Concerns about the new College Football Playoff and its impact on how we watch games have made their way into the national conversation this week. What took so long?
After three weeks of trying to place even the most meaningless wins and losses into the context of how they might affect which four teams will battle for a national championship in January, some are starting to worry that the new system might be sucking the joy out of Saturdays in the fall.
Is the cycle of playoff-centric predictions and analysis stripping the magic away from upsets and heroic moments? Will fans lose interest once they’re told their team no longer has a title shot? Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio felt it necessary to tell his followers that not all hope was lost after a Week 2 defeat in Oregon.
While it’s probably a good thing that the setters of national storylines are treading cautiously around the long-awaited change to the postseason, it’s not time to yearn for the good ole days of the BCS quite yet. Part of the overemphasis on playoff discussion can be blamed on the system still being a new, shiny mystery. No one knows how the 13-person committee will weigh each contender yet. Some of that will fade in future years when the college football court develops a precedent.
Another part of the saturation comes from the heavy slate of inter-conference competition that occurs each September. With only four playoff spots available to five conferences, the battle to establish a positive perception before falling into league play is intense. That posturing is less likely to fade, making the future of college football a more tribal affair. The SEC won’t be the only fanbase chanting for its conference after big wins, and that doesn’t sound like a bad byproduct of the playoff hype.
Even in our unsettled present state, a crowd of red bandana-wearing Boston College students didn’t seem bothered by the fact that they aren’t playoff contenders while storming the field to celebrate their upset of USC Saturday night. Iowa’s last-second loss to in-state rival Iowa State was neither more nor less gut-wrenching than it would have been in the BCS era. Fear not, the magic isn’t gone. There’s still plenty to play for without the hope of a College Football Playoff berth.
And speaking of playing for more than a playoff spot, kudos to Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg and the rest of his Nittany Lions teammates who showed up or stayed in Happy Valley despite having the opportunity to back away penalty-free from a team that wasn’t eligible for any bowl games until a week ago.
That’s when the NCAA decided it wasn’t going to punish current players for the past sins of the program’s coaches and administrators. After leading a fourth-quarter comeback against Rutgers Saturday night, Hackenberg told reporters that the lack of a postseason goal helped bring his team closer together. Now that Penn State is atop the Big Ten East Division and eligible for bowl games, he says the camaraderie they built “is not going to change for a while.”
And now, without further ado, the links:
East Division
Ohio State’s blowout win over Kent State this weekend was a coming out party for several key underclassmen.
Senior Devin Gardner is firmly ensconced as Michigan’s starting quarterback.
Rutgers Athletic Director Julie Hermann apologized Monday for “classless” fans.
It’s been a long road to Maryland for Terrapins wide receiver Deon Long.
Indiana coach Kevin Wilson wants his defense to be more aggressive and “care less.”
It was a good week to be a Michigan State alumnus in the NFL.
Penn State still has work to do on the offensive line.
West Division
Nebraska star Ameer Abdullah says the blockers in front of him need to get better.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald believes there are "a lot of of bad football teams in the country."
The Fighting Illini running game isn't providing much help for new quarterback Wes Lunt.
Purdue showed a higher level of intensity against Notre Dame, and Darrell Hazell says he expects that to be the norm moving forward.
Iowa started the difficult process of putting a brutal loss behind them Monday morning.
Wisconsin freshman Lubern Figaro wants to learn from a rocky college debut against LSU.
Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner is battling another injury.