The best part of the College Football Playoff is the drama

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The best part of the College Football Playoff is the drama

Keep the popcorn fresh, because the College Football Playoff drama just keeps coming — days removed from the reveal of the final bracket. More than a week before a game will even be played.

On Tuesday, it was Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s turn to react to what transpired. More specifically, he had a reaction to Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua’s reaction. And let me tell you, this thing is getting juicy.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve surely heard the complaints of Bevacqua, who’s been screaming from the mountaintops about how Notre Dame was done wrong by the selection committee and how the ACC targeted his program. “The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this process.”

None of it sat well with Yormark, who came to the defense of ACC commissioner Jim Phillips at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum on Tuesday, saying Bevacqua “is totally out of bounds in his approach, and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

“I think Pete’s, his behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during COVID. We all knew, it was very transparent that as Miami and Notre Dame got closer together, head to head would be a factor.”

He’s not wrong in calling out Bevacqua’s behavior. Nobody should be surprised the ACC advocated for member institute Miami over Notre Dame. At the same time, Notre Dame has a right to be upset. It made no sense for the committee to flip the schools after both were inactive during championship week.

But let’s forget about who’s right or wrong for a second. Ultimately, we’re nitpicking over the No. 10 seed of a 12-team bracket that shouldn’t exist to begin with. It’s at least four teams too many. Every first-round game of last year’s playoff ended with a double-digit margin. Two of the four this year have spreads of more than 17 points. This expanded system only exists to make television execs and conferences more money. The best part of the playoff isn’t the football, it’s the exact drama we’re discussing today.

The illusion of more teams having a crack at a national championship gets the people fired up. Having a committee decide those teams gives people somewhere to aim their ire. That’s the good stuff. Bevacqua is MAD. People are mad that he’s mad. And if it wasn’t Notre Dame as the first team out, it’d be another team with a gripe. The playoff in itself is no more useful than the BCS in deciding a champion. This drama, though, that’s why we’re here.

Is Philip Rivers a Hall of Fame quarterback?

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) celebrates the win over the Minnesota Vikings after the game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

With Philip Rivers making his return to the NFL after five years away, pushing back the timeline on his Hall of Fame eligibility, this is a good time to talk about his candidacy. More specifically, the reasons why a top-10 career passing yards and touchdowns leader might not actually be a Hall of Famer.

Here’s more on Rivers, who lacked the individual recognition and postseason success that sets most Hall of Fame quarterbacks apart:

“Short of those All-Pros that identify the NFL’s very best players each year, playoff success is the next best way to carve out a Hall of Fame resume. And unlike Manning, whose play improved in the postseason, Rivers’ got worse. His 95.2 career quarterback rating dipped to 85.3 in the playoffs. His completion percentage dipped below 60 percent. His record was 5-7. Unless he changes that in his return to the Colts, Rivers will remain a shaky Hall of Fame candidate.”

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Rivers has a chance to change that narrative with his return to the Colts. But a deep playoff run from a 44-year-old who’s been away for so long is asking for a lot.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: The best part of the CFP is the drama

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