The Extra Point: Finally, A Season of "Parity" in College Football
For several years now, there has been a cry repeatedly echoed by college football fans across the country: "I'm tired of seeing the same teams at the top every season."
While a statement like that can sometimes be hyperbolic, it has been mostly true of college football with only 13 different teams making the College Football Playoff since its inception. Four schools (Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma) have already made at least four appearances in the playoff in the eight years of its existence.
This continued dominance by the top programs has left fans, media members, and even football pundits begging for increased parity and calling for an expanded playoff to give more teams a chance at competing for a national championship.
While the expanded playoff looks to be an inevitable outcome, the 2022 college football season has shown parity might be making its return to college football.
Currently, none of the four teams mentioned above are undefeated and with Ohio State losing to Michigan this past Saturday, it's highly probable none of them will be ranked inside the top four of the College Football Playoff committee's upcoming rankings.
The number of teams that have been in discussion for the College Football Playoff is somewhere in the double-digits and programs such as TCU and USC have great chances to make the playoff for the first time.
And yet, even though the Alabama Crimson Tide lost two regular season games before the Iron Bowl for the first time since 2010, they still have an outside chance at becoming the first two-loss team to make the College Football Playoff should chaos ensue this upcoming weekend.
And so, even with the increased parity this season making many college football fans pleased to see new blood in the mix, there's a chance the big bad Alabama Crimson Tide could sneak into the playoff for the eighth time in nine years.
All will be sorted out in a week's time and it will be interesting to see whether the outcome will have the college football world celebrating increased "parity" or begging for the expanded playoff to come more quickly than ever.
Watch the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's Clay Miller and Christopher Walsh discuss the increased parity this season in college football.
See Also:
Everything Nick Saban Said After Alabama Won the Iron Bowl
Alabama Football Coaches Name 12 Players of the Week following Iron Bowl Win
Depth of Alabama Basketball Shows Up in 4OT Win over No. 1 North Carolina
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