Part of my off-season work includes updating and reallocating man cave wall real estate based on the previous season. To do that, I look back at the season results to see who finished where, what was the final top 25, the bottom 10, etc. As I did that work, it occurred to me how successful the expanded FBS tournament was – especially in light of all the hand-wringing that occurred when it was first released. Let’s recap:
Conference Championships matter (sort of):
They certainly did for Clemson and Arizona State, who would not have made the playoff if they had not won their conference championships. And while neither team won their playoff game, they were part of the best game in their respective rounds. Clemson almost came back to upset Texas and then a week later, ASU gave the Longhorns another scare.
Also, do not forget how good some of those conference championship games were. In addition to Clemson’s upset of SMU in the ACC championship, both the Big Ten and SEC games were great. Ironically, the winners, Oregon and Georgia respectively, did not see the additional rest translate into wins once they got into the tournament.
They are who we thought they are (were?):
The better seeds dominated the first round as expected. I am not saying that Indiana, SMU, or Tennessee did not belong, but they performed like a #9 – #12 seed. Still, we almost got a 12 beating a 5 with Clemson’s game against Texas.
In the second round, the parity of the FBS came through. The #5 – #8 seeds all won in the second round, which is really what the tournament is about. It rewards winning on the field instead of winning over a committee in a hotel conference room. True, the games were not as good as one would hope but we did get a 2OT beauty from ASU-Texas. Recall, it was a Sun Devil team that almost anyone from the SEC would have characterized as a non-deserving playoff team from a tier two conference.
The semi-finals and finals, while maybe not instant classics, were certainly entertaining. The Buckeyes title was sweet redemption for Ryan Day after losing to Michigan earlier in the season. Of course, there are still some Buckeye fans who would rather go 1-11 as long as they beat the Wolverines.
Don’t point the finger, point the thumb:
Perhaps the most lasting impact of the playoff will be to limit the weeping and whining of those that did not get in. I have said along if you are ranked nine or higher in the FBS polls, don’t cry if you don’t make the playoff. I can’t feel bad for Alabama. The SEC had a down year and the performance, or lack thereof, of Tennessee and Georgia in the playoffs was exhibit one. The Miami Hurricanes only lost twice and cried foul, not recognizing they were two of their last three games. And, let’s be honest, they were gifted a win against Virginia Tech earlier in the season.
As for Ole Miss – see Alabama. The one SEC team that might have had a case was the red-hot South Carolina Gamecocks, except for the fact that two of their three losses were… oh yeah, Ole Miss and Alabama.
In summary, the NCAA finally got it right with this playoff. There is no need to add more teams to the mix. Let’s just run with this one for the next couple of seasons before we talk about changing what is admittedly a pretty good thing.
There is one thing, however, that does change and that’s my monthly SI wall calendar. I will close with the June edition that has nary a football image in it. It does however have some Miller high life, Duran Duran, and one very thorny Rose.
That’s all I got, enjoy that early summer weather and don’t forget Father’s Day. He would look really good in some Somanystadiums gear.
