CFP: Parity's Gotta Prevail over Perception

Oh, come on!

Outside of Starkville, who didn't think Alabama was gonna protect its house?

Bovada had the Crimson Tide as a strong favorite. Just another reason to justify its inclusion as a component in The Daily Player 12 ranking that takes the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's criteria literally.

Check that list. Where was Mississippi State before this weekend? Out of the bracket. Top-ranked by the CFP? Please. Never shoulda been.

The over-rated Bulldogs were just another example of the over-think that rules in college football.

Yes, this is another instalment of The CFP Needs an Eight-Team Bracket. One that consists of the Power Five champions and -- because America is so damned used to it -- wild cards. Three of them.

For now, though, we're stuck with a four-team bracket, and perspectives as to who belongs are 'way too distorted.

The SEC honks will still say that Mississippi State had three quality wins. Really? Over whom?

• Auburn? Georgia just got done dismantling them. The Tigers now have three losses themselves.
• LSU? The same squad that just got shut out by Arkansas? Arkansas! That was the Bayou Bengals' fourth loss.
• Texas A&M? The crew who just lost at home to Mizzou? That was the Aggies' fourth loss, too.

So should Alabama be No 1 in the rankings, then? Don't bet they won't, but why should they?

• The Daily Player 12 already had Mississippi State as a team with an unter-weak schedule.
• The Tide squeaked by the aforementioned LSU.
• That win over 6-4 West Virginia doesn't look so impressive now, either.

And the issue isn't restricted to just those two teams. Check out the Pac-12 South race, which involves every school except Colorado:

At the very least, a two-loss team is gonna play Oregon for the conference title. And it's likely a two-losses-overall SEC East squad -- Missouri or Georgia -- will meet whomever sticks it out in the SEC West -- the Tide, Bulldogs, or Ole Miss Rebels -- who may also have two losses.

This is great for college football! It's parity.

It's confirming the value of a championship in a balanced conference. It's understanding that TCU can't just stroll through Lawrence on Saturdays or that Oregon State owns Arizona State in Corvallis for a reason.

For those who hold out for the eye test, then be real.

Admit that no team looks better than Ohio State right now. And yet ...

That's right, these allusions to dominance are for the same Buckeyes who got upended at home in a Power Five non-con and will thus pay for all eternity. Meanwhile, Alabama risked little while toying with Florida Atlantic; next week, it'll be the same story with Western Carolina. And the Bulldogs' non-cons are worse.

With parity comes more losses and close calls from top teams. The same old big-brand pre-conceptions shouldn't count anymore, because the reality is, the only place they do is in those minds frozen in time.

And it's a time that doesn't exist anymore. CFP poohbahs, make the adjustment.