Can college football’s mid-majors survive a brave new world?
Next season will mark the beginning of a new era in college football.
The College Football Playoff is set to expand from four to 12 teams and will guarantee access to at least one team from outside the game’s power conferences for the first time. The five-way quest for CFP glory between the AAC, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt will add further intrigue to a fascinating season.
However, ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum believes the Group of 5’s aspirations have a limit.
“There is no way (Group of 5 schools) can compete,” Finebaum told former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy on Monday’s episode of the Always College Football podcast. “They are simply going to be sacrificial lambs.”
The Group of 5—once a bustling melting pot of schools that included TCU, Utah and others—gradually has been watered down by realignment over the course of this century. Liberty, which represented the consortium in the Fiesta Bowl this past New Year’s Day, was clobbered 45-6 by Oregon.
“I felt bad for Liberty this year,” Finebaum said. “They had a great season, and it seemed like it got torched on that final game.”
Finebaum added that he would not give the Group of 5 any guaranteed representation if were he in charge of the CFP selections.
Finebaum’s criticism drew a reply from new Tulane coach Jon Sumrall. The Green Wave are 23-5 over the last two seasons under previous coach Willie Fritz—their first ever back-to-back 10-win campaigns.
— Jon Sumrall (@CoachJonSumrall) February 27, 2024
Fans will have an on-field answer to Finebaum’s suggestion soon enough—which itself is unique in college football history.
