The College Football Playoff is entering its third year, with all 12 teams who have had the honor of fighting for a national championship hailing from the Power Five conferences.
As a result, there are reportedly some discussions from programs in the Group of Five — the AAC, Conference USA, MAC, Sun Belt, and Mountain West — that are considering the possibility of starting their own playoff so they can get in on the action.
According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, there are some schools that aren’t willing to settle for a New Year’s Six Bowl, so they hope to find a way to improve the postseason for their programs.
“There is absolutely no ability for us (teams in the Group of 5) to be in that national title conversation,” Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier said. “That’s just reality. Anyone that says we can: That’s a flat-out lie.
“Every division of college football has a national championship — Power 5, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA — every division, that is, except the Group of 5.”
Unfortunately, those who support a Group of 5 Playoff will have some work to do in order to convince everyone it’s a good idea.
“The answer is an emphatic no,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said. “We compete for national championships like anyone else in FBS, including the Power 5, and have no interest in any kind of separate championship.”
With the success of programs like Houston and Western Michigan in recent seasons, it is understandable that the Group of Five feels shunned that they do not receive the national platform in the postseason.
However, the College Football Playoff system is set up to reward the top four programs in the nation.
It’s on the programs in the Group of Five to bolster their non-conference schedules to improve their strengths of schedule and RPI rankings which would lead to more impressive resumes in the eyes of the selection committee.
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