Paul Finebaum shares 'patently absurd' aspect of new College Football Playoff model

Paul Finebaum noted an absurd aspect of the new College Football Playoff format coming in 2024.

The new 12-team playoff has a 5+7 model, which means the five highest ranked conference champions get an automatic bid to the bracket. The remaining seven teams are at-large bids, essentially the highest ranked remaining teams.

With that in mind, Finebaum pointed out what could be bonkers about the playoff next year.

“It’s so convoluted because anytime we don’t have the best teams being seeded like the best teams, it’s an imperfect model,” Finebaum said on Always College Football. “But you and I know that to get sign off in these rooms with people from all walks of life in all geographies, this is how they had to do it. But it is patently absurd that the No. 1 team and the best team in the country could get rated fifth in seeding, so it doesn’t make much sense.” 

In Finebaum’s example, which is certainly plausible, let’s say Georgia is the No. 1 team in the country. Now let’s say the Bulldogs lose the SEC Championship Game, they can be no higher than the No. 5 seed.

The four highest ranked conference champions are seeded No. 1 through 4 and receive a bye in the first round. The fifth highest ranked conference champion could end up being the No. 5 seed, but could be lower than a team like Georgia, especially if it’s a Group of Five team.

“But I think it’s something that will take time to get to where it’s done correctly,” Finebaum said. “And like it should be, but it’s still better. And I know this was not the answer that people want. It’s so much better than where we were. Because, you know, we both had millions of conversations about the four-team playoff. It’s hardly ever been the four best teams. It’s an amalgamation of special interests. And that’s how we end up getting where we’ve been and this is better than that.”

So what’s absurd about the new College Football Playoff format? Georgia, or someone else, being penalized for losing the conference championship. 

On one hand, it’s a pretty harsh drop. But on the other hand, it puts an emphasis on winning the conference championship game, perhaps more so than in year’s past.

It’s a free ticket to the playoff bracket, which opens the door for two-loss teams way more than the four-team format.

Absurd or not, it’s the current experiment for the next two seasons at minimum.