For years, who knows who controlled college football’s postseason with ridiculous faux “championship” ideas? The Bowl Coalition (1992-1994); the Bowl Alliance (1995-1997); the Bowl Championship Series (1998-2013), and the four-team College Football Playoff (2014-2023). They were all shams designed to keep money makers on top of the sport, while minimizing opportunities for everyone else. And it was a corrupt lie, obvi.

When the CFP expansion was announced for the 2024 season, we still felt it wasn’t enough. It’s just too small, even now. Yet with one more week of play before the final selections for the 12-team playoff are made, it’s clear the status quo has been shaken up a little bit: sure, some schools with deep pockets are going to end up winning it all, but we do see a lot more opportunities for upsets in this format, and we like that.

To wit, in the goofy ACC, the mighty B1G, the robust Big XII, and the overrated SEC, a team that was not in each respective conference in 2023 will be playing for the league’s championship trophy in the upcoming week. That tells us that teams like Miami (FL), Ohio State, cheatin’ Michigan, whatever is left in the Big XII, and the Alabama red menace will have their hands full trying to bully their way to faux glory. Awesome, eh?

Southern Methodist University has bought its way back to the big time, and the Mustangs will play for the ACC Championship. The Oregon Ducks, victims of corruption, are No. 1 in the country and the favorites to win the B1G. The Arizona State Sun Devils, who could never dominate the Pac-12, can win a Big XII title this week. And the Texas Longhorns, often overrated in the past, are No. 2 in the country and SEC darlings now.

“Oh, the humanity!”

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes lost on the road at Syracuse to get knocked out of the ACC title chase; the Buckeyes lost at home with a shot to face the Ducks again, to a lowly 6-5 Wolverines team without its cheating recipes from 2021-2023. The Oklahoma State Cowboys had made 18 straight bowl games for the Big XII, but they won’t play in one this December. The Crimson Tide have three losses and are begging now.

That’s the way we like it. Maybe there is hope for this sport after all? We doubt it, but why not wait and see?