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The Good and Bad of 2014: Bucks built to last

The Sports Xchange

January 13, 2015 at 11:27 am.

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones (12) runs with the ball against the Oregon Ducks in the third quarter in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

That wasn’t so hard, was it?

The first year of the four-team college football playoff enhanced the regular season, retained all off the outrage for talk radio, provided record-setting cable viewership for the elimination games and delivered a champion that everyone (well, almost everyone) could finally, correctly, describe as “undisputed.”

And, ahem, it made a truckload of cash.

Yeah, the playoff did what it was supposed to do.

It was certainly a case of “What the heck took so long?” but it was worth the wait to see college football’s version of an expanded unscripted reality show. The last team in, Ohio State, stormed back to beat Alabama in a semifinal game and then accelerated past the nation’s fastest team, Oregon, for a 42-20 victory to give the Buckeyes their eighth national title.

Here is a look the good and the bad of the first year of the playoff era, plus a peek ahead to next season:

Five things that worked

1. This wasn’t the BCS.

In the old system, a mix of polls and computer rankings, the championship game would have matched Florida State and Alabama — the two losers of the semifinal games. See what we’ve been missing all these years?

2. ESPN isn’t complaining.

The cable giant paid $7.3 billion over 12 years for the rights to the championship game and the Big Six bowls, which include the semifinals on a rotating basis. More than 28 million watched the semifinals (greater than the first round of NFL playoffs that weekend) and ESPN earned its highest overnight ratings (18.5) ever for Oregon-Ohio State, marking a 21 percent increase over Florida State-Auburn a year earlier. Those are big, impressive numbers that even Meathead Rob Lowe could understand.

3. The NCAA made a sensible ruling.

About a week before the title game, the NCAA passed legislation that allowed the College Football Playoff to help defray the travel costs for student-athletes’ families or guardians to attend the game. A maximum of two family members could reach up to $1,250 each. It’s a start, and there’s plenty of money to go around.

4. Ohio State absolutely earned it.

The Buckeyes, down to third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, routed Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game before beginning its playoff run over Alabama and Oregon, the two teams widely considered the most dangerous. The Buckeyes won that trio of games by a combined score of 143-55, beating the three Heisman finalists in succession (Melvin Gordon, Amari Cooper, Marcus Mariota).

5. The “little guy” still gets a big stage.

A four-team playoff is almost certain to exclude a team from outside the Big Five conferences, but it guarantees a major bowl for one team from outside the power structure. This year, Mountain West champion Boise State, which otherwise would have played in the Las Vegas Bowl, landed in the Fiesta, where the Broncos pulled the Statue of Liberty play from the archives to help defeat Arizona.

Five things that didn’t work

1. It’s still not enough.

Five major conferences, four playoff spots. The math dictates that controversy will thrive (like that’s a bad thing?) until the playoff expands to eight teams. Guess what? Playoffs expand. That’s what they do. It’s evolution. It’s inevitable. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. Four was more, but eight will be great.

2. The selection committee’s weekly poll.

The committee’s weekly rankings, starting at midseason, were highly anticipated but often muddied the waters as much as they provided transparency. The explanation for how TCU dropped from third to sixth in the final week might pass scrutiny under the “full body of work” caveat, but it was hard for most fans to wrap their heads around. The selection committee really doesn’t have to show its work until all the games are played.

3. Scheduling cupcakes.

Big 12 co-champ Baylor was punished in the CFB rankings for playing a non-conference schedule of SMU, Northwestern State and Buffalo. The selection committee made it clear that strength of schedule is significant in determining playoff spots among teams with otherwise very similar resumes. Better early non-conference games will be another win for the sport.

4. Not having a conference title game.

In the BCS era, a conference title game was often a detriment to advancing to the national title game. Not this season. TCU and Baylor, after playing a full round-robin in the Big 12 conference, didn’t have a chance to put one more needed quality win on their resumes, leaving both schools with a lot of “what ifs.” After the Horned Frogs dissected Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, fans brought a sign to the national title game: “Winner plays TCU.”

5. Marcus Mariota didn’t get the ultimate trophy.

Following Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston as the holders of the famous stiff-armed trophy, Mariota brought class back to the proceedings. The Oregon quarterback didn’t get a fitting ending, though, leaving Jerry’s World with only the fifth loss of his college career.

Five things to know for 2015

1. There will be much more Ohio State.

The Buckeyes will be loaded again (running back Ezekiel Elliott, defensive end Joey Bosa, four starting offensive linemen, etc.) and, pending decisions on transferring/turning pro, could have the most fascinating quarterback battle in the history of the sport. Say hello to your preseason No. 1.

2. Ask for time off now.

The 2015 semifinal games — held in the Orange and Cotton bowls — won’t be played on New Year’s Day, the traditional holiest of days for college football fans, but will be moved up to New Year’s Eve. The sport’s power brokers are already girding for a downtick in viewership in less desirable TV windows, as the Rose and Sugar bowls retain their coveted Jan. 1 spots in the afternoon and at night.

3. The Harbaugh restoration.

You might have heard: Michigan hired Michigan man Jim Harbaugh. Cue the talk of big boy football, Dockers, a lack of a conference title for the Wolverines in the past decade and a Harbaugh-Urban Meyer rivalry that will elevate the entire Big Ten.

4. USC is ready to roar.

The NCAA sanctions will be mostly behind the Trojans, who will enter their second season under coach Steve Sarkisian with senior quarterback Cody Kessler, a more experienced offensive line and rising stars such as Adoree Jackson and JuJu Smith.

5. The running back is back.

Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine, LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Georgia’s Nick Chubb (as well as Pitt’s James Conner and Arizona’s Nick Wilson) are among the young runners who will help define the 2015 season and crash the Heisman quarterback party.

Anthony Gimino covers college football for The Sports Xchange.