College Football Playoff: Things can happen if things are given a chance

The first year of the college football national championship will be settled by Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Ohio State. While all four are powerhouses in college football, let me break down who's really vying for the title this year.

A one loss Alabama team is seen as the elite of the college football world. Did I mention they have one loss? Ole Miss got the best of Alabama, and Ole Miss didn't even finish the season in the top 10 in the country, so is Alabama really the elite team in the country? I'm skeptical.

Oregon followed their typical script again this year, win a lot of games by decisive margins, and then falter in one crucial Pac-12 game somewhere along the way to tarnish yet another bid at an undefeated season. It's almost like Oregon football has their own definition that's so clear cut you can read it like a book. While their offense has looked impressive behind junior sensation, and Heisman hopeful Marcus Mariota, the Ducks have always lacked a defense capable of competing with the elites outside the Pac-12. However, they get a chance this year to vie for another title.

Florida State is the lone unbeaten team in college football that year. If that doesn't impress you, you're certainly not alone. The Seminoles have looked so bad in close games this year, that they could be in the running for the worst undefeated team in sports history. Not only have they struggled with poor teams like Miami (FL), Boston College, and Florida, but they got bailed out of a tight game in Notre Dame that should've cost the Seminoles any chance at a title. Not to mention the allegations against Jameis Winston, and numerous responses by head coach Jimbo Fisher have been enough to annoy anyone but the 'Noles faithful. Regardless, the unblemished record is the only thing that saved a mediocre team a spot in the playoff.
Coming off a blowout win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game, behind a third-string quarterback, the Ohio State Buckeyes magically found their way into the college football playoff. Pay no attention that their lone loss on the season came to a mediocre Virginia Tech team that finished 6-6 on the season and 3-5 in ACC play. ACC play... as in the weakest power conference in college football! Hey, who am I to talk. Maybe the refs will blow a few calls, and the Buckeyes will win a championship in the same fashion they did roughly a decade ago over my beloved Hurricanes.... but I wouldn't hold my breathe.

Then there's TCU and Baylor. Two teams with prolific offenses, and highly touted defenses. TCU's blemish came to Baylor, and Baylor couldn't get the job done against West Virginia. A terrible Bears loss to West Virginia, makes the Horned Frogs loss in a 61-58 shootout look bad enough to keep both Big XII teams out of playoff contention. I'm sure TCU and Baylor will do just fine against Ole Miss and Michigan State, respectively. The mere fact that Ole Miss is seen as the same caliber as TCU and Baylor is a horrific joke, but that's how it played out.

Let's not forget Boise State, Memphis, Marshall, Northern Illinois, and Georgia Southern. All division winners with records good enough to be considered playoff teams, but aren't able to compete for a national championship since only the "top four" play for that honor. Look, I'm not ignorant, if either of those teams won the title, I'd run through my hometown in the sub-twenty degree weather in nothing but a jock-strap. But, let's not forget that Boise State pulled off the greatest upset in bowl history with their Fiesta Bowl win over an Oklahoma program that had Adrian Peterson as their starting running back.

Things can happen... if things are given a chance.

With losses abounding among this year's final four, is there really a national champion? Can any team truly say they've lost to nobody.... Okay, Florida State, I forgot your referee bailout still keeps a '1' out of your L column. The best team in college football should be able to hoist the trophy at the end of the season, and unfortunately, I'm skeptic of all four barring an impressive run in the two games it takes the champion hoist the title.

Maybe we should just add four more weeks to the college football schedule to accommodate a convincing 16 team bracket. Until then, we've got a playoff system that (when there's only one undefeated team) is more of a popularity contest than "whose better than who".