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Grading the College Football Playoff: Did It Work Out With Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, and Florida State?

By Jerry Levi

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There are plenty of folks just about a 20 minute drive from AT&T Stadium that are waking up Tuesday morning after the Inaugural CFP Championship between Ohio State and Oregon that are saying: “We could’ve given the Buckeyes a better game than the Ducks did.” Of course I’m talking about TCU, whose campus is in nearby Fort Worth. TCU, who was left out of the Final Four for a variety of reasons, most notably for the Big 12 for not having a championship game. No doubt that many a purple clad Horned Frog fan and player was licking their chops at the thought of that prestigious chance to play in the 1st ever CFP National Championship. Did the committee get it right? Was Ohio State, Florida State, Oregon, and Alabama the absolute ‘4 Best Teams’ out there? Let’s throw some bold out there and see if you’re on the same wavelength in whether or not there is staying power in this ESPN fed monster that is the CFP.

The Big 12 needs a Championship Game

That’s an easy one. With Baylor and TCU scrambling around at the end of this year and Baylor defending their weak conference schedule, it was hard for the committee to pick ‘One True Champion’ from this league when there wasn’t one but two champions. Just think, if the Big 12 had a championship game, it would’ve most definitely left Ohio State out of the Final Four, and out of a shot at the Final Four and the National Title. It’s time to implement a title game Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, lest this happen again next year.

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Ohio State is the Undisputed National Champion

That is an easy one as well. By how they played since the Michigan State game and the incredible run the Buckeyes had since the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin, Ohio State is the most deserving champion of the first CFP. In years past, the Bucks would have been passed over and it would have been Alabama and Florida State duking it out for the title. 3-0 against Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon and you can stamp that last victory with an ‘Well Earned’ helmet sticker. The College Football Committee got it right when it rewarded Ohio State a Final Four appearance.

Mid Majors Like Boise State Have No Shot at Final Four

Let’s just be honest here, even if Boise State was undefeated, or if Marshall hadn’t lost to Western Kentucky and they too were undefeated this year, both teams STILL would’ve gotten only to the Top Ten of the Final Four poll. The College Football Playoff system simply isn’t fair to the little guy, cause they’ll maybe sniff the New Year’s Six, like Boise State did this year, but they’ll be hard pressed to ever get into the Four. From here on out the Power 5 Conferences are all that matters to the committee and most assuredly they let out a collective sigh of relief when Marshall or Boise State lose in the regular season. Maybe the committee should have a separate championship for the Mids.

Power 5 Conferences Should Only Play Power 5 Opponents

Look what happened to Baylor this year. They played SMU, Northwestern State, and Buffalo in their non-conference and in the end the committee held it against them by leaving them out of the Playoff. They deserved to be in the Final Four, just like TCU, but if they had a Oregon State or even a Pitt on that non-con, it would’ve been easier for the committee to look their way. An uneven divide between the mid-majors and the Power 5 Conferences is on the horizon, where teams like LSU will no longer schedule a UL Monroe, or USC schedules a Fresno State because it just doesn’t look good on their resume.

The SEC Dominance of the National Championship is Over

This one is true on many different levels. I say this because in the old BCS era, it was a given that an SEC team would be a shoe-in to the Title game, based on how tough the schedule of the SEC is against the other 4 Conferences and the final rankings. Heck, just a few years back LSU AND Alabama played for the national title. All the talk in SEC land this fall was: ‘Which two teams from the SEC West will get into the playoff?’ After beating each other up in the regular season now the SEC will most probably come back down to earth and have only 1 representative in the playoff. It’s hard to win the 1st playoff game and then on to the Championship Game. It’s no longer based solely on reputation, but the SEC will be back in the hunt for the Championship game next year, but for now, the SEC dominating the title game is over.

Well there you have it. All in all, the Blitz gives the CFP a B+ for the way the Playoffs were concluded. Going by the ratings, everybody else thought the same way too. All the buildup between the Rose, Sugar and then the Championship Game made for high drama and in the end, the College Football Committee got it right. Clear up a couple of issues and it’ll be a perfect fit, until the next solution comes along…

Next: Final Saturday Blitz 2014 Top 25

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