championship would be like the first round of the playoffs. You don't win, you don't go to the playoffs. Unless you are fortunate enough to be one of the at-large picks.

I don't agree that a national championship has to be "the best" team in the country. They are the team that earned it by winning their conference and by winning the tournament at the end or by earning an at-large spot in the tourney based on their resume.

It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if, say, Weber State snuck into the NCAA basketball tourney, got hot, and ended up making a run to win the tourney. They would be the national champion but probably not the "best" team in the country. They just earned a championship.