Expanded Playoffs Made This Ohio State vs. Texas Game Meaningless
What happened to the game I love?
The clash of titans between Ohio State and Texas (mostly) lived up to its billing, with the Buckeyes toppling the Longhorns in a 14-7 defensive slug fest.
Congrats to the Buckeyes on their big win over the number one team in the land, but let's be honest, this game is absolutely meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
Both of these teams are more than likely to make the College Football Playoff, and if you think I'm taking crazy pills, I'll prove it to you.
Last year, Clemson got absolutely waxed by Georgia in a neutral site showdown by a score of 34-3.
Clemson looked particularly lost on offense, and although its defense made the trip to Atlanta, it couldn't hold the water long enough, and the dam eventually broke.
Clemson lost two more games last season, including another bout to an SEC school, but still wound up in the College Football Playoff.
The way this system is structured, teams are allowed to slip up a couple of times throughout the season and still find their way into meaningful postseason play.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing, necessarily, but it does render these big-time matchups virtually meaningless with regard to any real stakes.
Ohio State will more than likely run roughshod through its Big Ten schedule and Texas will still have plenty of time to get things figured out.
Hell, by the time December rolls around, the committee could be touting this game from Texas as a quality loss against a top-five team on the road early in the season.
Remember when games like this were a virtual death sentence for whichever team lost, dooming it to a razor-thin margin of error for the next three months?
With the CFP expanding in the next couple of years, you can bet these high-profile matchups will only become more and more empty.
Yes, I know I'm an old man yelling at clouds (it's kind of my thing), but I just hate seeing my favorite regular season in sports becoming increasingly impotent as the years pass by.
Anyway, I gotta go. I have some more "meaningless" college football to watch!