Riley Morningstar

While this Saturday was pretty mellow, that’ll be far from the standard over the course of these next two weekends. Rivalry games are on the way, as well as conference championships, with the Big 12 having its first championship game since 2010.

With all the uproar over the latest playoff rankings from last Tuesday, the masses won’t be able to complain much in the coming weeks. We’ve heard how much an eight team playoff would help, but I find that hard to believe. What comes after eight, 16? There was a vibe, a flawed one, of exclusivity with a two-team BCS concept. The four team playoff has just the right spice and flavor.

A conference championship matters, even if Ohio State got the benefit of the doubt last season. An eight team playoff would render a championship game utterly useless. Heck, it would render a large portion of the regular season hollow and it wouldn’t be that long before some pundit argues a three loss team should get in. The playoff rankings incite a madness that feels genuine and fun to observe from a distance. The rankings really don’t matter prior to the week 12 games, but don’t tell the public that.

The rankings show just set a viewership record during its 20+ episode run this last Tuesday night. You can partially credit the Champions Classic for that, but how many folks wanted to see how far Georgia and Notre Dame would drop after receiving giant-sized whippings? Everything about four potential teams feels real and authentic. Eight would wash that away. Would you really want Booger McFarland yelling at you every Tuesday night that three SEC teams should be in a playoff? No. Buckle up, enjoy the ride, and don’t participate in the insanity of eight. These next set of games should serve as a delicious appetizer for the main course to come.

Here’s a rough sketch of what’s to come over the next 13 days to solve the “crisis” of having just four teams. Hint, it becomes much easier to navigate when the dust settles. Alabama has to play Auburn, with the winner being crowned SEC West champion and will travel to Atlanta to face a Georgia team that will have to wake up on the offensive side of the ball if they want to win. Here’s to thinking the Dawgs will be fine in their rivalry game with a slumping Yellow Jacket team. The SEC championship figures to be a “de facto” quarterfinal, a phrase you’ll hear a lot of on the airwaves soon, with the winner getting in the playoff.

Clemson can’t look ahead to Miami, because anything can happen in rivalry games. Should Clemson not turn over the ball in Columbia, it’s going to be a double digit win in this observer’s estimation. I still am iffy on the “U” being back since, you know, they haven’t won a title or anything. The turnover gimmick has turned out to not be a gimmick after all, with the Canes tied for first in turnover margin with UCF (+16). It creates a frenzy that I’ve never seen before where the team feeds off of taking the ball away. Mark Richt has done a tremendous job being a year ahead of schedule, and should have his team focused in Charlotte. This is another “de facto” quarterfinal, with the winner playing itself into the final four.

Oklahoma and TCU now have a title game with real implications after Oklahoma State failed to mount an all-time comeback yesterday. Oklahoma really put a serious smackdown on a few weeks ago, but a coach the caliber of Gary Patterson should be ready for a round two matchup with the Sooners. Would a Big 12 title be enough to get a two-loss TCU team in?

Wisconsin keeps proving us wrong, notching its second top-25 win in as many weeks. They’re largely one dimensional and have an issue with turning the pigskin over, but are still undefeated at 11-0. The purity of that record says a lot. Should they win out, no one should feel guilty for putting them in the four. They will have earned it; just don’t slip up to the fighting P.J. Flecks and an Ohio State team no one can figure out. Block out the noise of being on the outside looking in, win out, and you’re in.

Don’t tell this corner that Ohio State should be in the playoff. Why do they keep getting the ‘Alabama’ benefit of the doubt at this point? They’ve underachieved every year since winning the first playoff go around.

You can get four teams out of those four conferences realistically because the Pac 12 isn’t getting a team in, nor should they. Notre Dame was a pretty pick before getting clobbered by Miami. We can talk on how gypped UCF should feel, considering they’re undefeated and not close to sniffing the top-10. It’s unfortunate, but you would have to feel an eight team playoff would give them a better shot at competing for a national title. Alas, that’s not the case and won’t be for a long time. The group of five weren’t held hostage in all of this and agreed to the set terms we have now.

Fortunately, every team inside the top-seven controls its own destiny. It’ll be up to them to decide whether or not they are worthy of consideration to play in the most elite playoff format.