bad ones like 2011’s Alabama versus LSU, a 21-0 rout in favor of the Tide.

Many have their opinions about what the final straw was for college football to finally, after years of debate, to go to the playoff system. Before the dreadful Alabama/LSU national championship game, No. 2 Oklahoma State was upset in Ames, just weeks before the final poll was released. In most peoples’ minds, Oklahoma State and Oregon were the only two teams in 2011 to give Alabama a run for its money. Earlier in the season, LSU defeated Alabama in a worthless, 9-6 win.

Lackluster in every aspect, nearly everyone wanted to see any matchup BUT the one that ensued.

So, queue the College Football Playoff and its saving grace committee.

Finally, college football fans got what they had been begging for for years. A committee of people who had proper knowledge of these teams, who could analyze the teams deeper than just what was on paper. It was supposed to be an unbiased way of sorting out who the best teams in the country were, and letting the top four go at it.

It’s the perfect approach, and the only ones with the ability to squander a fair outcome are doing just that.

Last year wasn’t too bad.

In it’s first year of inception, the CFP committee gave us three highly qualified teams and Florida State. We saw how good Florida State really was when it was paired with Oregon in the first round of the playoffs — a 59-20 win for the Ducks.

Ohio State asserted its true dominance against Alabama and Oregon, becoming the first CFP national champion.

This year, it’s been a different story.

Take your pick at any one of the story lines coming out of the previous weeks that the CFP rankings were released.

The Big 12 has yet to make a considerable threat to the top 4 with arguably the toughest conference schedule, next to what Alabama and Ohio State have/will face/faced.

Iowa, despite sitting at 10-0, has eliminated all of their Power 5 football opponents, including a two-touchdown win against Iowa State and a thriller against Pittsburgh.

Then there’s Notre Dame.

Whose best win is an average Temple team — not a Power 5 school — and a win against Pittsburgh, same as Iowa — also not a Power 5 school.

Yet, Notre Dame has sat in the No. 4 playoff spot, despite having a marginally weaker resume than Iowa, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.

But here’s the silver lining, the way I see it.

These rankings are coming out as a week-by-week basis.

The committee isn’t looking at what could happen, only at what has happened. Iowa, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and, heck, maybe even Stanford, still have a chance if they win out. It would be next to impossible to take a slightly above average Notre Dame team against a 13-0 Iowa, 12-0 Oklahoma State or 11-1 Oklahoma.

If that does happen to be the case come December; if Iowa wins out and takes down the Big Ten East champion, then they’ll most likely slide into Ohio State’s No. 3 spot, leaving the door open to either Big 12 team — Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. The only question left would be, who’s in?

Do you have thoughts on what the rankings should look like? Send your opinions to sports@charlescitypress.com

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