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Controversy Surrounds CFB Playoff Again

The good news is this is the last time we have go through this. The bad news is there's some explaining that needs to be done.

The reference is in regard to the often-controversial College Football Playoff selection process. Each year, on the Sunday following the conference championship games, debates ensue over who is in and who is out. Well, here we go again.

Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama are in while Florida State and Georgia are out. Let's take a look at each team and count the ways the committee got it right or wrong.

#1 MIchigan. This is the only team where there is no debate. The Wolverines are the clear-cut top choice after going 13-0 with a signature win over previously undefeated Ohio State and a 26-0 shellacking over Iowa in the Big 10 title game. Michigan is the only team whose resume is flawless.

#2 Washington. The Huskies ran the table with a 13-0 record and defeated Oregon twice this season. Washington didn't come into the Pac 12 Championship Game with much respect as they were a 10-point underdog against the Ducks. Their only two other Top 25 wins came against #14 Arizona and #21 Oregon State. Each were narrow one-score victories. The also had ugly wins over lowly Arizona State, Stanford and Washington State.

#3 Texas. The Longhorns best win of the season was a non-conference victory over #4 Alabama. After that it's hard to find a quality opponent they defeated. Five of their wins came against teams that didn't have a winning record in a conference that wasn't particularly tough this year. They lost to Oklahoma which finished 12th in the rankings. Texas is being rewarded solely for the victory over Alabama and blasting Oklahoma State as a 15-point favorite in the Big 12 Championship Game.

#4 Alabama. The Tide rolled into the playoff behind an ultra-impressive win over previously unbeaten Georgia winning the SEC and currently have a 11-game winning streak in the nation's top conference. Their lone loss came to #3 Texas back in September. To think Alabama has not earned their way in is preposterous.

#5 Florida State. The controversy surrounding the Seminoles not getting in the playoff is understandable considering they were undefeated and won the ACC. However, their conference is the weakest of the Power 5's. Eight of their 13 wins were against teams without a winning record.

Their starting quarterback was injured in one of the meaningless non-conference games near the end of the season and they finished the year with a third stringer in lackluster games wins against Florida and Louisville. The Seminoles defense is one the best in the country, but the schedule helped that. The bottom line is Florida State would likely be non-competitive against any of the Top-4 teams because of their current lack of offense.

#6 Georgia. This ranking is utterly absurd. The Bulldogs were the consensus #1 team all year and sported a 29 game SEC winning streak over the past three years and had an overall record of 12-1 this season. They were upset by Alabama losing by three points. To think Georgia is the sixth best team in the country is a joke.

The problem with the College Football Playoff is that the committee that oversees it has no clear-cut criteria. The questions are always the same. Are they rewarding conference champions or actually selecting the four best teams at the end of the season? Does going undefeated automatically put you in? Are they putting too much emphasis on head-to-head matchups and current player availability? All are important but there is no particular order on which is most important. It comes down to a debate by neutral college administrators gathered in a room for two days.

This will be the final year of this archaic format as next year the long awaited 12 team playoff begins. This will crown a true champion in a tournament format like every other sport has done for decades. However, that is no consolation for Florida State and Georgia this year.