NCAA: Did the College Football Playoff get it right?

Thankfully because of the college football playoff we can finally determine a true winner and here’s why the college football playoff system got it right. 

I remember being a 16-year-old and watching All-American quarterback Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns play against the dynasty of the decade, the USC Trojans, in the 2006 Rose Bowl. 

*On another note: This was the last championship game that didn’t feature an SEC team.

Young had to play against two of the greatest players in college football history, in running back Reggie Bush (the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner) and quarterback Matt Leinart (who at one time was a projected NFL No. 1 draft pick).

It was 38-33 with USC leading. The situation was 4th-and-5 around the 11 yard line and Texas had the football in the red zone. They lined up the shotgun formation and Young dropped back, and then scrambled to his right reaching the corner of the end zone to setup the win for the BCS Championship leaving 19 seconds remaining on the game clock.

As Young scrambled to the back of the endzone, the only thought that came to my mind was man this man is invincible. With that win the season ended and Young ended up winning the BCS Championship. To this day I’ve never watched a college football game that was more exciting.

My only wish as a high schooler was that I wish I would’ve gotten to see Young play in college one more time for a game of a higher magnitude. Almost ten years later, with the addition of the newly founded college football playoff, my wish finally got answered.

The 2006 Young isn’t playing in this season’s playoff, but the fact that other future athletes who are as good as Young was, or even more talented, will get the opportunity to play in a post season college football playoff is amazing thought to have.

When I first heard the idea of a college football playoff I was skeptical. I thought there are way too many different factors that could make this idea fail. People could get bribed for money, there was no way a group of people could become objective, and there weren’t enough teams to determine a true winner.

Even though I still feel a bit of the same way as I did before, with the evidence of the first annual college football playoff, I would like to say that the selection committee got it right.

Simply put, the fact that college football fans finally have the college football playoff is comparable to the same level of excitement as when Ralphie got the BB gun he wanted for Christmas.

I wasn’t the only person who harbored feelings of longing for the college football playoffs. Millions of viewers across the country felt the same feeling of joy knowing we were going to watch what would become one of the most epic post season tournaments in collegiate athletics.

According to ESPN, the first two semifinal games on New Year’s Day averaged about 28.2 million viewers. 

The reason why so many people tuned in to watch is because of the story lines within the college football playoff. In the format of the old BCS system the two teams that most likely would’ve played against each other in the National Championship game would’ve been Florida State and Alabama and both of those teams lost in the semifinal round.

Thanks to the college football playoff we got to see the best four teams in the country, give or take adding TCU, square off against each other.  

Because of the selection committee’s decision making over the college football season they literally might’ve picked the four best teams. The fact that Ohio State was chosen instead of TCU, as much as I dislike it, they actually made the right choice. Ohio State proved their worth in the college football playoff defeating Alabama and putting themselves into a position to potentially win the national championship as the fourth seed.

Not to forget, because of the college football playoff we got to see a matchup between two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks in Florida State’s Jameis Winston, and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. Their game alone brought one of the most hilarious Vine’s I’ve ever seen as we saw Winston meet the grass monster.

Subsequently because Oregon and Ohio State prevailed in their contests, it arguably features the two best teams in the country with opposing styles of play. We know Oregon’s modus operandi, they want to use their speed and kill their opponent with quickness, long strikes, and home run plays. Oregon’s offense is predicated on Mariota’s ability to read defenses. Oregon at that point can either establish their running game, give him quick throws to make, or allow him to have running lanes to escape. 

While Oregon’s opponent in Ohio State can play the exact same style, a fast uptempo pace. However Ohio State can also can flip the script and play very physical and attempt to punish Oregon at the line of scrimmage. Ohio State proved this when they played against Alabama and were step for step with the best team in the country when it came to getting physical.

Ohio State’s best players are on the defensive side of the football and they are extremely strong and aggressive. Ohio State has some of the best pass rushers in the country in Michael Bennett and Joey Bosa. On the season Bosa became a first team All-American, and led the Big Ten in sacks with 13.5.

With the evidence that we got from both Ohio State and Oregon during each of their semifinal games (scoring at least 40 points against their respective competition) this National Championship game is going to become one of the best ones to watch in a long time.

We’re in for a wild finish, and everyone behind the idea of the college football playoff should get applauded.

Thank You.

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