College Football’s Double Standard: Why Group of Five Teams Deserve a Fair Shot
The first round of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff gave us plenty to talk about, and not all of it was about the games themselves. In the nearly two-week stretch between Selection Sunday and kickoff, the noise around the bracket wasn’t just loud-it was pointed. And a lot of it was aimed squarely at two teams: Tulane and James Madison.
The gripe? That two Group of Five schools had the audacity to crash the Power Four party.
Critics were loud and clear. Nick Saban questioned their inclusion.
Kirk Herbstreit echoed that skepticism. Joel Klatt even took a detour into college basketball, lamenting the Cinderella phenomenon and arguing that playoff fields should be reserved for the sport’s blue bloods.
The message was unmistakable: the little guys don’t belong.
But here’s the thing-those complaints don’t hold up under the weight of the actual games.
Let’s talk results.
Tulane got rolled by Ole Miss, no question. A 31-point loss is hard to sugarcoat.
But look closer: the Green Wave turned the ball over three times, and despite the lopsided score, the Rebels only outgained them by 76 yards. That’s not exactly domination from whistle to whistle.
James Madison lost by 17 at Oregon, but the Dukes made it a game. They nearly matched the Ducks in total yardage and stayed within the spread.
Oregon never truly looked like they were in trouble, but JMU didn’t fold, either. It was a respectable showing in a tough road environment.
Now compare that to some of the so-called “brand name” matchups.
Oklahoma blew a 17-0 lead to Alabama. The Sooners’ punter dropped a snap.
Their quarterback, John Mateer, made a series of poor decisions-including a brutal pick-six that flipped the momentum. Their kicker, fresh off winning the Lou Groza Award, missed two fourth-quarter field goals.
That’s not Group of Five football. That’s just sloppy execution in a high-stakes game.
Then there was Miami vs. Texas A&M.
If you were hoping for fireworks, this one wasn’t it. Four missed field goals in the first half kept the game scoreless at the break-three of those misses came from Miami.
It was a defensive slugfest that ended with the Hurricanes scoring the game’s only touchdown. Unless you were a fan of either team, it probably wasn’t appointment viewing.
And yet, no one’s calling these teams frauds. No one’s questioning whether they deserved to be in the playoff.
Why? Because they wear the right jerseys.
Because they come from the right conferences. Because the assumption is that power automatically equals quality.
But let’s not forget: TCU made the national title game in 2022 after stunning Michigan in the semifinals. Yes, they got blown out by Georgia in the final.
But there wasn’t a national outcry about TCU being a Cinderella that didn’t belong. SMU made last year’s playoff and lost at Penn State.
Again, no one was calling for the Mustangs to be banned from future brackets.
So what’s changed? Maybe it’s the fact that this year’s playoff had two Group of Five teams instead of one.
Maybe it’s that the ACC, one of the Power Four, is going through its own chaotic transition. Either way, the narrative has shifted-and not in a fair way.
Let’s go back to the numbers.
This year’s first-round games, with two Group of Five teams in the mix, had an average margin of victory of 16.3 points.
Last year? The first round of the 12-team playoff-without a single G5 team on the field-had an average margin of 19.3 points.
That’s right. The games were closer this year.
And if we zoom out even further, the history of the College Football Playoff tells a clear story. Since the CFP began in 2014, blowouts have been more common than thrillers.
More games have been decided by 20 or more points than by one score. Over two-thirds of all playoff games have had a margin of 11 points or more.
So no, the Group of Five isn’t the problem. The playoff has always had its share of duds-regardless of who’s playing.
And yet, when Tulane or James Madison gets beat, it’s somehow a referendum on whether they should’ve been invited. When Oklahoma or Miami stumbles, it’s just part of the game.
That’s the double standard.
There’s a metaphor floating around from another sport that fits here. In a recent boxing match, Jake Paul-yes, that Jake Paul-stepped into the ring with two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua.
It was a mismatch on paper and in the ring. Paul lasted six rounds before Joshua landed a right hand that broke his jaw in two places.
Still, Paul was praised for his “courage” and walked away with a $92 million payday.
In college football terms, Joshua was the Power Four. Paul was the Group of Five. And yet, somehow, Paul got more respect in defeat than Tulane or JMU did just for showing up.
The bottom line? The playoff is better when it’s inclusive.
Not every game will be a classic. But the idea that only the biggest brands deserve a seat at the table doesn’t hold up-especially when the numbers show they’re just as capable of laying an egg.
The 12-team playoff was built to give more teams a chance. Let’s not forget that. Because if we’re going to criticize blowouts, let’s at least be consistent about where we point the finger.