Alabama football fans can embrace Playoff Play-In games if ...

There is a straightforward solution to the mess the CFB Playoff has become. It is 'Play-In' games for SEC and Big Ten teams. Technically a change could be made before next season's Playoff but practically, the one more season requirement of a unanimous vote would be an insurmountable obstacle.

There has been more talk of expanding the field to 14 teams than an expansion to 16 teams. From an SEC and Big Ten perspective, four dedicated seeds make 16 the best number for other conferences. At 14, the SEC and Big Ten might only get three dedicated slots.

There are two excellent sources for understanding what Playoff changes are likely to occur. One is Ross Dellenger, who always provides solid information. Dellenger recently shared Greg Sankey's perspective, " We’re seeing the stress points that we knew would be there, but I actually think they are as or more volatile than we thought. Now we have a whole different dynamic."

Sankey is wisely holding his cards close to his chest, but Dellenger makes it clear the 'whole different dynamic' is the current Playoff format was designed around a Power Five world. Today, college football is a Power Two world, followed by everyone else. A simpler but no less accurate description is (two) Big Dogs are going to eat. If that is not in the 2025 Playoffs, it will certainly be in 2026.

Why Alabama Football Fans should love what's coming

Many Alabama football fans want the randomness of CFP Selection Committee decisions to be eliminated. Because of no consistently applied criteria, the current system's randomness in team selection will continue with 13 people subjectively ranking teams. A new system could allocate eight of 16 Playoff slots to the SEC and the Big Ten. As Josh Pate explains in the video below, play-in games would allow six teams from each of the conferences a chance to advance to the Playoff field. The top two teams in conference standings would advance to the Playoffs. The next four teams in each conference's standings would compete in a Play-In game, to earn a Playoff slot.

This season such a system would have earned Texas and Georgia automatic Playoff slots. The SEC's No. 3 ranked team, the Tennessee Vols would have played the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide, with the winner earning a Playoff slot. No. 4 South Carolina would have played No. 5 Ole Miss for the SEC's other guaranteed Playoff slot.

The SEC Championship would go to the regular-season winner, with no SEC Championship Game. Essential to a Play-In plan is that neutral sites be used for Play-In games.

Check out Josh Pate's explanation below.