The answer, in my humble opinion, is a resounding yes. Here’s why…

First, the season mattered longer to more teams. For many fans like myself (a Penn Sater), the season pretty much ended after we lost to Michigan and/or Ohio State. The Big Ten title game was off the table. The Playoffs were definitely gone as well. With bowl games becoming somewhat meaningless to teams with eligible draft prospects, there were no relevant games after those annual defeats. Some would argue that’s what made the four team playoff great –  that every big matchup was essentially a playoff game.

Sure, I get that, but the NFL doesn’t do massive numbers because every game is do-or-die. The NFL rakes in money because every game MATTERS. Every game still matters in college football. Look at the chaos at the back end of the playoff. There are a handful of teams kicking themselves over one inexplicable loss that ultimately cost them a shot at the playoffs. Nearly every game in the BIG 12 had playoff implications last weekend. When more games matter, the sport wins. Always.

Second, conference imbalance can be corrected by the extended playoff field. You can cry all you want, but the ACC and the BIG 12 do not deserve two playoff berths. You get one participation berth into the playoff. You have to earn the rest. Neither conference did that.

I don’t think the SEC is as good as the hype either, but those guys are forced to see other good teams multiple times a season. I want to see that kind of gauntlet rewarded, regardless of what’s in the loss column. That’s why I think the SEC should get that last playoff berth regardless of what happens to SMU Saturday night. Alabama and Ole Miss are just better than Miami or SMU (should they lose to Clemson). They both have multiple wins over top teams. They both played in the deepest conference. Their strength of schedule is 40-55 spots higher than SMU and 24-38 spots higher than Miami. Is it the fault of Miami and SMU that they didn’t play any of the other top teams within their conference? No, they can’t control their conference schedule, obviously, but then you can’t lose to unranked teams like Miami did. SMU played one (currently) ranked team all season and lost (BYU).

Alabama, on the other hand, has wins over the 5th, 13th and 19th ranked teams in the current rankings. Ole Miss dominated the 5th and 13th ranked teams. You know who else deserves to be in over Miami? Illinois. The Fighting Illini finished with three losses. They lost on the road to Penn State (3) and Oregon (1). Their strength of schedule is 25 spots higher than the Hurricanes. Did I mention Miami would have four losses if the officials didn’t intervene? And no, South Carolina cannot even be considered for that final spot because they lost to Alabama and Ole Miss. I don’t care how well they’re playing now, you can’t jump two teams when you lost to both of them. Let’s stop with that nonsense.

Finally, the expanded playoff leveled the playing field to a certain degree. It didn’t flatten it completely, or even come close to that, but it made a noticeable change. Before the expansion, if you wanted to get into the playoffs as a player, your best bet was Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson or Michigan. You could throw Florida State and Oregon in there, too. Now, the talent is spreading out because there are more roads to the playoffs. Yes, the aforementioned schools will still win the biggest prizes in recruiting, but not at the same rate as before. Add in the transfer portal, and players can now find alternative avenues to postseason glory outside of the blue bloods. It’s better for the sport as a whole. It’s better for fans. It’s better for players.

Is the correct setup perfect? No. Some fixes are needed. For example, you have to reseed the tournament after each round. A bracket favors the number five seed heavily and what’s the point of winning your conference if the fifth seed is the most favorable? Also, get rid of the guaranteed byes. Give the byes to the four most deserving teams. The winners of the Big 12/ACC/Mountain West this season do not deserve a bye over the losers of the SEC or Big Ten title games. An automatic berth is enough protection for each conference. The automatic bye is excessive.

I would also change the scheduling of college football. Allow teams to have control over two games per season. That’s it. Require the conferences to play a heavily promoted one inter-conference game each season like they do in college basketball. The Big Ten-SEC challenge in Week 3 or something along those lines. Just switch it up each year so the conferences are playing each other and we have more common ground to work with when the dust settles in December.

Even without improvement, the current playoff system is better than any before it because it makes the season better for longer and we are all winners when that is the case.

Once again, because I know you’re dying to know, here is my top 12:

1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Texas
4. Notre Dame
5. Ohio State
6. Tennessee
7. Penn State
8. Alabama
9. Ole Miss
10. South Carolina
11. Indiana
12. SMU

*****

Thursday Night Pick; Lions -3