New chapter, same ending.
That was the feeling Selection Sunday when the college football final four was ?announced.
Under the new college football playoff system, two additional teams earned their shot at a national ?championship.
But by the same token, two were left with dashed hopes in Texas Christian University and Baylor.
TCU, formerly the third-best team in the nation, won its final game of the season ?55-3. It was rewarded with a No. 6 ranking — title chances lost.
There’s no way around it. The Horned Frogs received the good, old college snub at the hands of the selection committee — and if I were a supporter of the purple and white, I’d be deservedly irate.
But do I agree with the committee’s final four? ?Absolutely.
Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State are the top four teams in the nation.
And by selecting these teams, the committee sent a message that will serve as the groundwork for further change in college football.
First and foremost: Programs must plan on winning a conference championship, or a contest of equal caliber,in order to guarantee a playoff berth.
Second: There are no guarantees when it comes to college football.
The committee worked its way into a pickle by ranking TCU third and Baylor sixth in the Week 15 poll.
It sought to make a statement about winning out with soft schedules by ranking the people’s favorite above undefeated FSU. Yet it overlooked one pivotal factor: the head-to-head matchup.
Baylor beat TCU on Oct. 11, an oversight that came back to bite the committee.
And had it not been for the saving grace of Ohio State, it would have had an even greater conundrum on its hands.
Luckily, third-string quarterback Cardale Jones was able to lead the Buckeyes to a commanding 59-0 win against Wisconsin.
All the committee had to do was swallow its words and make an example of poor TCU once again.
Make no mistake, these 13 committee members are not the computers of old. They reserve the right to make their own decisions, and they exercised that right when creating the first College Football ?Playoff.
The result is that TCU, who re-conferenced in order to improve its chances of winning a national title, will now have a chat with the Big 12 about its “one true championship” spiel.
Meanwhile, the Baylors across the country are going to start rescheduling. If you don’t play in a strong conference, you better make the non-conference count.
No more cupcakes, period.
IU can sympathize with TCU and Baylor.
Junior running back Tevin Coleman was snubbed by the same hand as the Big 12 schools by failing to be named a Heisman finalist.
The Heisman voters selected just three candidates to attend the trophy presentation in Manhattan, N.Y.
Last year, the voters ?selected six.
So while college football will continue to be the nation’s most exciting sport, that entertainment factor comes at ?a cost.
Those programs left out of the spotlight are the ones who have to pay.
vziege@indiana.edu
