DALLAS 鈥� Considering international diplomacy has been reduced to the level of discourse in junior high locker rooms, if that, it鈥檚 only fitting we can鈥檛 seem to get a College Football Playoff format without somebody hurting someone else鈥檚 feelings. Brett Yormark, grand poobah of the Big 12, advises the Big Ten and SEC to do 鈥渨hat鈥檚 right鈥� for everyone, while Greg Sankey, SEC czar, counters he doesn鈥檛 need 鈥渓ectures on the good of the game.鈥�
For sure, because no one in charge of anything has the game鈥檚 best interests in mind, though that鈥檚 a lecture for another day.
Maybe even last week, if you鈥檒l recall.
Anyway, if a 16-team playoff in the 2026 season feels inevitable, we might as well get to it.
For that matter, let鈥檚 figure what it would look like this fall instead of settling for the 12-team format soon to go into effect one last time:
Four teams from Texas 鈥� now that鈥檚 a set of automatic qualifiers I could get behind 鈥� plus Oklahoma in a 16-team field, with the Longhorns winning it all whether it鈥檚 16 teams or a paltry dozen.
Give me a 16-team field that includes Texas (No. 2), Texas A&M (11), SMU (12) and Texas Tech (15). Note that including the Aggies, Mustangs and Red Raiders might be problematic in a 12-team format, then tell me you鈥檙e still against inflating the format.
Waiting.
Based on my scientific projections for this fantasy project, the SEC would feature a whopping six teams (Texas, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, A&M and Oklahoma) in a 16-member field. Which, in fact, is only one more school than it鈥檚 averaged among the top 16 since the dawn of the College Football Playoff.
The Big Ten would get four (Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and Illinois) and the Big 12 (Arizona State and Tech) and ACC (Clemson and SMU) two apiece. Notre Dame and Tulane, representing the Group of Five, round out my field.
Not a bad representation, either, if I do say so myself. Some might argue it only makes the rich richer, and they鈥檇 get no argument here. Would it be more altruistic, if, say, Boise State got in, too?
Kick out the SEC鈥檚 sixth-best team, maybe?
Certainly possible that sort of thing would just happen naturally, especially if John Mateer, the new sheriff in Norman, can鈥檛 make sense of the Sooners鈥� offense. If Mateer comes close to replicating what he did for Washington State, Oklahoma could give the Longhorns two losses before they鈥檝e had their first corny dog.
Even if Boise hangs a couple more wins than the Sooners, here鈥檚 the problem with taking the team that no longer enjoys the services of college football鈥檚 best player: According to ESPN鈥檚 power ratings, the Sooners will play the nation鈥檚 toughest schedule. Michigan and Auburn in September, then Texas at the State Fair, plus South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama on the road. Brutal.
Meanwhile, once Boise gets past Notre Dame on Oct. 4, it鈥檚 a pretty steady gallop all the way to the Mountain West title game.
Now, I鈥檓 not one to beat up on the CFP committee members. A couple along the way were friends of mine. Tough job, even if it comes with snacks.
But sooner or later they simply must give more credence to strength of schedule, or else they鈥檒l take more flak from the likes of college football analyst Joel Klatt, whose objection to a model without automatic qualifiers is based on the committee鈥檚 fallibilities. Klatt prefers the 4-4-2-2-1-3 model (four teams apiece for the SEC and Big Ten, two each for the Big 12 and ACC, one group of five champ and three at large) over the concept now in vogue, 5-plus-11 (four power conference champs plus one from the group of five, then 11 at large), because it gives priority to the best leagues instead of leaving it in the hands of the committee. Klatt doesn鈥檛 hate the committee, he just doesn鈥檛 trust its criteria.
Hard to trust something when no one鈥檚 exactly sure what it is.
Funny, then, that Yormark, whose Big 12 would be guaranteed two spots in the 4-4-2-2-1-3 format, prefers the 5-plus-11 and its solitary guarantee. While the latter 鈥渕ight not be ideal鈥� for the Big 12, Yormark concluded 鈥渋t鈥檚 good for college football.鈥� Coaches across the board agree. Why? My guess is it鈥檚 less about what鈥檚 good for college football and more about cycles. Look what happened last year with Alabama in Kalen DeBoer鈥檚 debut.
Why guarantee the Big Ten and SEC four spots apiece if there鈥檚 even a remote chance one or the other doesn鈥檛 deserve it at some point?
As for this fall and the last of a 12-team playoff, it鈥檚 hard to pick against teams with experienced quarterbacks (Clemson鈥檚 Cade Klubnik, LSU鈥檚 Garrett Nussmeier, Arizona State鈥檚 Sam Leavitt, A&M鈥檚 Marcel Reed, SMU鈥檚 Kevin Jennings, Illinois鈥� Luke Altmyer, Tech鈥檚 Behren Morton and Mateer of OU). Easier if you don鈥檛 think they can remain upright ( Carson Beck in Miami).
Harder still to bet against a quarterback plucked from a fruitful family tree. Arch Manning probably won鈥檛 be seasoned enough to make a difference for the Longhorns in their first rematch against Ohio State, but he will come Jan. 19. Most everything in between will be a treat. Try as they might, the bosses can鈥檛 take that from us.