College Football Playoff: Should Group of 5 Teams Be Excluded?

The Role of Group of 5 Teams in the CFP

• 💡 The performance of Group of 5 teams in the College Football Playoff (CFP) has sparked debate, with some suggesting they should be excluded entirely.
• 🎯 However, excluding them would be a mistake, as upsets and Cinderella teams are a crucial part of college football's appeal.
• 🔑 It's significantly harder for a Cinderella team to make a deep run in the college football playoff compared to March Madness in basketball.

Performance and Blowouts in the CFP

• ⚠️ The idea that only Group of 5 teams get blown out in the CFP is false; power conference teams have also been heavily defeated.
• ❌ Teams like Alabama, TCU, and even Texas A&M (from the SEC) have experienced significant losses, demonstrating that blowouts are common regardless of conference affiliation.
• 📣 Don't penalize Group of 5 schools for their conference affiliation or for being blown out; blame the conference (like the ACC) for how the season played out.

Playoff Expansion and Cinderella Bids

• 🚀 A single Cinderella team deserves a playoff bid every year, especially with an expanded playoff field (12 or 16 teams).
• ✨ When a Group of 5 team pulls off an upset, it's great for college football and sports in general.
• 🏟️ Stage fright is real in college football, affecting all teams, not just those from Group of 5 conferences.

Ideal CFP Field Size

• 📈 While the current debate is about who gets in, the playoff field size is a significant factor.
• 📊 Expanding the playoff to 16 teams would be more mathematically logical, similar to the NCAA basketball tournament.
• 🏆 Concerns about losing the essence of college football with expansion have not materialized with previous increases in field size (2 to 4, 4 to 12).
• 🏠 A 16-team playoff with higher seeds hosting games at their home stadiums is proposed as an ideal scenario.