College football is my favorite sport.
The pageantry, traditions, and atmosphere are unmatched.
Even with the changing nature of the sport right now, Saturdays are still special in so many places around the country.
There are a lot of college football fans. They represent plenty of different schools, cultures, and parts of the country. Unfortunately, it feels like too often now, the focus is on complaints, criticism, and discontent rather than enjoying the very sport that they claim to love.
Take the recent changes to the College Football Playoff. The way this sport decides its champion has never been consistent. We are less than a century removed from teams basically being able to claim a national title whenever they wanted. (Have you ever reviewed all of Alabama’s championships? There are a few questionable ones… and they aren’t the only culprits)
The decision to go to 12 teams was one that felt inevitable. The expansion was, at least. There was too much money to be missed out on. I understand some of the pushback that fans had. However, in general, the move was received in a positive light.
That is, until fans started to see how it was going to unfold.
It took until about 10 weeks into the season for plenty of people to realize that the top four seeds in the newly expanded playoffs had to go to conference champions. When this rule was discussed, we had much more balanced conferences. Even five years ago, the top four conference champions each year would have all likely been top 10 teams. However, with the realignment that took place, things changed. There was no clear-cut top team from the Big 12. Outside of Miami, same situation in the ACC. Little old Boise State found their name in the top four, and people started to lose their ever-loving minds.
How could this be? How could we possibily create a system that rewards a team like Boise State (who exists with all of the disadvantages of not being in a power conference, by the way)?
The short answer is that the rule was created to keep conference championships meaningful. Giving the four top ranked teams regardless of conference titles to the top four teams would have rendered games like the SEC Championship (A huge revenue generator) meaningless.
As the season winded down, the anger started shifting to the last few at-large spots. Indiana was sitting pretty with an 11-1 record in a power conference. Unfortunately, Indiana goes by “Hoosiers” and not “Buckeyes,” so again fans had a major problem with their inclusion. After all, Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina all had a 9-3 record with a tougher strength of schedule.
And that is correct, the strength of schedule was more difficult for those teams. Perhaps that is why they each lost two more games than Indiana did. But what do I know?
Anyways.
Indiana got in, and so did SMU. Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina did not. Boise State and Arizona State got byes, Texas and Penn State did not.
In some far, far away world, people would have been able to put aside their displeasure with the seeding process until the offseason. They would have been able to enjoy the exciting new playoff system and maybe reevaluate things in due time.
Earth was not that far away world.
As soon as Indiana went down by a touchdown it started. And it did not stop. How did we possibly put this team in over Alabama? By the end of it, they had scored late to cut the deficit to 10. They fell to Notre Dame 27-17.
SMU was up next, and the unworthy Mustangs fell 38-10 to Penn State. Even media members took the time to bash the selection committee. Broadcasters calling the game questioned the worthiness of Indiana and SMU. Even Kirk Herbstreit chimed in, stating “Indiana was not a team that should have been on that field when you consider other teams that could have been there.”
Then, in some ways the most poetic justice took place. #9 seed Tennessee, of the almighty SEC, was blown out of the building 42-17 by Ohio State. The same media members did not have much to say after that one.
The rest of the playoff went on, and Ohio State won the title over Notre Dame on Monday night. By the end of it, we had a #7 seed playing a #8 seed. Even in the title game, the “undeserving” chatter started up as the Irish fell behind 31-7. They made a comeback, losing 34-23 in the end.
I’d ask this. Was it enjoyable for a college football fan?
The answer is certainly yes for me. I just hope that as college football fans, we can try to find more ways to enjoy thius incredible sport rather than searching for ways to tear it down.
Dawson Eiserloh is the host of “The LohDown with D-Loh” which is broadcast weekdays (1-3 PM) on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station