What we absolutely have seen, time and again, is a ranking system that ensures that the "haves" are on the right side of the cut-line and the "have nots" are left out. If the cut line had always been at #8, there would have been some very good "have not" teams that finished the regular season ranked at #9.
These rankings are not objective - they're often a means to an end (namely, a justification for the games and financial payouts that those in power desire).