USC loss means College Football Playoff field is set

There should be no debate about the four participants in the College Football Playoff now after USC flamed out in a loss to Utah. 

I know that college football fans care about conference championships and they should. The games are going to matter for those teams trying to win the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12, and many others on Saturday.

But in terms of the College Football Playoff, outside of seeding, Saturday’s conference championship games don’t mean a thing (except for the Heisman).

The most important game was on Friday and when Utah knocked off USC, it cemented the College Football Playoff’s four-team field.

The College Football Playoff field should be set

I know that the committee could reconsider Alabama and maybe a TCU loss would get the Crimson Tide some consideration, but that would be a travesty if 10-2 Alabama made it over 12-1 TCU, because the Horned Frogs lost on a weekend Alabama wasn’t good enough to qualify for.

I get Alabama had two close losses. The Crimson Tide also didn’t beat a team with more than eight wins all season long. At some point, the eye test can only take you so far.

Do I think Alabama could beat Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, or TCU? Yes, I do. But you have to do something to earn your way into the playoff and regardless of what happens on Saturday, the field should be set.

I guess a blowout loss by TCU at the hands of Kansas State could change the perception, but I don’t see that happening. And truth be told, if the resumes were blind, TCU’s is better than Ohio State’s or Alabama’s even at 12-1.

However, we have learned there is nothing fair about college football and the playoff committee, well it needs to go the way of the four-team playoff, which is extinct.

These guys seem clueless at times and like they pay attention to their own narratives more than their own games. They spent much of the year talking about Michigan’s strength of schedule but did they bother to see who Alabama beat?

The Wolverines beat three teams with eight wins, as well as two teams ranked in the top 8 by an average of 23 points. That’s the sort of thing Alabama used to do.

This year it didn’t and after USC failed to clinch its spot on Saturday, the final four of college football should be set.

Should being the appropriate word because, with the College Football Playoff committee, you can expect the unexpected, as well as the nonsensical.