Would a separate Group of 6 playoff help or harm the Tulane Green Wave football team after making the CFP?
Tulane Green Wave football made the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, and it already feels like they’re trying to be kicked out of ever returning after losses by both Group of Five – or now Group of 6 – programs in the CFP. There are antitrust reasons baked into the guaranteed autobid that will preclude the Power Four from formally excluding the Group of 6 from the CFP, but there is skepticism as to how difficult the P4 will make it for G6 programs to survive in the format. Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti's pitch for 24 teams only includes one G6 autobid. It does beg the question – should the G6 pursue its own playoff?
The G6 is 10-12 all time in BCS/NY6/CFP games but are 1-8 in the last nine and 0-4 in CFP games. There’s certainly a talent gap. The Boise State Broncos lead the way with three wins in that time, with Tulane being the only other current G6 program that has a win. Moreover, G6 conferences only sent 14 of the 257 picks in the 2026 NFL draft, showing that the talent gap due to NIL and Power Four resources is continually growing.
To that, American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti posed a solution, one that doesn’t keep the G6 out of the big dance. He proposed a six-team G6 playoff for the conference champions that are the highest rated who didn’t get selected for the CFP. He pitched the idea as the best-on-best G6 football, and there’s certainly exposure to consider, as Pernetti indicated there is interest from media and brand partners.
But will it be the first step to shutting out their access? Would it become clear in that format that the G6 is playing a different game than the P4? Or at least most of the G6? It feels, in a way, like opening up the door to shoving them quietly into their own playoff system, especially if one is already developed and implemented. But it also makes it clear that the bowl system is on its last legs, and these are all attempts to fix that as well.
The current matchups for G6 in bowl games just don’t draw crowds and ratings, with the number of opt-outs making things worse. The idea here is that this would guarantee more premium matchups and perhaps an air of importance that is lost in the bowl system.
However, there’s an important problem to consider. If the best G6 team isn’t in the dance, is there really a winner that isn’t just a runner up to the team not participating? It’s not clear that this would do anything for Tulane’s profile, and they should continue working to fight for that spot in the CFP before considering this G6 postseason system.