Will the Group of Five Spot in the College Football Playoffs be Removed?
For Tulane fans, the most exciting part about the expanded college football playoffs is the spot reserved for a Group of Five school. For those unfamiliar with the new format, the expanded College Football Playoffs will not simply feature the twelve highest-ranked programs. The five highest-ranked conference champions will receive an automatic bid.
This means that the conference champion from each Power Four conference and the highest-ranked conference champion from a Group of Five school will get an automatic bid. After that, the following seven highest-ranked teams who are not already in will receive a spot.
Tulane’s football program has been ascending at the right time, as Tulane is one of the schools expected to be in play for this spot. While any Group of Five program could earn the place, it is very likely that it will ultimately be one of Liberty, Memphis, Boise State, UTSA, or Tulane.
Many fans of Power Four programs have questioned whether reserving a spot for a Group of Five program is the best for competition, claiming that these schools will not be competitive and that the place should be removed. I would cite Tulane’s recent Cotton Bowl victory against USC to those fans.
I recently spoke to Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark, the new director of the College Football Playoffs, and asked him for his opinion on the Group of Five spot and whether fans can expect it to stay. This is his full response.
“Personally, I’m very excited for that fifth championship and maybe, that Group of Five team, maybe they’re not the fifth. Maybe they rank higher among the champions. But also, there’s an opportunity for the Group of Five to be in the seven at large teams as well after the five champions. So what I love about this whole playoff format is that it really does open it up to everybody. At least we know that there's going to be one spot for any team to come into regardless of conference, but that doesn’t mean it’s only one spot."
"There’s a chance for them to get in another way, and that’s what I think makes it great. And fans are going to be excited because of this format all the way until November because every game counts. Every game matters, and every team that continues to perform and climb the ladder has a shot right up until the end, so I’m excited for the way the format is laid out so that it really does open it up to everybody and that we’re not limiting ourselves to one, two, three, four conferences, but it’s really open to all of them."
Seeing Clark’s excitement for the Group of Five’s ability to compete in the College Football Playoffs should be encouraging for Tulane fans. While he mentioned the possibility of having multiple Group of Five programs compete in the College Football Playoffs, I unfortunately do not see that happening in the near future. Even if multiple Group of Five schools are deserving, I imagine the selection committee would bypass them in favor of a school from a Power Four conference.
That is why keeping at least one spot reserved for a Group of Five program is so vital to creating excitement and belief among the fanbases of every school in the country.
Tulane proved that it is capable of beating the USCs of the world and that it can be competitive with schools like Oklahoma and Ole Miss. It is not crazy to say that a program like Tulane could go on a run at the right time or play spoiler to a title favorite.
