In the past week, the NCAA has faced backlash after many top teams missed the college football playoffs including an undefeated Florida State team and the one-loss Georgia Bulldogs. 

The 4-team playoff, in which participants are chosen by committee, began in 2014 in an attempt to create a fair and competitive opportunity to win the National Championship. Many critics of the format believe that some members of the committee are underqualified and do not have enough football experience and knowledge to make a well-informed decision. They argue the current playoffs unfairly take the opportunity to compete in the national championship away from deserving teams. Supporters of the 4-team playoff, however, believe the committee choosing teams assures only the best teams make the playoffs, not just the teams with easy schedules.

Whilst this debate has been around since the beginning of the playoffs, this year seems to be a boiling point. Many college football fans and respected faces in the community were outraged the 13-0 Florida State Seminoles were left out of the playoffs. They argued that an undefeated season in the ACC was more than enough for them to be included in the four best teams in college football. Supporters of the decision stand by the logic that is the best teams, not the most deserving who make it to the playoffs. 

The NCAA looks to avoid any more situations such as this by ending the 4-team format and switching to a 21-team playoff after the 2024 season. In this format, the top 12 teams in college football will compete for the National Championship Trophy. This format will also use a committee, but the move will hopefully cool some of the turmoil in the college football community and allow for more competition between the top teams in the nation.