CFP controversy: Notre Dame should be mad at ACC for bad tiebreaker

Going back decades, most college football fans would probably agree that a playoff was needed, players should share in the profits, and student-athletes deserved the same freedom to change schools as coaches.

Now that all those things have happened, why is the sport such a mess?

The answer is short-sighted decision-making, but let's just focus on the College Football Playoff for now, since parts of the Midwest are still reeling.

Notre Dame certainly passed the eye test as a team that belongs in the 12-team field. But the Irish were left out, then announced they would decline a bowl invitation.

The snub officially became a feud Monday when Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua went on the Dan Patrick show to complain about the ACC.

“I wouldn't be honest with you if I didn't say they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said. “It raised a lot of eyebrows here that the conference was taking shots at us.”

OK, what happened? Bevacqua apparently wasn't happy with the ACC account on X sending a graphic about how conference member Miami compared favorably to conference-member, but not in football, Notre Dame. The ACC Network also replayed the early-season Miami vs. Notre Dame game more than a dozen times last weekend, according to ESPN.

If picking the playoff field boiled down to Alabama, Miami and Notre Dame, only two can get in, then it was pretty easy. Alabama was the clear leader in strength of schedule and quality wins. Then Miami beat Notre Dame head-to-head.

Actually, Notre Dame should be mad at the ACC, as well as the NCAA. The most baffling turn of events last weekend was the ACC somehow producing a tiebreaker format that sent five-loss Duke against Virginia in the conference title game.

If Miami played Virginia and won, the Hurricanes would have made the playoff as the ACC champs. Instead they were an at-large selection.

Since the NCAA wrote a bizarre rule about how the five highest-ranked conference champs must be in the field, the playoff committee was obligated to take Tulane and James Madison, both higher ranked than Duke.

Had Miami beaten Virginia in the ACC title game, Miami and Notre Dame would both have made the field, with James Madison getting pushed out, because the Hurricanes would have been one of the five highest-ranked conference champs. Makes perfect sense, right?

So the whole Notre Dame controversy boils down to brutal decisions made by supposedly smart people. What else is new in college sports?

This tradition of blunders began last year, when the NCAA brain trust decided the top four conference champs should get first-round byes. Anyone with reasonable intelligence could have predicted what would happen: The No. 5 seed would have a huge advantage, matched up against two teams probably not ranked in the top 10.

That's exactly what happened. Penn State lost the Big Ten title game, but essentially got a free pass into the semifinals by beating SMU and Boise State.

And why are the Power 4 still playing conference title games? Those things date back to the lost era of, “You guys need to play more games so we can make more money.”

Heading into a 12-team playoff, why do some teams have to endure a challenging game, while others can sit in the hot tub and relax? Remember last year, Notre Dame faced Georgia's backup quarterback in a second-round playoff contest. What happened to the starter? He was injured when the Bulldogs faced Texas — for the second time last season — in the SEC title game.

There isn't much that makes sense in college football these days, so here are some suggestions: 1. End conference title games; 2. Everyone play the same number of league tilts; right now the Big Ten and Big 12 are at nine, everyone else eight; 3. Start a Group of Five playoff with six or eight teams, and only put Tulane or James Madison in the CFP if they're ranked in the top 12.

Reviving the Pac-12 would be a smart idea, however unlikely that is. But 18-team conferences don't work. Virginia won the ACC regular season, while five teams tied for second place. UVa played just one of the second-place teams (Duke, twice). How do you determine the best team in that scenario?

Finally, do something about nonconference schedules. Why is it Texas can play Ohio State, Oklahoma can play Michigan, but those teams are judged equally with, say, Penn State, which lined up Nevada, FIU and Villanova.

From now on, the Power 4 teams should be required to leave one week open, then let's see how the leagues stack up. Big Ten vs. Big 12, SEC vs. ACC — line up the teams, announce the games in March or April, and flip the conference matchups every year.

This mess can be saved.