Tulane Now One of Several Blowouts in College Football Playoff

Now, there’s never really been a great argument that starts with well, this team also lost too. However, the discourse surrounding the Tulane Green Wave and James Madison Dukes’ inclusion in the College Football Playoff was so dramatic and disingenuous in the intentions behind things. They were at one point referred to as ‘Make a Wish’ programs. One media personality has walked back his comments to saying it was a joke that he saw a “safety issue” in including Group of Five programs in the CFP. The results on the field certainly didn’t help with the Green Wave losing 41-10 in the first round. Nor did the Dukes losing 51-34.

Then the quarterfinals of the 12-team field all transpired over New Years Eve to New Years Day. Only the final game was competitive on Thursday. The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes beat the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 24-14, and that felt a bit closer Wednesday night. No. 5 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders and No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide certainly never felt close at a singular point.

The Ducks won 23-0, and the Hoosiers won 38-3. But the G5 blowouts were unique and of issue here?

Again, celebrating inclusion by referencing other blowouts is not the way one wants to get a seat at the table by virtue of a participation trophy. But if the Group of Five received so much flak for not belonging in the 12-team format, why should that not be taken into account when the Big 12 champions and an SEC powerhouse fare no better?

Not to mention, it’s a bit alarming that the only top four seed to win was Indiana. In previous years, the Buckeyes would’ve played the Hoosiers for the national title. But Ohio State would’ve had no business in a final after losing to the No. 10 seed. And sure, that seed wasn’t a Group of Five upset. The game Tulane dropped to Ole Miss never felt in grasp.

After the results of the last two days: was that a product of the G5 having no business in the CFP, or that this G5 program simply ran into an SEC squad who was much more talented and were never going to falter? The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels were the only ones to put on a show against the No.3 Georgia Bulldogs Thursday night. Outside of that, there was no indication of blue bloods at all.

So, maybe the G5 didn’t belong. Neither did Alabama or Texas Tech it seems. When only one of the top four seeds wins their semifinal games, perhaps it shows that this field was too small for too long, and that a committee of heads indeed isn’t going to be perfect at picking 12 seeds. Miami pulled off the upset against the Buckeyes. That makes a Cinderella story a bit more attainable in the future. The ACC is the next domino to fall if the G5 access goes away. That win was good for the health of the sport. The numerous blowout losses simply showed that the sport is still trying to disentangle itself from sicknesses, and some may just be a part of the game.