Death, taxes, and money-hungry Sports networks ruining everything

Selection Sunday has come and gone for the college football playoff and it did not disappoint. It’s seemed poetic that in the final year of the 4 team format the selection committee would have the toughest decision to date. Many hope that the coming expansion will avoid some of this chaos, but let’s not kid ourselves, next year will be a mess for a whole different set of reasons but for now, let’s review.

The 2023 College football playoff

1.) Michigan-likely a lock since last weekend.

2.) Washington-I did not expect them to beat Oregon, but here we are. 

3.) Texas-Conference champs, and maybe the best road win on any resume.

4.) Alabama-Yeah. I know.

If you were to enter a coma week 3 when the tide barely beat USF 17-3 and just woke up today, that fourth spot would be…shocking. Sure, not every resume looks the best, Texas also had some ugly wins, along with Washington if we are being fair. But at Week 3, it felt like the Bama dynasty was coming to a screeching halt. Yet, today they are preparing for a run at another national championship. 

Now, if I told you that not only they managed to turn things around and win the SEC , they were also selected over a undefeated Power 5 champion named Florida State, you would likely slip back into that coma. Or chug bleach, as either would be an acceptable response. 

College football THRIVES on chaos, it thrives on emotion, it thrives on passion and unfortunately, it thrives on money. Today is a somber reminder that the most deserving teams will only be selected when it’s a good story and there isn’t a better money making matchup to headline the College Football Playoff. (Looking at you 2021 Cincinnati)

Florida State isn’t an attractive choice, and while we are on the topic neither was a Georgia 3-peat, but the Bulldogs actually controlled their destiny and come up short. Florida State however, won all of their games and still received the cold shoulder from the committee. Sure, we can blame all of this on Jordan Travis getting injured and you would be right to do so. No matter what else happens=ed, if Travis was healthy and the Noles finished 13-0, I’m likely writing instead about how the SEC was finally left out of the playoffs, instead of how the University of Kentucky may have had an impact on this weekend.

What if I told you the Kentucky Wildcats had an effect on Selection Sunday?

A week ago, No. 10 Louisville played the barely bowl eligible Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky shocked everyone (except themselves) and pulled off a 38-31 upset of the number 10 team in the country. 

Stay with me, this gets complicated fast.

If Louisville wins that game, they are likely a top 10 matchup for Florida State going into Championship Saturday. Instead of the final from Bank of America Stadium reading “Florida State controls 10-2, 16th ranked Louisville for ACC title,” It alternatively reads “Florida State Survives 11-1, 10th-ranked Louisville.” 

Also working in Florida State’s favor would be the narrative surrounding the matchup. 11-1 Louisville likely would have a very outside argument that they deserve a spot on the Playoff as well, and instead of the game being “Win and In” for Florida State, it would immediately pivot to a de facto playoff matchup. The winner would at least have a right to be angry about a consolation NY6 bowl appearance and being left out of the “Big Dance”

To be clear, I do not think Louisville or Florida State belongs in a sense of being “competitive” Florida State plays Georgia for the Orange bowl and knowing how the propaganda machine named Kirby Smart operates, that will be a blood bath that will make 2022 TCU look like an incredibly competitive, and serious game. 

But if we are picking the “best 4” why isn’t Georgia in over Washington? Why is Ohio State below Florida State? If we are truly selecting the best, how can we leave two resumes that are on par with Texas and Washington, out of the final four?

Now Deion Sanders, because why not?

I want you to ask yourself a question, if Deion Sanders was the head coach of this 13-0 conference champ, Florida State team, would they be playing in the College Football Playoff? 

I said this yesterday on Twitter and universally the people who understood me, agreed with me. If Coach Prime was a 13-0 conference champ, even with his Star QB hurt and out, they would’ve selected him purely off the ratings it would’ve provided. I would even argue he could’ve lost the conference championship and they would’ve found room. 

At the end of the day, the College football playoff isn’t about crowning the best team, or the most deserving team, it’s about picking storylines that will generate the most money, and that is why we cant look away.