The Tartan

Close your eyes, and picture, for a second, that the year is 2023.

It doesn’t actually have to be 2023, of course. You don’t have to imagine that the presidential race is shaping up to be Joe Biden vs. Ron DeSantis. Nor do you have to forget Shaboozey’s tear-jerking rise to the top of the country music charts, the Steelers’ magical start, or anything else, for that matter.

But as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned, it’s the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-three, so instead of twelve spots, the committee only has four. (While I would love to undo all the conference shenanigans and bring back divisions, I can’t, so we won’t even try.)

Oregon, of course, would be looking good to make it — with only lowly Washington standing in the way of a 12-0 regular season and a rematch with Ohio State, who lost only to the Ducks, in the Big Ten championship. With a win, Oregon — would lock up the No. 1 seed, and two-loss Ohio State would go home. But with a loss, Oregon would cement the Buckeyes’ spot in the top four, and leave themselves only barely on the playoff bubble.

In the SEC, the intrigue would be insatiable — it’s only a shame we never had this sort of SEC season in the playoff era. Only Texas has one loss, and Texas A&M is the only other school with just one conference loss. Everyone else — Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee — all have at least two losses. If the Longhorns are unable to beat A&M this coming weekend and then beat whoever emerges to face them in the SEC Championship, the SEC will have no teams better than two losses — but will boast a champion with a resume to hold up to anyone else in the country.

Ditto in the Big 12, where Arizona State is poised to face Colorado in a championship game which will see the loser handed their third loss. And in the ACC, Southern Methodist will play either Miami or Clemson, currently ranked No. 11 and not at all, respectively, in a lackluster championship game.

If you’re the committee, you’re scratching your head. This year, you have one, maybe two, teams who would make the four-team tournament in a vacuum, coming on the heels of a 2023 when we had five or six.

But wouldn’t it be incredible? All the head-scratching about who should get in? If Ohio State returns Oregon’s favor in the Big Ten Championship, they’d be in, and I imagine Oregon would, too. That would probably be it for the Big Ten, as Penn State, the perpetual third-best team in the conference, would be the first team out. The Big 12 would probably be shut out, the SEC champs would get in with two losses — maybe — and then there would be an almighty fight between one-loss SMU and a thoroughly beaten second SEC team. Or would there? Who knows? It would be beautiful. All I know is this: the SEC and Big Ten championship games would really, truly matter, and no one would be in the playoff without having had a regular season to write home about.

Instead, we find ourselves arguing about whether Boise State, or Indiana, or three-loss Alabama deserves to get in, while coaches from sea to shining sea declare their intent not to make their conference championship game for fear of picking up a third loss, and teams like Penn State gallop into the playoff despite not having beaten, well, anyone. It’s embarrassing.

If the powers that be have any decency — which they don’t — the sport will look much, much different in 2026, when the contract for the twelve-team playoff expires. But alas, that’s an article for another day, another week. Until then, godspeed, and do enjoy the tournament — our reward for the most boring and stakeless regular season ever.