Should James Madison Even Be In The College Football Playoff? One Legendary Coach Doesn't Think So

The College Football Playoff starts Friday night, with one of the most controversial selections, the Alabama Crimson Tide, playing the Oklahoma Sooners.

Part of the reason that Alabama's inclusion was so controversial was that it meant that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were excluded. Notre Dame had a case to make the 12-team field, thanks to its dominance in the final 10 games, with its only two losses being early and close against high-quality opponents. Alabama, thanks to the SEC's lobbying prowess and the power of ESPN, was guaranteed a spot by the committee regardless of the outcome against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. 

The committee also wanted an ACC team in the field, meaning it had to create a way to include Miami. That too, led to more controversy. But all these debates and arguments are necessary because two non-Power 4 Conference teams made it; James Madison and Tulane. 

Those two spots, even one of those spots, would have allowed both Alabama and Notre Dame to make the field. Removing both would have also allowed in BYU, which was punished for losing its conference championship game in a glaring case of committee bias.

One of the most successful college coaches in recent memory, Urban Meyer, thinks we have to fix this. Particularly by fixing the inherent imbalance in schedules between James Madison and major conference teams. And he's probably right.

Head coach Urban Meyer. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images).

Urban Meyer Wants Rules Changed On Group Of 5 Teams

In a recent episode of the "Triple Option Podcast," Meyer said he would change the criteria to mandate that group of 5 teams play tougher opponents.

"I would mandate that a James Madison, or a non-Power Four, you have to play three programs in the top 50, or you can’t, you know, win your conference and win whatever (else), but you can’t be considered," Meyer said.

How you define "Top 50" would obviously be a point of contention, but he has a point. Most major conferences are now mandating that their members play nine conference games and at least one additional opponent from a Power 4 conference. Holding smaller programs to a similar standard isn't indefensible. 

"And that would tell the ADs and all that because you have to be judged on that," he added. "You can’t be judged on the other games, you just can’t. And I’m not disrespecting. I coached in the MAC conference. It’s awesome. I mean, my God, there’s first-rounders in those conferences."

He continued by directly comparing the Fighting Irish to James Madison, saying it's a disservice to the "better team" to not be included.

"You’re telling the Fighting Irish to sit home and James Madison’s going? And some people, whether it’s right or — I don’t want to say right or wrong, or deserving or not, (but) the better team is supposed to be in the game," Meyer said.

"So if you’re telling me Vegas comes out and says James Madison would beat Notre Dame, then they made the right choice. If not, then it’s not the right choice."

There's a lot of truth to this argument. James Madison clearly did not play the same level of schedule as many Power 4 conference teams. Some of that isn't their fault; if James Madison was allowed to join a big conference, they wouldn't have to fight for tougher schedules. They also can't force teams to play them. And it might be harder than ever to get big teams to pick James Madison as their Group of 5 opponent now that they've had such success. 

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't push for some sort of scheduling mandate to ensure that Power 4 teams aren't punished. How that mandate is decided and enforced might be complicated, but it's worth trying.