Jackson Free Press

Anyone who watches the NCAA basketball-tournament selection show knows that even with 68 teams getting in the dance, some teams always scream that they should have been in as well. Why should year one of the college football playoff be any different?

As soon as University of Alabama, University of Oregon, Florida State University and Ohio State University became the No. 1 through No. 4 teams, Texas and the Big 12 complained about being left out of the playoff. Both Baylor University and Texas Christian University finished 11-1 and tied for the conference championship. But both were left out in the cold when the four-team playoff list came out. They will have to settle for New Year's bowls instead of the New Year's National Semifinal games.

The door to the playoff would have opened for the Horned Frogs and Bears if someone had gotten upset during the conference title games. Instead, Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State won their conference title games. That meant there were six teams jockeying for four spots. It also meant that there were only four spots for five power conferences.

The Big 12 felt TCU and Baylor were left out because the conference doesn't have a championship game. That might be true. All the teams in the playoff played a ranked team in an extra game that the Bears and Horned Frogs didn't play. There is a chance of this happening next season as well.

If the Big 12 wants to add a conference championship game, they must add more teams to hold a title game. That would give the Big 12 a marquee game and a true conference champion on the field. Besides, who wouldn't want a TCU-Baylor rematch? Even if the Big 12 doesn't expand, why not add four more teams to the playoff?

The rest of the top eight was Baylor, TCU, Mississippi State and Michigan State University. The Bears and Horned Frogs were last one-loss teams, and the Bulldogs and the Spartans were the only two-loss teams (besides Boise State) in the committee's poll. The rest of the teams in the poll had three or more losses.

So the playoff would be eight teams: Alabama against Michigan State, Oregon against Mississippi State, Florida State against TCU and Ohio State against Baylor. That would be a slate of playoff games everyone would want to watch.

Some years, the No. 9 and No. 10 teams might have a playoff case. If that happens often enough, open the playoff up to the top 10 teams.

The Big 12 adding teams and a conference championship game solves some problems, but adding four more teams would solve just about all the playoff problems. It should have been an eight-team playoff to start. Maybe they powers that be will learn one day.