About 12 million people watched Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama thriller, a reminder that college football continues to grow its already extreme popularity. And, no, the addition of a 12-team playoff wasn’t going to ruin the regular season.
Or even turn a Dawgs-Tide game into Jacksonville at Carolina.
In fact, the stakes for this game were no different than for a four-team playoff, or even the old BCS. Neither team was going to be eliminated from the national championship chase due to a September loss — back in 2011, LSU beat Alabama in a November game only to see the Crimson Tide again, and lose this time, in the BCS title game. That was the era of a two-team “playoff.”
Still, the season is different. And it will be different. Not every single result matters, but more results will matter more. One month in and you can already see some of it and anticipate how the year will play out with the new expansive playoff.
Here’s what we like so far …
There is still a tightrope to walk
There was a lot of chatter after Alabama’s 41-34 victory that both teams will be in the playoff anyway, but in reality, are we sure? To believe that is to ignore all sorts of possibilities that can befall a team, including injuries. The future is never fully predicted.
As for Georgia, it’s truly uncertain. The Bulldogs still have eight games to play, including at No. 1 Texas, at Ole Miss and against Tennessee at home. This is a Georgia team that nearly lost to Kentucky. Losing all three of those games is not out of the question, leaving them 8-4 and likely out. Drop two and it gets dicey, although an opening-game blowout of Clemson should help considerably.
The point is, each game still matters a great deal. Even for the team that won two of the past three national titles and entered the season ranked No. 1 overall.
That said, you ain’t dead yet
On Sept. 21, with a little over two minutes remaining in the second quarter, Kansas State led BYU 6-0. Just 6:45 of game time later, the Wildcats trailed 31-6. It was a BYU avalanche of points spurred by turnovers and a wild punt return. It gave Kansas State, one of the preseason favorites in the Big 12, a loss.
Should that calamitous stretch ruin the entire season? Well, it doesn’t any longer. Kansas State can still win the Big 12 and its automatic bid, or it can fight for an at-large spot. Maybe some people would prefer the days when a team is doomed by a short-term slip-up, but the idea that a season can continue on feels like a positive. The excitement remains in Manhattan.
Conference races
Speaking of the Big 12, it’s the most evenly matched league in the country, with just two unbeaten teams remaining — BYU and Iowa State. The chances that either team can survive the gauntlet of league play without a loss is low. So what? They don’t need to be perfect.
Big 12 teams can engage in a wild roller coaster of a chase for the championship and still know whomever wins it is going to get a playoff berth. Fans everywhere can enjoy it. Utah, Colorado, K-State, heck even Texas Tech and West Virginia could make a run. Who knows? That’s the good part.
The conference won’t be written off as irrelevant just because there are losses. There is still plenty to play for there.
Group of Five race
In a similar vein, the chance to reach the playoff doesn’t require perfection or get ruined by the slightest of trip-ups.
Consider Boise State, which is a very good football team led by Ashton Jeanty, the best running back in college football. The Broncos are 3-1, the loss coming at Oregon on Sept. 7, mainly because the Ducks ripped off an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown followed by what was essentially a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Should that end their national relevance?
Now Boise State could still go 11-1 and become a very dangerous playoff opponent. To do so, they need to win out, win the Mountain West and still beat out the teams from four other leagues — all of whom are worth watching as well now. It means there are more games in more places that matter; a positive new wrinkle to the season.
Cinderella dream seasons
In case you hadn’t noticed, Indiana is 5-0 for the first time since 1967. New coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers playing great and there is a real possibility they could reach a November game against Michigan at 9-0 or Ohio State at 10-0.
In the past, they’d have to defeat both the Buckeyes and Wolverines for a chance just to win the Big Ten East. Now, maybe they only have to beat one of them to get into the playoff. That would be an epic season for such a program, helping build fan support and recruiting momentum.
Not everyone can realistically win the national championship. It doesn’t mean a big season, especially one where everything comes together nicely, should just be brushed aside because you can’t topple the neighborhood superpower. Indiana has a real chance at a big-time season, not merely relegated to a no-longer-valued bowl game.
Don’t sweat the records
Due to conference realignment, many schedules are tougher than ever. College football has always been about the juggernaut team somewhere just plowing through all competition en route to being crowned (voted on even) the champ.
The likelihood of an unbeaten season is going to decrease. Look, for example, at that Georgia schedule. There’s a good chance the Bulldogs will play five teams ranked in the top 15 at the end of the season. Perfection shouldn’t be required when dealing with that.
Alabama, meanwhile, still has to go to Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma, not to mention host Missouri. If it survives that, there would be a likely top-five opponent (perhaps Texas) waiting in the SEC championship game.
Will there be some two- and three-loss teams in the playoffs? Absolutely, and that’s OK. It’s a different era of the sport. Just sit back and enjoy the games.
Incentivizing the regular season
Under the BCS and the four-team playoff there was no real advantage to being the No. 1 overall team in the country. There were no byes and all games were played at neutral sites. Now there is.
The top four conference champions get to skip the first round. The teams ranked 5-8 get to host a playoff, a potentially huge advantage both on the field and in exposure for your school that can help in recruiting. The better you do, the better the system takes care of you.
This would be even better if the quarterfinals — and even semifinals — used campus sites (the way the NFL does), but for the time being, the bowl industry still has its paws on the playoff.
One day though the regular season will mean even more.
