'Power and influence' found its way into the College Football Playoffs. What a shame

Every year we address the health of college football. Let's start with the College Football Playoff, which fortunately will never have to select just four teams again. While it was correctly predicted here two weeks ago that even a Florida State win would not guarantee it an invite to the CFP, we take no pleasure in being right. The entire selection process is flawed. The Committee did not pick its final four based on records or "body of work."

The Committee claims to have chosen Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama based on who the best four teams were. That's why there was still a path where FSU was not selected since it lost its star quarterback Jordan Travis. The problem with that is the Committee applied its criteria only this year, having previously used a different approach. You don't think it was aware of SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey's comments about what would happen if Alabama defeated Georgia (which happened) and the SEC was left out of the CFP? It's not the real world of college football. Talk about arrogance and lobbying for his league. Power and influence made it into that room despite the fact we are told the entire committee was unaware of any outside statements. Yeah, right. The perception is that Florida State was unfairly omitted as the first undefeated Power Five team in history that did not qualify. The system has failed and will continue to fail. Bring back the BCS and the computers to end the conscious or subconscious partiality. The only saving grace is that the playoffs will expand to 12 teams next year. By the way, Florida State is a two-touchdown underdog to Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

NIL continues to decimate college sports

Next up is NIL. More than 2,000 players have already announced they have entered the transfer portal for this 30-day period until Jan. 2, 2024. Why, because they are all free agents seeking a bigger payday and quick. Where's Scott Boras? The money now being commanded is so big for quarterbacks especially, some players are not entering the NFL Draft to get the guaranteed millions. You think that's good for the sport? Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said it takes "one to three million dollars to get a decent quarterback" through the transfer portal. Only the rich will be able to compete on a consistent basis and, if new rules are not passed soon, college football will continue its spiral towards complete chaos. As bad as NIL is, three student-athletes sued the NCAA, saying they should be paid by the universities themselves without jeopardizing their "amateur status." Something to look forward to.

More: With championship weekend here, CFP Committee needs to show some guts

Stubborn Swinney is losing ground at Clemson

Clemson's Dabo Swinney continues to avoid the portal. After going to the CFP six years in a row, Clemson has missed the last three. He continues to push all his chips into developing recruited players. His stubbornness will continue to hinder the Tigers. Adapt or die.

Reminder: College coaching contracts are worthless

Then there is the coaching carousel. As stated here previously, college coaches (football and basketball) are the most disloyal employees maybe on the planet. All the "hot" coaches leave for larger guaranteed contracts. The universities are just as complicit as the coaches in allowing this approach to fester. Duke lost its coach and hired Penn State coordinator Manny Diaz as its new coach. Why is that significant? Because Diaz signed a five-year contract with Temple in December 2018. How long did he last? Eighteen days. Yes that's not a misprint — 18 days! After the Miami job opened opened up, Diaz left swiftly for that position where he was fired three years later. When is a contact not a contract? When a college coach signs it.

Caleb Williams needs to grow up

USC quarterback Caleb Williams will not play in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville, which is no surprise. There will be many other players who won't risk an injury that could affect their draft status. With respect to Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner has all the physical talent to succeed at the next level but his character on the field is questioned. From painting his fingernails with profanities, refusing postgame handshakes with the opponent and going into the stands to cry with his mother on national television, he's in for a rude wakening at the next level if he doesn't mature quickly. One might argue he remains the face of college football and all that is wrong with it. Playing college football is a privilege for the ones who have the talent to compete. Where did that appreciation go? Good riddance.

Pac-12 title game lived up to the hype

The final Pac-12 championship game between Washington and Oregon was a huge success with more than 9 million people watching. The venue, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, is a state-of-the-art facility with everything you could imagine. Getting to the game was easy for almost everyone who just walked up the strip in Vegas while roads and highways were closed. Washington won a close one, 34-31, in a game that will be remembered by all who were there.

Heisman has been hush, hush

The Heisman Trophy winner is being announced on Saturday. The finalists are Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., quarterback Bo Nix of Oregon, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Throughout the year, the front runners have been given as little attention as any year in recent memory. Why? Because the two leaders, Penix Jr. and Nix are in the West Coast time zone and if you don't play for USC, fuhgeddaboudit! All of these players are deserving and it's going to come down to a regional vote. We think Penix Jr. deserves it based on what he's done, but would not be surprised if Daniels wins it despite LSU's three losses because he's the only player from the SEC, Yup, that same bias.

Patriotic weekend in Foxboro

Army (-3) vs. Navy game: At Gillette Stadium in New England for the first time. Both teams are 5-6. Throw the records out. It's all about the environment, the atmosphere and the country. Any college football fan who wouldn't want to watch this game just isn't patriotic. These young men leave it all on the field. This is a bucket-list game because there is not a comparable venue so it's time I saw it in person and report why this game is distinguished from all others. Having said that, flip a coin and pick a winner.

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ken Schreiber says the CFP selectors bowed to 'power and influence'