Luis D. Gutierrez/ Contributing Writer
Division I college football finally has a playoff.
Proposed by Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick alongside all eleven conference commissioners, a new, four-team playoff system was approved by a presidential oversight committee on June 27.
Crisotbal: “It is certainly a step in the right direction. Any time you move towards deciding champions on the field, I think it’s positive for college football.”
Set to embark in 2014, the playoff system will help determine college football’s national champion on a yearly basis through 2025.
FIU football head coach Mario Cristobal believes this is a step in the right direction.
“The initiative to create a system that allows for a championship to be settled on the field is a very positive one for college football,” Crisotbal said in a one-on-one interview with student media.
However, Crisotbal did express uncertainty with how the system would function upon arrival.
“Without us having all the details of how it’s going to work out and not having one season of having a playoff,” Cristobal said. “It certainly leaves some question marks.”
The playoff would consist of four teams chosen by a distinct selection committee, which has yet to be determined. Assembling a proper selection core with the correct personnel would be considered essential in the development of a playoff. University of Texas-San Antonio, which will be moving into Conference USA with FIU in 2013, will also start to feel the effects of this format. Head coach Larry Coker emphasized in a local radio interview last week that those added to the process, must be “involved” with the game itself.
A well-rounded committee has the potential to diminish “glitches” that the current Bowl Championship Series (BCS) ranking system may bring up. The BCS uses a combination of polls and computer selection methods that places the two best teams in a matchup for the national championship.
However, Boise State, the team with the highest winning percentage of the last decade, has yet to make a national championship appearance and has placed no higher than third in BCS polls. The Broncos have beaten the likes of such top-caliber programs like Oklahoma, Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Georgia, yet have seen themselves at the headline of a BCS controversy year after year. Officials are confident that an organized playoff system would level the playing field in determining college football’s best.
“Everybody gets a chance to compete” said BCS executive director Bill Hancock in a radio interview with ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning. “Now they’re four [teams] instead of two.”
However, Cristobal states that controversy in the playoff system would be inevitable, regardless of the new additions
“Whether it’s a four-team playoff or a 16-team playoff in the future, someone is going to be left out,” Cristobal said. “Any time that is the case, there is going to be a point of discussion or an argument.”
Coker also pointed out a similar kink in the playoff process that could leave some programs disgruntled.
“If you have four teams, number five won’t be happy,” Coker said. “If you have eight teams, number nine won’t be happy.”
Regardless of a potential logjam, Cristobal is enticed by the flexibility that a playoff system would bring to the sport.
“[The playoff] grants a few more slots of opportunity for all programs around the country, including [FIU]…. it certainly provides more opportunities, and that is what every college team is looking for,” Cristobal said. “We are always looking for opportunities and we want to play against the best for the very best prize.”
However, Coker believes that a four-team playoff is just right.
The new format would give schools such as FIU a chance to qualify for the playoff, if their record permitted.
“Limited travel is essential. 16 teams is too many. Four teams would be good enough. I think the fans will follow, and the TV revenue will be high.”
In his interview, Hancock shot down the possibility of an eight or 16-team playoff in the future by stating that “it was never an option” while discussing the formation of the new playoff.
Whether the playoff does indeed expand in the near future or remain in place, it seems to be as much approved by coaches, players, and fans as it was by the presidential oversight committee.
All in all, the playoff shines a bright light toward the future of college football and it has caught the attention of many, including Cristobal.
“It is certainly a step in the right direction,” Cristobal said. “Any time you move towards deciding champions on the field, I think it’s positive for college football.”
Gore Enrolled
Confirmed by Cristobal, four star recruit Jakhari Gore is enrolled in class and a member of the FIU football team. Gore comes to FIU after transferring from LSU. He will have to sit out the 2012 season due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules. Gore had only eight carries for 25 yards while attending LSU.
–sports@fiusm.com
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