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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/Rr0hd on 2025-12-21 00:28:44+00:00.
In no other major American sport will you see people calling for the complete exclusion of more than half of the teams in the division/league from the playoffs. Every team in the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and MLS has a way to guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs, and the opportunity to make it to the championship. Even the lower divisions of college football have a guaranteed pathway for any single team to potentially make the playoffs by winning the right games (e.g, the FCS guaranteeing an autobid for every conference champion). Attempting to exclude an eligible conference winner from the playoffs at any non-FBS level of NCAA football is impossible. They all follow the principle that if a given team is in a certain division or level of play (like the FCS), that team should be able to control their destiny (at least before any games are played) to make the playoffs of that league, no matter what conference they’re in, what the vegas odds are, or what talent level the team is supposed to have. This appears to not be the case the media is making for the FBS football playoffs.
The media at large is making the argument that the G5 should not be allowed into the college football playoff because of differences in skill or talent gap. Now, I won’t deny that the SEC is better than the AAC or Sun Belt. It’s a point that anyone arguing in good faith will have to concede. However, the divisions of “G5” and “P4” aren’t official in any capacity. Officially, the Sun Belt and the Big Ten are both FBS conferences. The key word there is FBS. Contrary to what many proponents of kicking the G5 out of the playoff would have you believe, JMU and Oregon actually do play in the same overall competitive division. JMU, being a member of the FBS, should have the ability to control their own destiny to make the playoffs with a concrete measurement of success, like winning their conference (which they did).
While some may argue that the talent disparity and the number of teams in the FBS is too great to have a unified playoff for both P4 and G5, ultimately, the G5 and P4 are still in the same division. If the P5 wants to have their own exclusive playoff, they should go all the way and break away from the G5 entirely, not act like they aren’t in the same division, even when they are. Also, while the talent disparity in other college sports like college basketball is still wide between the high and low-majors, they at least do the low-majors the courtesy of inviting them to the playoffs if they meet the condition of winning their conference. This is because, for all of college basketball’s faults, the leadership and media covering that sport at least acknowledge that the blue bloods and the low majors are in the same division, and even cheer the low-majors on when they make runs in the playoffs. Not so with the FBS. A good bit of the media even seems to be rooting against the little guy.
If the P4 want only their teams to be in the playoff, they should split off and make a super league. Otherwise, as long as they’re in the same league as the G5 and keep scheduling them, the G5 should have a spot in the playoff.