The Big Lead

Kirk Herbstreit Rips College Football's Playoff System

By Ryan Phillips

Kirk Herbstreit, SEC Championship - Georgia v LSU
Kirk Herbstreit, SEC Championship - Georgia v LSU / Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images
facebooktwitter

Kirk Herbstreit didn't hold back on the College Football Playoff system during an appearance on Wednesday's Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin Show. ESPN's lead college football analyst ripped the CFP for not being equitable and leaving too many teams knowing they don't have a chance make it from the start.

His full segment can be heard here but the following quote wraps it up pretty succinctly:

""Our postseason is as bad as there is and we have got to figure out a system that opens up opportunities. The season ends January 12, I can already tell you 2021 Ohio State's coming out of the Big Ten, Clemson's coming out of the ACC, Alabama’s coming out of the SEC. I can say in 2023, Ohio State is coming out of the Big Ten, Clemson’s coming out of the ACC and Alabama (in the SEC). … If that's where we are is that right, is that healthy for the sport when 98 or 99 percent of the participants realize they don't have a chance before the season starts? We've got to look at this 2020 year and realize that we have to tweak the system for the betterment of the sport. We’re at a fork in the road right now on a lot of levels and we’ve got to look at some potential changes.""

He's right, the CFP's process is as bad as there is. Most of the teams in the country don't have a chance no matter how well they play. Cincinnati is undefeated and sits ninth in the CFP rankings. The Bearcats have no chance to make it despite an undefeated season and the currently sit behind two teams with two losses.

As I wrote Tuesday night, this week's CFP rankings make absolutely no sense. The system needs a complete overhaul. Whether that means changing the way the rankings are compiled, expanding the playoff to six or eight teams, or any outside the box tweaks, something needs to change.

Herbstreit pointed to the main problem: the same teams make it every year, which will wind up making the sport stale. Expanding the field of teams with a chance to win the title will breathe life into a stagnant product.