I’m going to throw out a little conspiracy theory here. Now, before anybody gets their panties in a wad, I’m not saying I believe it. I’m just saying the timing is awfully interesting.
Just days after news broke that ESPN and the College Football Playoff were moving toward an agreement to expand the postseason to 24 teams, college football experienced one of the wildest Saturdays we’ve seen in years.
No. 1 Georgia loses to Auburn. No. 2 Notre Dame falls to BYU. Alabama gets knocked off by Tennessee. Texas loses to Florida.
And wouldn’t you know it, several of those games featured controversial officiating decisions.
Now, here’s where my conspiracy theory comes into play.
What’s been one of the biggest arguments against expanding the playoffs to 24 teams?
That it waters down the regular season, diminishes the importance of big games, and allows teams that haven’t earned a championship opportunity into the postseason.
But what happened Saturday gives the people pushing expansion the perfect argument.
ANYBODY CAN BEAT ANYBODY ON ANY GIVEN SATURDAY!
If an unranked Auburn team can knock off No. 1 Georgia, why couldn’t the 24th-ranked team beat the No. 1 seed in the playoffs?
If Florida can beat Texas, who’s to say a three-loss or four-loss team couldn’t make a run at a national championship?
See how easily that narrative sells?
And who stands to benefit from convincing college football fans that we need 24 teams in the playoffs?
ESPN and the people collecting hundreds of millions of dollars from additional postseason television inventory.
Now, am I suggesting somebody picked up a telephone and instructed officials to influence football games?
No. I have absolutely no evidence of that.
But I do know this. In sports, just like in business, you always have to ask who benefits.
And Saturday’s chaos couldn’t have come at a more convenient time for the people trying to sell college football fans on a 24-team playoff.
Personally, I still believe expanding to 24 teams diminishes the importance of the regular season. One of the things that has always made college football special is that every Saturday matters.
When you start giving teams three and four opportunities to lose and still compete for a national championship, you’re changing the very nature of the sport.
So, was Saturday simply one of those crazy weekends that makes college football great?
Probably.
But you have to admit, the timing makes for one hell of a conspiracy theory.
Coincidence? Maybe. Convenient? Absolutely.
