You are almost certainly old enough to remember when a college football playoff felt like an unattainable fantasy.
So we must forever be grateful for the four-team playoff that will expire after this season, for serving a greater purpose as a bridge to the 12-team field that will allow (FBS) college campuses — the best atmospheres in American sports — to host postseason games for the first time.
The playoff ensured a national championship would never again be split, but the format was inherently flawed, offering four postseason spots in a sport with five power conferences and imbalanced scheduling.
The first playoff selection (2014) set a poor tone — TCU was ranked third in the penultimate rankings, won its regular-season finale by 52 points, then dropped to sixth, instantly making irrelevant every set of future rankings released on ESPN before the season’s final one — but the title run of No. 4 Ohio State demonstrated how much the sport had been missing.
The four-team format always hinted at chaos, but rarely provided more than minor hiccups. In 2016, one-loss Ohio State earned entry over two-loss Big Ten champ Penn State. In 2017, undefeated UCF was ranked 10th while the SEC earned two invitations. In 2018, a battle for the final spot between Oklahoma and Ohio State didn’t spark much debate, thanks to the Buckeyes’ blowout loss to 6-7 Purdue, which eventually left Ohio State behind two-loss Georgia as well. In 2020, Jimbo Fisher was boxed out of the playoff with one-loss Texas A&M unable to build a compelling case for inclusion.
It is miraculous the four-team format hasn’t created more controversy.
Beginning next season, the selection committee’s job will become significantly easier. Every power conference champion will make the field and Group of Five teams truly will have chances to grab seats at the table.
But this season, the committee will be put in the most uncomfortable position it has ever faced. Four spots won’t be enough.
The winner of Saturday’s battle (noon ET, Fox) between No. 2 Ohio State (11-0) and No. 3 Michigan (11-0) — a program still facing the specter of a sign-stealing scandal — will get in. Last year, the loser (Ohio State) did, too.
The winner of next week’s SEC Championship between No. 1 Georgia (11-0; at Georgia Tech, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) and No. 8 Alabama (10-1; at Auburn, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) will clinch a berth. If the Bulldogs lose, they’ll remain in the mix (Alabama and Georgia both made the playoff in 2017 and 2021).
No. 5 Florida State (11-0) is now without star quarterback Jordan Travis, but the Seminoles will make the playoff if they win out. Despite the doomsday headlines, Florida State is a 6.5-point favorite at Florida this weekend (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN) and a 5.5-point favorite against No. 10 Louisville (10-1) in next Saturday’s ACC Championship.
No. 4 Washington (11-0; vs. Washington State, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, Fox) also will earn a ticket if it wins out, and No. 6 Oregon (10-1; vs. Oregon State, Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox) may have the strongest case of any one-loss team if it avenges its last-second loss to the Huskies and wins the Pac-12 Championship. Heisman Trophy front-runner Bo Nix and the Ducks are currently listed as hypothetical 7.5-point favorites over Washington.
No. 7 Texas (10-1; vs. Texas Tech, Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) also will be tough to exclude if it wins the Big 12 Championship, given its ownership of the best win in the country this season (at Alabama).
Should the Crimson Tide win the SEC, could the loss to Texas keep the leading conference in college football out of the playoff for the first time?
Not since the first playoff have there been six legitimate contenders to reach the national semifinals. The number of candidates could top that this season.
There is probably an upset we don’t see coming, but the committee also probably won’t be lucky enough to see chaos shrink the list to avoid controversy.
It is overdue.
This, right now, should be a good moment to be a Jets fan. This should be a good morning, at least.
There is change, so there is mystery, so there is hope. The amount of it is irrelevant.
Because there is more optimism than there would be for Friday’s game against the Dolphins (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video, Ch. 5 locally) if Zach Wilson still were the Jets’ starting quarterback — the second top-three pick the team has given up on in the past three years — rather than backup Tim Boyle.
For this moment, you can ignore Boyle’s three winless starts with Detroit in 2021, his three career touchdowns and nine interceptions, a college career that ended with a 55.5 completion percentage, 12 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
Because he hasn’t led a Jets offense that has scored one touchdown in the past three games, that hasn’t topped 13 points in the past four games, that ranks last in the league in third-down conversions (23 percent) and red-zone conversions (26.1 percent).
In a matchup with the first-place Dolphins (7-3) — the league’s highest-scoring team (30.5 points per game) — the Jets (4-6) will ask the undrafted 29-year-old to save a season that started with Super Bowl aspirations.
It would have been a nightmare three months ago. Today, it represents hope. For the moment, at least.
The Celtics have the best starting five in the NBA. Damian Lillard gives the Bucks the best 1-2 combo in the league. The 76ers are thriving without James Harden. The Heat aren’t sleepwalking through the regular season. The Pacers have the league’s top offense. The Magic are ahead of schedule. The Cavaliers have won four of five, most recently knocking off Denver and Philadelphia.
The Eastern Conference has improved — and the Knicks still have not shown they’re ready to make the leap from second-tier status.
One month into the season — with 17 percent of the schedule played — the Knicks have earned one win against a team with a winning record (Cleveland) and picked up five losses (Boston x 2, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Cleveland). Seven of the Knicks’ eight wins have come against a collection of five opponents with a combined .329 win percentage (23-47).
After a one-sided loss to the Timberwolves, the Knicks have another two chances to prove they may be capable of making the leap.
Friday night, in an In-Season Tournament game, they host the Heat (10-5), winners of nine of their past 10 games (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, MSG).
On Sunday, the Suns (9-6) — winners of five in a row — come to the Garden (6 p.m. ET, MSG).
???? The Cowboys blew out the Commanders, and DaRon Bland can’t stop getting pick-sixes.
???? The Lions’ Thanksgiving showcase went sideways, and all of a sudden it’s the Packers making noise.
???? Christian McCaffrey scored twice, Brock Purdy dropped a dime and the 49ers handled the Seahawks.
⚾ The Post’s Jon Heyman has a handy guide to MLB’s top trade targets, from Juan Soto to Pete Alonso, and their chances of getting dealt.
???? Shot-blocking has been a crucial component of the Rangers’ brilliant start under Peter Laviolette, explains The Post’s Mollie Walker.
???? Bill Belichick, HC of the TBB? Sure, why not.
⚽ Sam Kerr’s still got it.