After a dud CFP opening round, Texas DB Michael Taaffe fires a shot at the selection committee, reigniting debate over “best 12 teams” and G5 auto bids.
It's safe to say the first round of the new-look College Football Playoff did not live up to the hype, and Texas Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe was more than happy to say the quiet part out loud.
While No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama delivered the fireworks everyone expected, the rest of the slate was a slog. No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami combined for just 13 total points in a 10-3 rock fight.
James Madison and Tulane were both effectively buried by halftime in their matchups, turning what was billed as a showcase weekend into background noise for a lot of fans.
That's when Taaffe logged onto X and dropped a pointed subtweet at the CFP committee: "Imagine if it was the best 12 teams…" punctuated by a Hook 'Em emoji.
The Longhorns didn't make the Playoff, but Taaffe's frustration echoed far beyond Austin. The blowouts and low-scoring duds fed right back into the two biggest talking points around the 12-team format: whether the "best" teams are actually being selected, and whether automatic bids for Group of Five champions still make sense in a Power Four world.
Analysts and fans piled on.
When James Madison rolled into Eugene to face Oregon and got buried under a four-touchdown avalanche before halftime, many used it as Exhibit A that G5 teams are simply outgunned in this bracket.
Some, like Joel Klatt, argued they're good teams playing at the wrong level and being set up to be remembered for one bad night instead of a great season.
Others, like Josh Pate, attacked from a different angle. Not that G5 teams are untalented, but that their regular-season schedules don't include the "baseline of struggle" that Power Four teams endure weekly. In other words, it's not just who you are, it's who you've had to survive to get here.
That context is exactly what gives Taaffe's post its edge.
Texas battled through a far more demanding slate than some of the teams that got boat-raced on the biggest stage, only to watch a flat first round confirm a lot of their suspicions.
As long as first-round blowouts and questionable inclusions remain part of the CFP script, players like Taaffe - and fan bases like Texas - won't stop asking the same question ... if this is the product, are we really getting the best 12 teams?