It didn’t have to be this way.
Upon Notre Dame finding out that it wasn’t selected for the 12-team College Football Playoff, Marcus Freeman’s squad announced that it was withdrawing from bowl consideration and opting out of the postseason altogether.
The Fighting Irish’s disappointment in finding out they weren’t one of the selection committee’s at-large picks led to them doing the equivalent of picking up their balls and going home. Because Notre Dame is like a millionaire who elects to mow their own lawn, athletic director Pete Bevecqua can allow the Fighting Irish to make a larger point by choosing not to play football at all in December.
On Monday, Bevecqua shared that the school’s relationship with the ACC, with whom Notre Dame has a scheduling arrangement in football and participates as a conference member in other athletics, is now frosty at best.
“I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say that they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame,” he said. “We didn’t appreciate the fact that we were singled out repeatedly and compared to Miami — not by Miami, Miami has every right to do that — but it raised a lot of eyebrows here that the conference was taking shots at us. And you know that’s just not something we chose to do. We wouldn’t choose to do that in the future, and people might disagree with us, but that’s just not something that we’d be comfortable with.”
Like BYU, Vanderbilt and Utah — to name three other 10-win teams — Notre Dame has a point. Rather than needing to be compared to a rival in head-to-head competition at the sharp end of the bracket, the Fighting Irish could’ve just been one of those teams selected with an at-large berth and given the chance to host a home CFP game for the second time in as many years.
Instead, damage has been done. Notre Dame is angry. The ACC didn’t even get its conference champion in — though it would’ve in this 24-team format — and, in the eyes of many, the selection committee continues to fumble when it comes to picking the best seven at-large teams for participation in the bracket to determine the national champion.
That’s because the 12-team model is outdated, and it’s time to extend the bracket so every team that should be in the national title tournament gets a shot to play for it.
In August, the Big Ten and others began “populating” the idea of an expanded College Football Playoff of 24 or 28 teams. The 24-team model, which seems to have the most support in private circles, would include:
- Four automatic qualifiers from each of the Power 4 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC)
- Two automatic qualifiers from the Group of 6 (American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Pac-12)
- Six at-large selections to be made by the CFP selection committee — the only selections the committee gets to make
Which begs the query: How would the 24-team CFP look if the match started right now?
In my evaluation of a 24-team format, 26 Energy 4 applications — together with eight from the SEC, six from the Large 12, six from the Large Ten, and 6 from the ACC — would nonetheless have a path to the postseason. And that’s earlier than factoring in Notre Dame or the Group of 6 contenders.
Heading into convention championship week, groups which have confirmed themselves in convention play would nonetheless have simply as a lot alternative to win all of it as No. 1 Indiana. That’s an enormous win for the game. It creates a extra democratic system for figuring out the perfect workforce, with much less debate and extra certainty.
The scoreboard has extra company.
And followers have the perfect likelihood within the sport’s historical past to see their workforce play for — and win — a nationwide title.
This is the way it works:
This 24-team format options 18 computerized qualifiers
I’ve set it as much as appear to be what you’ll learn beneath and stand in to characterize the CFP choice committee.
The highest 4 groups from every of the Energy 4 conferences, based mostly on convention standings, routinely qualify for the CFP. The 2 highest-ranked Group of 6 groups — not essentially convention champions — additionally obtain computerized bids. The remaining six at-large spots are crammed on the choice committee’s discretion.
Groups are seeded by the choice committee
Because the personification of the choice committee, I’m inspired to have in mind head-to-head matchups, power of file, teaching, personnel and high quality of out-of-conference play when seeding groups.
Successful a convention championship is a robust indicator for a top-seeded workforce.
Successful a convention title doesn’t routinely qualify a workforce for a better seed than a non-conference champion.
The 24-team CFP’s biggest power is the addition of two rounds of residence video games
My high 25, which you’ll be able to learn right here, is the idea on which these seedings are assigned.
The primary two rounds of a 24-team CFP would function two rounds of residence video games. The 4 groups that advance by the opening rounds will play their subsequent sport at a New 12 months’s Six Bowl in a impartial web site semifinal.
Groups seeded No. 1 to No. 8 get a bye and a house sport. Groups seeded No. 9 to No. 16 every open the match with a house sport. Groups seeded No. 17 to No. 24 every should play on the highway twice to advance to the impartial web site quarterfinals.
I must summarize this, as a result of it’s the perfect side of the 24-team CFP: 16 completely different campuses host residence playoff video games.
With that, here’s a have a look at the newest 24-team CFP bracket:
ON THE ROAD
24. Pittsburgh (8-4), ACC, Beforehand Ranked: 22
Pitt advantages from the factors that permits entry to the highest 4 groups in every Energy 4 convention into the CFP in accordance with league standings, although the Panthers aren’t among the many nation’s high 25 groups.
23. Duke (8-5), ACC, Beforehand Ranked: 24
It is a disgrace the ACC champion did not get invited to the CFP as a result of it had 5 regular-season losses, although Duke certified for the ACC title sport by having the league’s greatest profitable share in opposition to convention opponents.
22. Arizona (9-3), Large 12, Beforehand Ranked: NR
Arizona is one other workforce that advantages from the highest 4 groups in every Energy 4 convention stepping into the CFP.
21. Navy (9-2), Group of 6, At-Giant, Beforehand Ranked: 20
The Midshipmen have delivered among the finest tales of the previous two seasons. Regardless of matching North Texas and Tulane in convention wins (seven), Navy missed out on the American title sport after dropping the tiebreaker to UNT. In a 24-team mannequin, Navy probably would have change into the primary service academy invited to the CFP.
20. Michigan (9-3), Large Ten, At-Giant, Beforehand Ranked: 18
The Wolverines’ spectacular nine-win season with a real freshman quarterback ends with out a berth within the CFP in a 12-team format, however the choice committee might use certainly one of its at-large picks to grant them entry into the 24-team format, particularly as Michigan completed tied with USC within the league standings.
19. Virginia (10-3), ACC, Beforehand Ranked: 17
Virginia needed to defeat Duke to realize entry into the CFP and could not get it executed in additional time. This implies the ACC’s regular-season champion is watching different groups play for the correct to compete for a nationwide title.
18. James Madison (12-1), Group of 6, Beforehand Ranked: NR
JMU boxed out not simply the ACC champion however Notre Dame and BYU as nicely — solely as a result of the choice committee ranked them in its high 25. As one of many 5 highest-ranked champions, they took the twelfth and closing spot within the CFP.
17. USC (9-3), Large Ten, Beforehand Ranked: 16
USC has by no means made the CFP, and a Lincoln Riley workforce has by no means crushed a top-10 opponent at USC. On this mannequin, they’d break into the CFP and, with a win, would have the possibility to earn Riley’s first victory in opposition to a top-10 workforce.
16. Alabama (10-3), SEC, At-Giant, Beforehand Ranked: 13
It’s laborious to think about a three-loss workforce making the 12-team CFP, particularly one which misplaced to a 5–7 Florida State workforce.
FIRST-ROUND HOME GAME
15. Tulane (11-2), Group of 6, Beforehand Ranked: 21
Tulane managed to wrench a CFP spot away from Notre Dame and/or BYU by being one of many sport’s highest-ranked convention champions. The Inexperienced Wave will make their first journey to the CFP earlier than model names like USC, Wisconsin or Florida make theirs — an indication of the instances.
14. Utah (10-2), Large 12, Beforehand Ranked: 15
Amongst 10-win Energy 4 groups, no program has obtained much less consideration than Utah. Even with QB Devon Dampier throwing for greater than 2,100 yards and speeding for almost 700, the Utes will not sniff the CFP in its 12-team format.
13. Texas (9-3), SEC, At-Giant, Beforehand Ranked: 9
With a 3-2 file in opposition to top-10 groups and an embarrassing loss to 3-9 Florida, not even a win in opposition to beforehand undefeated Texas A&M might get the Longhorns into the 12-team CFP.
12. BYU (11-2), Large 12, Beforehand Ranked: 10
Like Notre Dame, BYU has each proper to be disgusted with being handed over by the choice committee. The Cougars’ 11-1 season featured two losses, together with one to the No. 4 workforce within the nation (Texas Tech).
11. Vanderbilt (10-2), SEC, At-Giant, Beforehand Ranked: 14
Vanderbilt, like Miami, is one other 10-win workforce that deserves a shot on the nationwide title. Wins over ranked Missouri and Tennessee, mixed with QB Diego Pavia’s outstanding season — greater than 3,100 passing yards, 800 speeding yards, and 36 whole touchdowns — warrant no less than yet one more alternative to see simply how good the Dores are.
10. Notre Dame (10-2), Impartial, At-Giant, Beforehand Ranked: 12
Notre Dame sometimes advantages tremendously from being unbiased underneath most CFP codecs, with no convention schedule to navigate and a versatile association — for now — with the ACC. Notre Dame began the season 0-2 earlier than ending the common season on a 10-game profitable streak full of dominant victories to shut out the yr robust.
9. Miami (Fla.) (10-2), ACC, Beforehand Ranked 11
Miami is strictly the form of workforce followers need to see within the CFP — and this workforce has one thing to show. The Hurricanes began their season robust earlier than hitting a pace bump mid-season. Losses to Louisville and SMU put their CFP hopes unsure, till the committee modified its thoughts on the final minute and determined to place the Canes in over ND.
FIRST-ROUND BYE, SECOND-ROUND HOME GAME
8. Oklahoma (10-2), SEC, Beforehand Ranked: 7
OU is certainly one of two groups in FBS to have 5 wins in opposition to ranked opponents (Georgia) and is tied with Texas A&M for probably the most sacks in FBS (41.0).
7. Texas A&M (11-1), SEC, Beforehand Ranked: 6
Since Week 8, Texas A&M ranks within the high 10 amongst Energy 4 groups in scoring (38.0 PPG), large performs (61), sacks (20.0) and level differential (+87).
6. Ole Miss (11-1), SEC, Beforehand Ranked: 5
Ole Miss ranks fifth in FBS and third amongst Energy 4 groups in whole offense with 5,977 yards. The Rebels have scored 30-plus factors in six consecutive video games.
5. Oregon (11-1), Large Ten, Beforehand Ranked: 4
Oregon is certainly one of three Energy 4 groups to common greater than 38.0 PPG and maintain opponents to lower than 15.0 PPG (Indiana, Texas Tech). The Geese have additionally received 12 consecutive highway video games, the longest energetic streak in FBS, and is 17-1 in Large Ten play since becoming a member of the convention final season.
4. Texas Tech (12-1), Large 12, Beforehand Ranked: 8
Texas Tech is second in FBS and first amongst Energy 4 groups in large performs (rushes of 10-plus yards and receptions of 20-plus yards) at 141 and likewise leads the nation in level differential at +410.
3. Georgia (12-1), SEC, Beforehand Ranked: 3
Georgia is certainly one of three groups to have two wins in opposition to groups which are at present ranked within the high 10 of the CFP rankings, having crushed Ole Miss and Alabama; the others are Texas Tech and Indiana.
2. Ohio State (12-1), Large Ten, Beforehand Ranked: 1
Ohio State is the one workforce in FBS holding opponents to lower than 10.0 factors per sport at 8.2 and is on tempo to change into simply the third workforce previously 35 years to carry opponents to lower than 9.0 PPG in a single season.
1. Indiana (13-0), Large Ten, Beforehand Ranked: 2
Indiana now has 13 consecutive wins, which is the longest energetic win streak in FBS, and is the one undefeated FBS workforce within the nation.
Above is how the CFP would look if it ended right now, however there will probably be adjustments and groups not included within the bracket nonetheless have an opportunity to earn entry into the match.
Groups on the bubble have taken on losses, however not sufficient for them to not crawl into the highest quarter of their convention, and, with 10 and even 9 wins within the common season, might discover themselves in an computerized qualifier spot.
Each sport issues. Rivalry video games matter extra.
RJ Younger is a nationwide faculty soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports activities. Observe him @RJ_Young.
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