How Miami Can Fit into the New College Football Playoff Format Opportunity beckons with the enlarged CFP beginning next season.
An critical vote will be held on February 20th to finalize the terms of the new College Football Playoff system.
While the expansion from four to twelve teams has already been determined, the specifics of the selection procedure have not. The dissolution of the PAC 12 conference has led the CFP board of management to determine how many conference champions will receive automatic bids.
They’ll vote in six days on a proposal for a “5+7 model.”
This means that the five highest-ranked conference champions will advance to the playoffs, followed by the seven remaining highest-ranked teams, regardless of conference membership. The previous plan was for a 6+6 structure, but given that only two schools (Washington State and Oregon State) remain from the former PAC 12, the intention is to increase at-large possibilities.
This is a lifeline for Oregon State and Washington State, since their only chance is to be one of the additional seven. The same may be true about Notre Dame, since the Fighting Irish compete independently in football.
The Miami Hurricanes stand to profit if the 5+7 plan is approved. While winning the ACC would be the most secure path to selection, the Hurricanes may slip in if they have a solid season but fall just short of the league.
Miami ranked twelve in 247Sports’ “way too early Top 25,” which was published earlier this week. The Hurricanes are projected to improve significantly after signing transfer quarterback Cam Ward and bringing in a second consecutive top ten recruiting class.
However, if I might be more cynical, the SEC and Big 10 stand to profit the most from a 5+7. These super conferences are currently regarded as a “power two” and may wind up monopolizing the seven bids after the conference winners are determined.
It is not impossible to envisage a situation in which five or more of the remaining seven berths are awarded to Big Ten or SEC clubs.
In last year’s final CFP rankings, six of the schools ranked 5-12 are now members of the Big 10 or SEC under the new alignment. The sole exception was fifth-ranked Florida State, but six through twelve included Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon (now Big 10), Missouri, Penn State, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma (now SEC).
Leave a Reply