True — but the moment college football devolved into the poll and bowl system for picking “mythical national champion,” the homefield edge was a constant corruption.
I’n ok with one team or the other hosting the game — since college football should be played on college campuses — as long as the homefield advantage is random. Flip a coin.
Over time, the northern teams would get their share. Football is supposed to be an outdoor sport. Weather is part of the game. Man up and deal with it.
Neutral sites are not a solution unless they are also regionally distributed. Southern and west coast teams should not get to play every year in their region, often on their own field, in front of mostly their fans and in their weather.
I would be perfectly ok with Ohio State having to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl next week if that was the result of a coin flip. I’m not ok with the NCAA deciding that the northern teams always have to travel. The SEC and Southern California teams should have to play their fair share of championship games in January in a blizzard in Ann Arbor, South Bend, etc.
They need to open two slots up during the regular season to have teams in the upper tier play each other, that way every team will be tested against top teams before the playoff selections are made.