I don’t think that’s true.

First point: Allowing virtually every team to have a shot at the NC hasn’t really created parity across college basketball. It’s still the P5’s sport.

I just looked quickly, and since 1995, there have only been ten non-P5 teams that have gotten to the Final 4. They are:
Loyola-Chicago
Gonzaga*
Wichita State*
VCU*
Butler (2x)*
Memphis
George Mason
Utah*
Massachusetts

The teams with * next to them are mid-majors that had extended success, and aren’t just one hit wonders. In other words, they were solid a few years leading up to their Final Four appearances. Then you add in Memphis with Derrick Rose, a generational NBA talent, who was at Memphis illegally.


Last G5 team to win the whole thing? UNLV in 1990. Before that? Texas Western, 1966.


Second point: There is just as much parity in CFB as there is in CBB.

Since 2009, there have been 7 teams who have won the NC in basketball:
Virginia
Villanova (2x)
North Carolina (2x)
Duke (2x)
UConn (2x)
Louisville
Kentucky

Number of CFB teams who have won in the same span? 6:
Alabama (6x)
LSU
Clemson (2x)
Ohio State
Florida State
Auburn

Alabama has obviously dominated the decade. But even with Saban’s run, we’ve had almost the same number of teams win a NC in football as we have had win one in basketball.

I keep seeing that adding more teams will create more parity. I don’t think that’s true. The top recruits will still go to the blue bloods, just like they do in basketball. The same teams will win the national championship, just like they do in basketball.

Last point I want to make. The idea that every conference champ should get an auto bid to an expanded playoff is absurd. I don’t care if Buffalo wins their conference every year, winning whatever conference they’re in should not give them a chance at the national championship. The point of a playoff should be to find the best team. History has shown us that these G5 schools are NOT the best teams. Could they win a game against a P5 school? Yes. But they aren’t one of the best college football teams. We shouldn’t guarantee a spot to G5 teams.

Are more teams in the playoff fun? Yes. And I love the first weekend of March Madness when Cinderella wins. But very rarely do teams outside of the P5 make the Final Four. Basketball is a sport where we can have a large tournament, but we can’t do that in football. I can see an argument for having one G5 team in an 8 team playoff. With a 16 team playoff, maybe throw two in there. But giving an auto bid to every conference champion is dumb.


EDIT: I’ll add this to clear something up. I’m not saying that the CFB Playoff should stay at 4 teams. It should be expanded. What I’m saying is that:
1. An expanded playoff doesn’t automatically create parity. I keep reading that the four team playoff has killed college football because only a few teams go to the playoff. But even if we were to do a 128 team playoff, the top guys would still go to Bama/tOSU/OU/Clemson. It wouldn’t magically fix the talent gap.

2. If we expand the playoff (and I think we should), we shouldn’t guarantee a spot to G5 teams just for winning their conference. The talent gap is real and a Who Cares Conference Champ shouldn’t get in over a second or third place P5 team automatically.