ATLANTA — After Georgia was passed up by the College Football Playoff committee on Sunday following their SEC title game loss, many Bulldog fans aired their frustration over the decision.
No. 6 UGA will now play No. 5 Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
But if you fast forward a year in advance, this same topic of discussion in 2024 will no longer exist. That's when the CFP expands from the current four-team format to a 12-team playoff next year.
Say this were 2024, the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Alabama would hold barely any weight at all. Georgia would automatically be in regardless if they lost, and Alabama will still have a pretty good argument to get in on the 12-team format despite hypothetically being 11-2.
So even if you were one of those UGA or Florida State fans upset at the decision made today, these heated debates and controversial decisions that are sometimes objectively fun to be engaged in, regardless of whether your team gets in, will no longer be as important next season.
Since the BCS era began 25 years ago, college football's postseason format has grown from two teams to four and beginning next year, 12 teams. The six highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids and the other six highest-ranked teams will round out the new format.
If the College Football Playoffs this year were to be the exact same scenario next year, here's what the hypothetical matchups would look like:
- Top four seeds would receive bye
- No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Florida State
- No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Georgia
- No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Ohio State
- No. 9 Missouri at No. 8 Oregon
Maybe the best part about those initial games -- they would all be played at each higher-ranked team's on-campus stadium, before trickling down to all the major New Year's Six bowls for the remainder of the bracket.
So when it comes to next year, this topic will no longer be relevant. Georgia and Florida State would get their fair shot, but we sure will miss these fun discussions that make the game even more entertaining.
