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Robert Griffin III calls College Football Playoff a 'joke' after controversial decision

Joe Cox|
FOX Sports analyst Robert Griffin III had a strong take about the inconsistency of the College Football Playoff committee.
FOX Sports analyst Robert Griffin III had a strong take about the inconsistency of the College Football Playoff committee. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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BYU CougarsNotre Dame Fighting IrishAlabama Crimson Tide

The College Football Playoff's team selection process is certain feeling some heat. The revelation of this year's 12-team bracket has fans and college football insiders alike pointing out issues and inconsistencies. The treatment of the Big 12 in particular drew some strong reactions.

CFP Selection Hijinks

While conference champion Texas Tech nabbed a top four seeding in the CFP, an 11-2 BYU team that lost just two games (both to Texas Tech) found itself on the outside of the Playoff field. It seems that BYU's 34-7 loss to Texas Tech hampered the Cougars' Playoff shot... while Alabama's 28-7 loss to Georgia seemed to have virtually no impact.

RG3's Take

FOX Sports analyst and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III dropped a strong social media take after the announcement of the bracket. As a former Big 12 star, Griffin felt that his oly conference certainly got a raw deal in the CFP draw.

SEC bias?

The bias that Griffin is alledging is presumably favoritism of the SEC. With five teams in the CFP field (most notably Alabama, although a two-loss Oklahoma team that was dropped 23-6 by Texas is also in the field), the SEC certainly got the most favorable treatment which could be plausibly given.

The filling of the CFP field

With an 8-5 Duke team winning the ACC title game, two Group of Five teams entered the automatic field of five league champions (Tulane and James Madison). That left five remaining teams and the Big Ten had a pretty clear claim to three with Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon. With Big 12 champion Texas Tech earning another spot, the question was whether Independent Notre Dame, Big 12 BYU, or ACC Miami grabbed the last spot.

System-wide CFP problems

Or, as Griffin posits, maybe four SEC teams was enough. The final CFP rankings indicate that if Alabama had been bumped out of the field, Notre Dame and not BYU would have then grabbed the last spot. The lack of transparency of the CFP process has been criticized and many insiders, including Kirk Herbstreit have suggested that the weekly rankings show broadcast on ESPN, was essentially a massive waste of time if not a source of disinformation.

The entire situation-- the massive SEC representation, the odd ACC race that pushed another G5 team into the field, inconsistent CFP committee messaging and a confusing process-- left one college football legend terming the selection process a 'joke.' On a date that's intended to celebrate a brilliant season, Griffin's verdict is probably not the best news for the future of the CFP process.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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