The College Football Playoff committee’s job used to be to select the four best teams for the bracket. No automatic bids, although conference championship games provided a useful data point.
Then came the 12-team playoff, and five automatic bids barged their way into the bracket. A worthy idea, but realignment and bloated conferences damaged this concept. The CFP format probably requires fine-tuning after seeing Tulane and James Madison clog the first round.
I’m all ears for the burgeoning idea the 12-team playoff ought to be an attempt to gather the 12 best teams. No auto bids. No conferences are guaranteed a spot. And, if I might be so bold, no athletic directors involved in choosing the 12 best teams.
Here’s my 12-team playoff bracket, with seeding, for this season. No ADs or television executives were consulted in the compiling of these picks:
What my 12 best teams CFP bracket would look like
Indiana: The nation’s only undefeated team possesses only strengths, no weaknesses.
Georgia: The Bulldogs are peaking as the postseason arrives, and they have a better collection of wins than Ohio State.
Ohio State: The defense remains as good as any. Questions center on the offense, as coordinator Brian Hartline juggles double duty with OSU and USF, his new job.
Texas Tech: Never mind the Big 12 jersey patch. This defense could wreak havoc in the SEC or Big Ten. Quarterback Behren Morton would thrive in any conference, too.
Oregon: The Ducks weren’t on Indiana’s level in a midseason loss, but being one step below the Hoosiers is still pretty good.
Ole Miss: The offense performs as well as any in the bracket, and keeping coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. for the playoff was key. Ole Miss is a defense away from being elite.
Texas A&M: The Aggies appear to be on the downslope of their peak. Texas A&M is good in a lot of areas, great in none, but you can’t deny their 11 wins.
Notre Dame: Twelve best teams means the Irish are not only in the bracket, but hosting in Round 1. My eyes detect vast improvement from Notre Dame since Week 1.
Oklahoma: The Sooners are the opposite of Ole Miss, with an elite defense that gives them a chance against anyone, but a suspect offense that says they won’t last ‘til the end.
Miami: When we see the best of Carson Beck, we see a team nobody in this bracket would wish to face. The Hurricanes played well in November. Just keep Beck hot.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide peaked in October. They lack a run game. Quarterback Ty Simpson’s performance is slipping. A respectable defense supplies what’s left of Alabama’s engine.
Texas: Three losses shouldn’t be ignored. Three wins against top-15 opponents should not be ignored, either. Pair them together, and out pops a 12-seed.
Four-team college football NIT
Anyone up for a college football NIT?
You’re probably thinking, “What’s the point?” Well, what’s the point of bowl games? What’s the point of the basketball NIT? Programming!
I’m elevating four teams up from bowl games and into a mini tournament for the right to declare, “We’re No. 13.”
My first-round NIT games will be played Dec. 13 at a pair of sunny bowl venues. Put the NIT title game at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, as a prequel to the playoff quarterfinal game that evening. NIT title to be played at an even sunnier bowl venue.
Here’s my NIT:
BYU: The billionaire oil tycoon that keeps going on your TV and telling you college sports are broken and only he can fix them stood between BYU and a Big 12 title. Fair enough, but the Cougars achieved enough without Big Oil’s help for an NIT No. 1 seed.
Vanderbilt: Before you mercilessly mock my idea of a four-team NIT, consider I’m giving you up to two more opportunities to watch Diego Pavia, instead of a single bowl game.
Utah: Kyle Whittingham is stepping down after a good, long ride at Utah. Let’s give him his “Last Dance,” in the NIT.
Tulane: Can’t spare room in my 12-best-teams playoff bracket for the Group of Five this year, but there’s room in the NIT for a Tulane team that beat the ACC’s champion.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.