For those of you longing for a return to the BCS, or even the major polls deciding who the college football national champion is, we've got bad news. The College Football Playoff isn't going anywhere. In fact, it may get even bigger.
But there is something about the CFP that can be upgraded to make this whole process a little less painful, and that's a better committee to make these ranking decisions.
Since its inception, the committee has been filled with various suits, from athletic directors to retired school presidents and even a former Secretary of State. While all of these people are certainly tops in their chosen professions, it does not in any way make them experts on the sport of college football.
If we're going to have a committee of people look at game film, mull over stats, and decide which schedules are really more difficult (not to mention weigh the actual value of a head-to-head regular season matchup) then this group needs to be people who are well-steeped in college football knowledge and who've made the sport their life's work.
Most likely, this group will include many former players and coaches, and perhaps even some media members who have shown impeccable honesty and expertise over the years. Will there by biases inherent in such a group? Probably, but those biases will be present in any group that's assembled. It's hard to find people who don't have an opinion or favorites.
Does such a group of people exist? Most certainly, and here -- for your amusement and approval -- are what could be considered the ultimate College Football Playoff Committee. Three groups, four members and two alternates in each group, with the alternates entering discussions when one member must recuse themselves or decides to leave.
This is the perfect College Football Playoff Committee Membership
Group One: Former coaches
Four former head coaches who would do a fantastic job at deciphering what's seen on the field each week, and who have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to win in certain games.
- Nick Saban
- Chris Petersen
- Bob Stoops
- Kevin Sumlin
- Urban Meyer (First Alternate)
- Rick Neuheisel (Second Alternate)
Group Two: Former players
While finding players who would set school loyalties aside, there are some who have already demonstrated the ability to do that in their current roles. Players from different eras will bring a sense of balance to this group.
- Kirk Herbstreit
- David Pollack
- Alex Smith
- Marcus Allen
- Bobby Engram (First Alternate)
- Todd Blackledge (Second Alternate)
Group Three: Media who aren't former players
Adding a group of astute media members who didn't necessarily play the game, but who have dedicated a large portion of their career to studying the game, will keep the former players and coaches in check.
- Maria Taylor
- Brad Nessler
- Chris Fallica
- Sean McDonough
- Joe Tessitore (First Alternate)
- Samantha Ponder (Second Alternate)
Chairperson
We want to be sure the 12 members of the committee are all on the same page and that there is a voice for the group, so the chairperson will be our only former administrator (as well as coach) on the team.
- Jim Tressel
- Candice Storey Lee (Alternate)
With a group this deeply saturated in college football knowledge would, at the very least, keep things interesting and would give fans a lot to talk about. It would hopefully alleviate the constant discussion of "non-football people" deciding a football championship.