Conference Championships Should Be the Entry Ticket

Alabama should not be in the college playoffs.

This is not a personal judgment against Alabama.  They just didn't win the SEC championship.  The privilege of the playoffs should be reserved for those colleges that win their conference championships.  It's a much, simpler and direct system than pure poll judgments.

This would work best in an eight-team playoff system, with six major conferences sending their champions, and two wild cards selected by a BCS point-style system.

I don't care who wins the championship or what their overall won/loss record is.  Win a championship - you go.  Let's say there's a year where Alabama wins the SEC West with a 12 - 0 record, and Florida wins the SEC East with an 8 - 4 record.  In the championship, Florida wins the game against Alabama.  Then Florida qualifies for the playoffs, and Alabama doesn't (unless as a wild card).  Too bad for Alabama, so sad.  Conference championships should mean something.  Thy should be more important than won/loss records and poll standings.

Unfortunately, we don't have an eight-team playoff (not yet).  We only have four slots - which it makes it even more imperative that one conference doesn't bogart multiple slots.

Here, showing major conference champions, is how it should have worked -


Conference                                      Team                               Poll Ranking

PAC 12                                             USC                                         8

SEC                                                   Georgia                                   3

AAC                                                  UCF                                      12

Big 12                                                Oklahoma                              2

Mountain West                                   Boise State                          25

ACC                                                    Clemson                               1

Big Ten                                                Ohio State                            5

Independent                                         Notre Dame                       14


So, the number one seed should be the highest ranked conference champion - #1 Clemson.

The number two seed should be the second highest ranked conference champion - #2 Oklahoma.

The number three seed should be the third highest ranked conference champion - #3 Georgia.

The number four seed should be the fourth highest ranked conference champion - #5 Ohio State.

Independents might be factored in, but I really think they should be more considered for a wild card slot in an eight-team playoff.

Who's the number four poll ranked team?  Doesn't matter.  They didn't win their conference.

OK, it's Alabama.  Just for the record.  But they didn't win their conference.  Too bad, so sad.

As a devout University of Michigan fan, you know how much I despise Ohio State.  But they won the Big Ten Championship.  Reluctantly, I believe they should be in the playoffs, and not Alabama.  Someday, that might be Michigan sidelined by a conference non-champion.

It's not personal against Alabama.  It's just how the conference championships worked this year.

Now, if Alabama votes in Roy Moore as United States Senator, that's personal.  And I will hold it against that state.

Big Time.