Four-team playoff…the new system of complaint

Now that major college football has a playoff, many fans and media personalities seem to be breathing a sigh of relief, and uttering the words “finally” as they exhale.

Finally, what? What has changed?

The happiness that seems to be shared by “most” is certainly not shared by “all” when it comes to the new college football four-team playoff, that will officially begin in 2014.

When all the “bells and whistles” have been removed, one extra game has been added, and a faction of people will be upset. Sort of like the same people who spin into a “tizzy” under the current system.

Instead of the No. 3 team in the country, shadow boxing in the dark while uttering profanity, we’ll now have the No. 5 team in the country, doing much of the same.

Sounds like a big change, eh?

As the calendar turns, and the 2014 college football season finally arrives, what fans and media personalities will discover is that a four-team playoff system, selected by a committee, is just that…a system! And like any other system, it will lend itself to constant complaint.

We’ll have a “criticized” system in major college football? So, how is this NOT like the BCS, again?

SEC Backlash

Unless the new format was created with the goal of manipulation via committee bias, the derailment of the SEC will not take place.

How a team plays the game of college football still has not changed. The goal has always been to win, and the SEC wins more than any conference in the nation.

The SEC team(s) that qualify for the playoff will consistently be “juggernaut-esque” and possess elite talent from top to bottom. These will be core essentials that will most likely not be matched by any opposition. Possible “lack of focus” will be the question, but not a matter of which team has more depth or talent.

Advantage…SEC.

When you reside in a league where every conference game has the importance and “feel” of a bowl game, being forced to play an “extra game” in order to play for the national title…is undemanding.

To the “other teams” in the four-team playoff, the idea of being one victory away from the national title is monumental. To an SEC team, the same scenario is simply another “SEC atmosphere” game, although probably against lesser competition in respect to athleticism and overall physicality.

One can easily make the conclusion that whoever is declared the No. 4 team in the playoff format, would “probably” be the third best team in the SEC.

With all intangibles, garnering proper consideration, don’t be shocked if the SEC captures six or seven national titles during the 12-year playoff agreement plan.

Still Thrilled…

Are the “happy folks” still happy?

-12-year “marriage” to a new format that will be saturated with complaint (team left out) and additional modifications.

-In an effort to change the “dynamic” of major college football, the format actually makes it “easier” for an SEC team to capture the national title, unless manipulated (see below)…

-Playoff chosen by a “selection committee” actually lends itself to more prejudice and partiality than the BCS ever encountered.

-If manipulated in a “dirty” fashion, the national champion may actually not even be a “great” football team, but rather a “good team” who caught a break by meeting some sort of “criteria” that proved little about the actual strength of the team against elite competition. Example: The four team playoff could very well be comprised of a “motley crew” of bias and manipulation.

-The new system has the “ability” to serve the media (“fly in the ointment” jackwagons) and the desire to place an “underdog” in the mix, rather than a more deserving team, with a credible winning history. Example: Placing Boise State in the playoff over an 11-win major conference “powerhouse” simply because BSU met the “conference title” criteria.

Who knew the BCS could look so good?