The NCAA College Football Playoffs have been around for two seasons, and so far, there aren’t too many complaints because people believe the best team has been crowned champion both times. As defending champions, Alabama will have the best college football odds of making the playoffs this year, but some people are getting tired of seeing the same teams win the championship every year.
The recently concluded College World Series is one of the events that have gotten some football fans talking about how much fun it would be to see a small school win it all. At the CWS, Coastal Carolina, a team that a lot of people around the country never heard of, shocked the world by winning the College World Series. What was even more impressive is that the school plays in the FCS.
The Chanticleers became America’s team during their CWS run because, let’s face it, it is always more fun to watch an underdog defy the odds. The team is also transitioning to the Sun Belt Conference, and the football team will start competing in conference games in 2018. While Coastal Carolina’s run was fun to watch, the sad thing is we will never see a team like that win the football national championship unless the current system is overhauled. The way the CFP is currently set up, only teams from the Power 5 conferences have a chance to compete in the playoffs, which means we will never see the likes of Coastal Carolina in there, even if they finish the season undefeated.
Under the BCS System, small schools like Boise State were able to crash a few BCS bowl games, but they never got to play in the national championship game. Joe Moglia, the former CEO of TD Ameritrade and the coach of the Chanticleers football team, believes that his team will be competitive in the Sun Belt. Moglia, who is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Chanticleers and has a 41-13 record with the team, believes it would be tough for the team to make the playoffs. Despite Moglia’s doubts about the team making the playoffs, he believes the team will make bowl games every year.
Moglia also said that while it might be difficult for a small school to make the playoffs, it is still possible. He pointed out last season’s Houston Cougars as an example. The Cougars went 11-1 and were invited to the Chic-fil-A Bowl, where they defeated the Florida State Seminoles. He also mentioned the Boise State teams from the BCS era. Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoffs, used to be in charge of the Final Four, where Cinderella schools like George mason, VCU, and Wichita State found a way to make it to the semifinals.
When speaking about the CFP, Hancock said they were two different sports, and while the CFP likely won’t have small teams in the playoffs, he said that football fans were happy and excited about the system that is in place. One suggestion fans have been making is for the playoff field to be expanded, which will give the smaller schools a chance to compete with the big boys. If that happens, the Cinderella teams like Coastal Carolina will finally have a chance to prove that they can win the national championship.
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