Famed film director and producer Andy Warhol once was quoted as saying, “The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.” Although Warhol’s words are still with us, they cannot be applied to last week’s much-hyped first round of the NCAA college football playoffs, which, after months of ballyhooed buildup, lacked both the excitement and competitiveness the anticipation suggested was coming our way.
While the opening round of the new 12-team format produced color and pageantry at the four on-campus host sites, the games themselves ended up suggesting that the four visiting teams invited to the dance had no need to rent a tuxedo to strut their stuff.
Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, and Ohio State faced minimal opposition from Indiana, SMU, Clemson, and Tennessee, posting impressive wins and catapulting them to the Elite Eight of the new gridiron format. The Nittany Lions are heavily favored in their New Year’s Eve clash with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. New Year’s Day action features Texas & Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, Ohio State & #1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, capped off by Notre Dame & Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Agreement seems universal that the new 12-team field is an improvement over the former four-team tournament, however it seems likely there will be some tweaks regarding the selection process going forward. This year’s field gave automatic bids to the champions from the power four conferences: Big Ten, SEC, Big Twelve, and the ACC. A fifth automatic bid was awarded to the champion with the highest ranking from the so-called Group of Five conferences comprised of the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American Mountain West, and Sun Belt conferences. The remaining seven teams were selected as at-large teams.
Similar to what happens during the March Madness basketball selection process, no matter how many teams are chosen to compete, there is always discord coming from those teams left out of the party. Clemson won the ACC championship, and Boise State was the Group of Five selection, thus chosen automatically, but performances put forth by Indiana, SMU, and Tennessee made wondering if some teams not in the field would have made for better games.
No college team with three losses was selected to the tournament field, but fans of SEC schools Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina were left out despite playing a strong strength of schedule. PSU is happy with their ‘white-out’ win, but can you imagine what the excitement would have been for a date with Alabama instead of the SMU Ponies?
Of the eight remaining teams, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State were ranked 1-6 in the final poll prior to the tournament’s start. Boise State was ranked #9, and Arizona State was ranked #12.
Not only were fans of the teams that made the tournament excited, but each of the universities will be smiling as their bank accounts receive hefty deposit slips.
The new 12-team playoff format comes with the following revenue distribution model:
– $4 million for each of the 12 teams that make the College Football Playoff
– $4 million for each of the 8 teams that make the Quarter Final Round
– $6 Million for each of the 4 teams that make the Semi-Final Round
Additionally, each team participating in the College Football Playoff receives $3 million to cover expenses for each round. Each conference receives $300,000 for each of its schools whose football team meets the NCAA’s APR (Academic Progress Rate) for participation in a postseason game. Each independent institution also receives $300,000 if its football team meets the same standard.
As the calendar flips to 2025, I thank you for allowing me to visit with you each week. Perhaps you have not always agreed with the thoughts presented, but it has always been my intent to bring events happening in the sports world into your home. I’ve never been one for making brash New Year’s resolutions, but I will continue to do my best to keep you informed in the year ahead.
Should you need any help/encouragement with your own New Year’s resolution, perhaps one of the following from a list I came across could be considered:
– “Be kinder to myself and learn to love myself more.”
– “Do my best. Try to stay positive but forgive myself when I’m not. Try to figure out where the negativity is coming from.”
– “Spread more kindness. There’s too much bad going on to waste time being hateful and mean.”
– “Save money and budget, eat better, and lose weight.”
– “Do more things with my children.”
– “Give myself space to learn and create, without worrying about outcome or goal.”
– “Travel more.”
– “Support local businesses, cook at home more, and be intentional with my contributions to important causes.”
– “Take more time for myself mentally and emotionally. I hate being stressed and overwhelmed all the time.”
– “Smile more.”
– “Stop fighting with people that aren’t worth my time.”
– “Learn to stop blaming myself when things go wrong, especially when I know I did everything right.”
Wishing you and yours the very best for a happy and healthful 2025!
