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Maybe Swarbrick could have led the opposition to expansion? by VaDblDmr

He and ND (to their great credit IMO) led in having a 2020 season. That was not a popular position in all quarters, but once ND staked out its position, the conferences fell in line.

And contrary to pre-playoff times, there was no "win it on the field" sentiment to expanding the playoff. Nobody has (credibly) argued that worthy teams have been left out. Indeed, if anything, what we have seen is that 4 is TOO MANY. So expanding is a remedy in search of a problem.

Furthermore, people aren't dumb. Michigan State or BC or Coastal Carolina fans, for example, aren't going to be tricked into believing that because they make it once every 10 years, that they have a chance of winning.

Moreover, contrary to the old bowl system, in which any number of highly-ranked teams ended their seasons with a win, now exactly 1 team will do so. How is that good for the sport?

Finally, and really this is most surprising to me given Swarbrick's apparent role in this endeavor, this sucks for the players as students. As if they didn't already have enough demands on their time, now we're going to add playoff games right in the middle of final exams? And why would Swarbrick think that's great for ND, to host [UCF/Memphis/Houston] the weekend before finals start?? Compelling stuff right there.

Alabama's in a virtuous cycle right now, but it's not going to last in perpetuity. The grownups in the room need to start acting like grownups and remember that.