albanyherald
The college football playoffs are set to expand from 12 to 24 teams next season, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from several high-profile figures in the sport. The change, unanimously supported by the CFP Management Committee—comprising the 10 FBS conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletic director—has been labeled by some as one of the worst moves in college football history, and this time the NCAA is not to blame.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz views the expansion as a slap in the face to tradition. Analyst and podcaster Josh Pates calls it a terrible decision made by unqualified people. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who knows a thing or two about college football, doubts there are two dozen teams in the country that truly deserve a playoff spot or are capable of winning a national championship. The expansion will also mark the end of conference championship games, eliminating another tradition.
Doubling the field from 12 to 24 teams will not make the playoffs twice as exciting; rather, it will drag on far too long and likely make them less exciting.
Week 11 Action
In a Friday game, the only impressive number in #4 UCLA's 22-14 win over Illinois was the perfect 10—the number of Bruin wins without a loss. Only Michigan and #18 USC stand in the way of a perfect regular season for UCLA head coach Bob Chesney in his first year.
Since #2 Miami and #20 Ohio State have been without key offensive players—receiver Malachi Toney and quarterback Julian Sayin, respectively—both teams have appeared more vulnerable. Fortunately, they still have their Heisman frontrunners picking up the slack. Miami defeated Duke 36-25 behind another outstanding performance from quarterback Darian Mensah (30/41, 382 yards, 1 TD), while Ohio State dispatched Northwestern 28-19 with an equally impressive showing from receiver Jeremiah Smith (11 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD).
While Ohio State's chances of playing for the Big Ten championship are slim, Miami appears headed for a rematch with #13 Wake Forest for the ACC championship. The Demon Deacons had no trouble against #23 SMU in a 49-7 win. Other than the 20 points they scored in a 13-point loss to Miami earlier in the season, Wake Forest has averaged more than 46 points in its other nine games. By comparison, Miami averages 44 points per game. Defensively, Miami allows almost three touchdowns per game, while Wake allows an average of two.
#3 Alabama struggled early against Vanderbilt, remaining scoreless until reaching the end zone just before halftime. The Crimson Tide pulled away after intermission for a 21-6 win. With this game in mind, how can Tennessee possibly be ranked 8th—five spots below Alabama—when both have identical 8-2 records and the Vols beat the Crimson Tide 26-10 in head-to-head competition? (Answer: polls are stupid.) Regardless, the Vols had little resistance from Texas A&M and the Aggies' 12th Man fan base in a 22-7 win. The A&M offense was anemic at best: 8 first downs and 179 yards on just 44 plays, while Tennessee ran 74.
#1 Georgia and #5 Notre Dame had no trouble with their respective opponents, #22 Missouri and Boston College, in games decided before all the fans were seated. Georgia 48, Missouri 21. Notre Dame 41, Boston College 7.
How many times can a team shoot itself in the foot? That's a question for Lincoln Riley, coach of #18 USC. Missed field goals from close range. Interceptions in the red zone. And had it not been for a fortunate touchdown by the Trojans right before halftime—courtesy of an interception thrown by #9 Indiana when the Hoosiers were within field goal range—the final score could have been much worse. Indiana 27, USC 13.
In just his third season at the helm, Hoosier coach Curt Cignetti's record stands at 36-3, a winning percentage of 92%. By comparison, Kirby Smart stands at 85% with a record of 126-22 in his 11th season with Georgia. Cignetti's three losses have come against Ohio State and Notre Dame in 2024 (the latter in the CFP) and Ohio State this year. Don't be surprised if Cignetti wins his second national championship this season—or if Smart wins his third.
The Florida Gators, despite a roller-coaster season, continue to play spoiler, crushing the dreams of teams in contention for a playoff spot. Earlier this season they beat Ole Miss and Texas. This time the victim was #11 Kentucky, which fell 21-14.
Speaking of playoff hopes, #17 South Carolina hoped to improve its chances against Arkansas, a team with just 15 wins and 41 losses in conference games over the last seven seasons. Better luck next time, Gamecocks. Final score: Arkansas 34, South Carolina 6.
And while on the subject of playoff elimination, add #21 LSU to the list after losing its fourth game of the season, this one at home to #6 Texas 22-21 on a last-second touchdown toss by Arch Manning, who had earlier thrown three interceptions.
Three other Top Ten teams saw action, but no commentary is needed on their performances—and this is simply passing on what Nick Saban won't say out loud—because none of them have a snowball's chance of winning the national championship: #2 Utah 40, #23 Arizona 39 (Utah joins UCLA at 10-0); #10 BYU 28, Baylor 7; #12 Texas Tech 52, #25 Oklahoma State 27.
So the leaders of the four Power Conferences with two weeks left in the season are Miami (7-0 in conference games) in the ACC, Utah (7-0) in the Big 12, UCLA (7-0) in the Big Ten, and Georgia (7-1) in the SEC. This may or may not be relevant a year from now when the playoffs expand to 24 teams—and conference championship games are just a memory.
It's worth pointing out that with the latter, Notre Dame will have gone 140 years without ever winning a conference championship, a streak 26 years longer than that of the Iowa State Cyclones, who last won theirs in 1912.
By the way, Jeff, Georgia Tech 20, Clemson 6. Not only did the Yellow Jackets win the game, they also turned up the temperature on Dabo Swinney's already very hot seat.
Originally reported by albanyherald.