This trophy (pictured above) is awarded to the winner of the four-team college football playoff. The expansion of this tournament has been debated in the national media since the format was instituted in 2013 (Courtesy of creative commons).
The four-team playoff is not perfect, and most fans who follow college football understand that it is flawed, but nobody can agree on a better system. The best way to give more teams a chance to control their own fate is to institute a 16-team playoff.
College football currently runs on a four-team playoff system for postseason play. A committee chooses four teams, which then face each other for a chance at the national championship. The four-team playoff was instituted in 2013 as an improvement on the old system.
Most people who argue in favor of the four-team playoff system believe that if more playoff teams are added, then the regular season would become less exciting. This is, in part, true. Fewer teams in the playoff would mean that regular season games become much more meaningful.
Currently, programs need to win nearly every game to have a shot at a national championship. This means every week teams have to go out and get a victory to keep their season alive. While this adds excitement to the game, it should not be necessary.
College football should not be all about viewership revenue and keeping fans enthralled throughout the entire regular season. It should be just as much about the players and teams. The expectation for an undefeated or one-loss season is lofty; many teams that go undefeated or only lose once do not make the playoff.
The best example of a team that has lost out because of the playoff system is the University of Central Florida. UCF went undefeated last season and they are undefeated this season. Despite their undefeated season last year, the team was not selected for the four-team playoff; this year the team is only ranked number 9 in the nation.
This exclusion can be attributed to the fact that UCF is not a part of one of the four major regional conferences. One member of each conference typically receives a spot in the playoff if they perform well enough, which makes sense because they play the toughest schedules. Yet it seems unjust to leave a team like UCF out simply because there are not have enough spots.
UCF strengthened their argument for playoff recognition last year in the Peach Bowl against Auburn University. Last season Auburn was one of the top teams in the SEC and they were defeated by UCF 34-27 in the Peach Bowl.
College football needs a 16-team playoff to prevent similar misfortunes for exceptional teams. It may make the regular season a little less meaningful, but if it gives these teams and players the best shot possible then it is worth it. The system raises too many questions it doesn’t answer: can the undefeated small school compete with the big conferences? Can the team that stumbled early but came out strong at the end make a run for it all?
The postseason should decide the best team, but the current four-team playoff falls short.