By Jeff Bugher
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton took a stab at Boise State during his appearance on ESPN's First Take, stating that nobody wanted to see Boise in the playoffs. Ryan Clark said that teams will be able to show that they belong. He ended by saying that if people don't want to see Boise, don't watch the game. Newton's mentality is exactly what hurts smaller conferences and propels the super conference mentality. Just image if the undefeated 2004 MWC Utah Utes had a chance to play for a championship under Urban Meyer with Alex Smith under center.
The Mountain West Conference finally has a legitimate opportunity to send a team (Boise State) to the football playoffs. A combination of strong performance, being ranked and winning the MWC Championship sealed the deal for the Broncos. Most importantly, this year's newly expanded 12-team format made a huge difference.
Expanded Playoff Access: Equity
I interviewed MWC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez before the season about expanded playoff access and equity; here's what she told me. What about equity for conferences like the Mountain West, where a shot at the College Football Playoffs (CFP) seemed out of reach in the past? Nevarez responded, "Equity of access, the new expanded playoff has access for all FBS teams but top five conference champions period, from the universe of nine FBS leagues get an automatic qualifier into that playoff, and then the seven remaining teams are selected at large." She gave a lot of credit to the advocacy of conference leadership, stating, "As long as we have opportunity and access, which is what our league has been out in front, Craig Thompson specifically advocating for, then we can play; we have something to play for. It makes our championship relevant; it makes our regular season important." Nevarez also pointed out the scheduling by Mountain West coaches, noting, "If you look at our non-conference schedules this year, our coaches are swinging for the fences."
CFP Selections
Below, I have outlined how Boise State was selected and what seeding they received in the CFP bracket based on rank.
The 12 participating teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.
From the list of conference champions and their rankings:
1. Oregon (Big Ten, 13-0) - Ranked #1. First Round Bye.
2. Georgia (SEC, 11-2) - Ranked #2. First Round Bye.
3. Boise State (Mountain West, 12-1) - Ranked #9. First Round Bye.
4. Arizona State (Big 12, 11-2) - Ranked #12.
Clemson (ACC, 10-3) - Ranked #16 – Ranked outside the top 12 rankings; therefore, Clemson will be the No. 12 seed.
The ranking of the teams will continue to be done by a selection committee.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and will receive a first-round bye. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12 rankings. Non-conference champions ranked in the top four will be seeded beginning at No. 5. Because of this, the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final rankings.
The eight teams seeded No. 5-12 will play in a first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8.).
CFB Final Rankings
1. Oregon, Big Ten (13-0) 1 2. Georgia, SEC (11-2) 2 3. Texas, SEC (11-2) 5 4. Penn State, Big Ten (11-2)6 | 5. Notre Dame, Independents (11-1) 7 6. Ohio State, Big Ten (10-2) 8 7. Tennessee, SEC (10-2) 9 8. Indiana, Big Ten (11-1) 10 9. Boise State, MW (12-1) 3 10. SMU, ACC (11-2) 11 11. Alabama, SEC (9-3) |
12. Arizona State, Big 12 (11-2) 4 13. Miami, ACC (10-2) 14. Ole Miss, SEC (9-3) 15. South Carolina, SEC (9-3) 16. Clemson, ACC (10-3) 12 17. BYU, Big 12 (10-2) 18. Iowa State, Big 12 (10-3) |
The selection committee will assign the four highest-ranked conference champions to Playoff Quarterfinals hosted by bowls. This will be done in consideration of historic bowl relationships, then in consideration of rankings. For example, if the Sugar Bowl hosts a Playoff Quarterfinal and the SEC champion is ranked No. 1 and the Big 12 champion is ranked No. 3, the SEC champion would be assigned to the Sugar Bowl and the Big 12 champion would be assigned elsewhere.
With the four highest-ranked conference champions assigned to bowls, their four Playoff Quarterfinal opponents will be dictated by the bracket (i.e., No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 winner, No. 4 vs. No. 5/12 winner, No. 2 vs. 7/10 winner; No. 3 vs. 6/11 winner.)
The College Football Playoff bracket will follow the selection committee’s rankings, with no modifications made to avoid rematches between teams that may have played during the regular season or are from the same conference.
The bracket will remain in effect throughout the playoff (i.e., no re-seeding).
The highest seed will receive preferential placement for the Playoff Semifinal bowl assignment.
All 11 games will be under the CFP umbrella with the administrative policies determined by the CFP.
*The above info from the CFP, which also includes my research and data.
When all is said and done, the selection process is rather confusing. However, the fact that a MWC school made it into the playoff bracket is a huge step towards the future of college football equity.
Comments