On Monday, January 8, Michigan won its first championship since 1997 and in the College Football Playoff Era (est. 2015) by defeating Washington, 34-13. Wolverines running back Blake Corum finished with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns and was a key part in Michigan’s victory. Controversy spurred throughout the entirety of the Wolverine’s season: Jim Harbaugh’s two-time suspension and accusatory sign-stealing filled the papers. With that said, they cemented their dominance as the best team in the country with wins over Penn State, Ohio State, and Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
However, the overall “vibe” of the College Football Playoff this year was that the four-team format was unfair due to the selection of a limited number of teams through the subjectivity of the CFP committee. Many fans were upset that Florida State, despite being undefeated and winning the ACC, was left out of the playoff. Due to various quarterback injuries, the concern was that they would not be able to compete with the other top teams. The committee’s decision was validated with their major loss to 2022 and 2023 National Champion Georgia, 63-3 in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Following the demolition, a dramatic playoff series played out with both the Sugar and Rose Bowl games coming down to the last play.
Next year, college football will expand its playoffs to 12 teams, allowing teams who are still very competitive but wouldn’t have had a chance in the previous format to win a national championship. There will be both more playoff games and less subjectivity involved as the top six conference winners will get the top six spots and the next six best teams will get the remaining spots.
