There is a general belief that any competition not decided by a scoreboard or a timing device will result in a debate. That’s not entirely true. You might just have to wander back about 2,700 years to find an example that proves otherwise.
Boxing matches in the Ancient Olympics didn’t use judges from Nevada or New Jersey. It would be centuries before the phrase, “We wuz robbed,” was screamed ringside. Bouts ended when one boxer was knocked out or he surrendered, which would only occur after he received a horrific maiming.
I don’t recommend this decision-making process for the inaugural College Football Playoff next season — although it would be funny to see Nick Saban and Gus Malzahn go at it in a boxing ring with a playoff berth on the line, so long as, you know, Saban didn’t start NCAA pushing for legislation to slow down Malzahn’s offense.
Here’s what I think about the new college playoff: It will be great. I used to be against a playoff. I liked the old ranking systems which gave us better bowl games, but abhorred the BCS. But the current landscape makes it too difficult to decipher the obviously best team(s) for an old rankings system and a relative two-team playoff (BCS).
Here’s what I think about the system that will decide what four teams participate: There will be arguments. Criteria is going to be questioned. Voters are going to be second-guessed. Every legitimate contender that believes it has an argument — I’m guessing most in the top 15 — will scream about being left out of the four-team playoff.
So what. The same type of yelling starts in that other sport on Selection Sunday.
There would be arguments if the football playoff field was 24 and not four. There would be charges of favoritism of the selection committee numbered 50 and not 13. There will be endless debate about a certain conference being underrated or overrated.
That’s OK. If everybody agrees on three playoff teams, and there are 12 candidates for the fourth, that tells you it’s a no-win situation. But that doesn’t make it wrong or even flawed. Debate is good for sports, and this playoff will be good for college football.
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