My point is, they need a better system. I have long advocated for an eight game playoff. Conference strength after top five based on computer analysis. Undefeated non-top five conferences at end of season bumped into top eight, priority based on conf strength.
Sure, there is a need for a better system. But UCF and their conference agreed to the current system, which determines the winner.
So, until such time as that changes, the National Champion is determined by the playoff system, and next week’s winner is the NC.
My plan is to take the 5 Major Conference Champs, then add the winner of a “Play-In” to determine the 6th team.
Take the 5 conference Champs and two at-large teams, with the stipulation that at least one of the at-large teams must be from a Non-Power 5 conference if they are ranked in the Top 16. And if a Non-Power 5 school is Ranked ahead of some of the conference champions, then both At-Large teams would be from Non Power-Five schools (provided the best remaining non-Power Five is ranked in the Top 16). This avoids a potential problem when an independent school, like Notre Dame, is highly ranked, and say, UCF goes unbeaten, this would still allow both Notre Dame and UCF to be in.
So how would my system have worked this year?
Here are the teams, ranked by seed:
Conference Champsions
Clemson
OU
Georgia
Ohio State
USC
Best At-Large
Alabama
Best Non-Power Five Team
UCF
But if you seed the eligible teams according to Rankings, then it’s
1. Clemson*
2. OU*
3. Georgia
4. Alabama
5. Ohio State
6. USC+
7. UCF+
* First Round Bye
+ Play-In Teams
Play In Game takes place two weeks before New Years’.
Then the following week you’d have the First Round playoffs:
USC/UCF winner vs Georgia
Alabama vs Ohio State
Then New Years’ day, you’d still have the Semi-Finals, and the National Championship Game a week later, just as you have now.
I think this should work almost every year, and it involves the least number of games to do it. I don’t want too many teams in it. If you don’t win your conference, accept the fact that you might get left out.
16 team playoff, 9 game regular season then at most 2 teams have to play 13 games. It would be awesome.