Does the Group of Five (G5) Belong?

Lately, i'm seeing a lot of guff going to the little guys of College Football. Bullies like Joel Klatt have made headlines saying, "I hate small schools. I'm only happy when big schools win." (or something like that).

Per Yahoo Sports

What seems like rage bait is unfortunately a "hot" take from one of College Football's most trusted analyst. If College Football was a middle school classroom, this is like the special ed teacher saying we should leave all the kids with development issues behind on the field trip.

Um, anyways. For real, this is the climate we live in with the current state of College Football. Regardless of how serious this quote from Mr. Joel is, we need to address the ongoing slander against the Group of Five Conferences.

The Group of Five, or G5, is a group of "small school" conferences that include the American (AAC), Conference USA (CUSA), Mid-American (MAC), Mountain West (MW), and Sun Belt (SBC). None of which have ever won a National Championship. One of which has ever made the playoffs. Ever. (Go Cats).

Lately, as College Football handouts are expanding, more schools are getting upset their 2/3 loss schools aren't getting a chance to play in the playoffs. The scapegoat commonly used by these fans is "the best 12 teams should play". And if we're being honest here, that's not a bad argument.

The CFP was founded on this very argument. Sometimes, there are 1 and 2 loss teams that deserve a chance to compete for a National Championship just as much as anyone else. Everyone is pretty much in agreeance of this. The concept of giving a handful of teams a chance to prove themselves at the end of the year is used in almost every professional sport. Who the 12 best teams are is where we're having catastrophic issues.

It's not as simple as choosing the 12 best teams. What defines "best"? I've heard the 5 highest ranked conference champions. I've heard the next 7 highest ranked teams. Who determines the next 7 highest ranked teams? A committee of 12 with the average age of 62 determines. Nice.

The CFP Committee meeting to discuss the 12 best teams

Not to be agist, but I, along with millions of others, think this is a terribly flawed process. There is too much room for interpretation from people who may or may not have the best minds to decide. This inevitable causes strongly worded opinions on who the 12 best teams really are.

This year, we have 2 G5 "small school" teams getting the chance to compete for a National Championship. Just looking at that sentence is a little off-putting. No G5 school has ever won the National Championship. Ever. And this year, we're giving two of those little guys the chance.

Look, I hate to side with Mr. Joel and say that his outrageously hot take does hold some truth. But it does. I get why you want to defend the G5. Look at basketball. Every March we see small schools get hot and take down a school that had twice the enrollment and budget for their program. It's sick.

Most notably, in 2018, a school that goes by the name University of Maryland Baltimore County of the AEC beat University of Virginia of the ACC in the first round of the College Basketball Tournament. UMBC was ranked 16. Virginia was ranked 1. UMBC not only pulled off the most iconic upset of all-time, they did it by 20 points...

I don't need to explain how Virginia has every advantage possible on a school like UMBC, yet lost in the biggest game of their season. Virginia was heavily favorited by many to win it all that year. And a 13 loss team from one of the worst conferences in basketball beat a 3 loss school from the best conference. You get it, right?

So many are saying, if stories like UMBC in 2018 can happen in basketball, why can't a G5 team win in football. The simple answer is this: basketball and football are two completely different sports.

I would love nothing more than to see a G5 school win it all. I really would! There's just no logical way it could happen in todays NIL and transfer portal world we live in. The G5 is unfortunately an audition to get into the Power 4 Conferences. Whether we like it or not, the best coaches and players are leaving every year from the G5 to the P4. Hell, the best coaches and players are leaving P4 schools to go to other P4 schools in the middle of the year.

The G5 isn't what it used to be. You could argue there is 1 G5 team in the history of College Football that would have benefited from the playoffs. That's right. 2006 Boise State. Other than them, it just can't happen unless we fix College Football. I have a whole blog on that if you're interested.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/1d7115_63d19a3a1d80481ea1355cff837baa61/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Boise State ending one of the best seasons in BCS history with a trick play

I don't hate the idea of a small school getting a shot at the title. 2006 Boise State would have a legit chance to win in 2025. I do hate giving up multiple spots to schools who are +21.5 and +17.5 in their first round matchup. Obviously, letting two G5 schools in this year was a mistake. Obviously, this is going to be happen again unless something changes. Whether that happens or not is up to the only half-billion dollar company (CFP) in the country that is run by volunteers. Old volunteers.