By Ryan Burnett, Staff Writer
With the end of the college football season, there is one goal left, win the national championship. To get there, the team has to be one of the four best teams in the nation.
Winning the championship is easier said than done. After winning their first twelve games, teams then have to win their conference, including the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, the Big XII, and for the last time the PAC 12, also known as “The Power Five.” These are the largest conferences in the country.
After all that, it is up to the College Football Playoff Committee to decide who will make it into the “final four” based on statistics such as their record, key losses, and strength of schedule.
On Saturday, Dec. 2 we saw teams like #1 ranked Georgia fall to #8 ranked Alabama 24-27. For the previous top four (Georgia, Michigan, Washington, and Florida State), it was critical that all win their conferences. Since this did not happen this created a one day nightmare for fans, waiting to see if their team made it. Senior Alex Masih stated “I want Washington to win because they are the underdogs.” Senior Nick Moss says “I want ethier Texas or Washington to win, but it’s probably going to be Michigan.”
In the end, Florida State was snubbed, being excluded from the top four after winning their conference and being undefeated in the regular season, prompting rage from Florida state fans and players. On the other hand, #8 Alabama skyrocketed to number four after their shocking win over Georgia.For Florida state fans, this issue is so rage-inducing that Florida governor Ron Desantis, is setting aside 1 million dollars to let FSU sue the College Football Playoff Committee. Moss discussed, “they don’t deserve to make it into the top four, they would not have lasted and the only thing they had going for them was their QB.”
Many people and organizations have criticized The overall format of the playoff.. Many allege that the format is unfair to the teams who barely missed the top four such as Ohio State. In response to these criticisms next year the NCAA will change the playoff to a 12 team bracket. This gives teams a more equal chance of winning the national championship.
Until then fans will also have to wait and see how the division of the PAC 12 will shake up the rest of the conferences. For example instead of Iowa playing Michigan in the Big Ten championship, teams like Oregon or Washington, which are better, would play Michigan instead. Nick indicated that might not be great, as, “It is a shame we are now down to the power four conferences and this gets rid of the geographical rivalries.”
The stage is set, and fans will have to wait until January 18th to see who will take home the win in the national championship.