“They Just Didn’t Belong”: Shannon Sharpe & Chad Johnson Share Their Honest Thoughts on the New CFP Format After a “Boring” First Round

Back when the new format of the college football playoffs was announced, the NCAA’s move wasn’t met with much fanfare due to the skewed power dynamic of the matches. Now that the first round of the playoffs is over, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson double down on the initial negative reaction to the new format.

The first round of the college football playoff bracket, in all honesty, was a complete mismatch. For instance, the first round saw number 5th-ranked Texas take on 12th-seed Clemson, while sixth-seeded Penn State took on 11th-ranked SMU.

The gulf in quality between the two teams in each fixture was evident, and as expected, the favorites qualified without any hassle. Ocho was rightly upset with the NCAA’s fixture selection. He even argued that the lower-seeded teams didn’t belong in the playoffs.

Ocho clarified his bold statement by giving the example of weight classes in boxing. For those unfamiliar, weight classes exist in boxing to create a level playing field for competitors in different weight divisions. And, these classifications pit opponents of similar size against each other.

‘The Nightcap’ co-host argued that this level playing field was completely missing in the new CFP fixtures, as favorites like Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, and Ohio clinched victories after facing weaker “weight class” opponents.

“They just didn’t belong [there]… There’s levels to everything. There’s levels to competition, there’s a reason for everything… In boxing, there’s a reason for weight classes. You weren’t in your weight class and that’s no disrespect to them. You just don’t have a team assembled that can compete with the type of teams you’re playing, like the Notre Dame.”

Shannon doubled down on this take by noting that the fixtures weren’t enjoyable for neutral fans. The viewing experience, he feels, was favorable only to fans of the stronger teams, as it allowed them to watch their team win high-stakes games with ease.

Shannon called out the NCAA for their fixture list as he noted how there is nothing interesting in watching a team like Penn State defeat SMU 38-10. The former tight end even championed for closely contested games for a better viewer experience.

“If I go to University of Texas or Notre Dame, if I went in one of those schools, I love it, but the fans that’s watching at home that didn’t attend those universities… I mean they want the game to be close. They want the game to be interesting. There’s nothing interesting about 38-10.”

There is a lot of merit in Ocho and Unc’s points. Since the brackets were announced, it was always hard to tune into the first-round matches due to how unlikely the chances of an even contest seemed. It was unappealing to tune into Notre Dame vs Indiana because the chances of an upset here were super low.

Keeping this in mind, the committee could have definitely planned better. All said and done, we now march towards the four quarterfinal games, set to be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Bowl games are evenly matched, and will surely shape up to be a stellar viewing for the Holiday season.