Urban Meyer's Bold Call for College Football's Playoff Overhaul

When the Game Isn't Fair, It's Time to Rebuild

As a coach who's seen it all—winning championships, making tough calls, and understanding what it takes to succeed at the highest level—I've always believed that fairness in college football should be non-negotiable. So when Urban Meyer stepped on the airwaves to critique the current College Football Playoff format, his words hit harder than most of us expected.

It's not just about a few bad calls or questionable matchups; it's about how we treat the game itself. The way teams are selected for the playoff is fundamentally flawed, and Urban Meyer laid that bare in a way that should make college football fans, coaches, and administrators sit up and take notice.

"You know, we don't need to see Indiana against Old Dominion. No one wants to see that," said Meyer during his appearance on The Joel Klatt Show. "I wish the committee would go away, [and] it would turn to all play-in, let each conference have four games, whatever, four teams in, and you guys go play."

That quote alone tells us everything we need to know. It's not about who is playing or when, but how these decisions are made. The system isn't broken—it's simply unfair to those who do the most to make their case.

The Texas Dilemma: A Case Study in Injustice

Meyer didn't just throw out hypotheticals—he gave us a real example from last season. Texas went 10-3, including a three-game winning streak to close out the year. But they lost to Ohio State in an early-season matchup, which, under today's CFP rules, meant they were left out of the playoff bracket.

Now, let's put that in perspective: If Texas had played Old Dominion instead of Ohio State, they would've been in. That's a real problem when the stakes are so high for college football's most important tournament. The current system rewards easy wins and penalizes those who take on hard challenges—something that should be celebrated, not ignored.

I've coached at the highest levels, and I know how crucial it is to have a strong schedule. Teams like Texas and Ohio State are often pitted against each other in meaningful non-conference games—games that showcase their talent and test their resolve. When those games don't count toward playoff selection, something is fundamentally wrong.

Why the Current Format Is Killing the Game

The current CFP structure has evolved over the years, from a simple four-team tournament in 2014 to a 12-team expansion in 2023. But with that evolution came complexity—and a lack of clarity in how teams are chosen.

It's not enough anymore to say, “We'll just go by record,” or “We'll trust the committee.” In college football, the margin between winning and losing is razor-thin, and when we're basing the future of these programs on arbitrary criteria, we risk turning a beautiful game into a numbers game. The players deserve better than that.

Urban Meyer's point about teams being “picked by 50” hits hard. It's easy to look at a team's record, their strength of schedule, and their win-loss ratio, but what does that really tell us?

• Did they beat the top teams in their conference?
• Did they play tough competition outside their conference?
• Did they show resilience when it mattered most?

These questions are far more important than a simple point differential. And if our system doesn't account for those elements, we're shortchanging the very thing that makes college football special.

The Call for Reform

Meyer's suggestion of an all-play-in format isn't just a radical idea—it's one that deserves serious consideration. If every conference gets four teams in and they go head-to-head in a tournament-style system, we'd have much more compelling matchups.

Think about it: Ohio State vs. Texas. Not because of their records or the committee's arbitrary picks, but because both teams were tested and earned their way into a major showdown. That kind of game is what draws fans, builds legends, and makes the CFP worth watching every year.

I've always believed that football isn't just about the scoreboard—it's about heart, grit, and the will to win against anyone, anywhere. When we make it so easy for a team to be overlooked because they played the wrong opponent in the wrong week, we're missing the point entirely.

What This Means for the Future

It's clear that the current CFP model needs a serious overhaul. The conversation is happening now, and it's not going away. Whether the system expands to 14 or 16 teams, we need to make sure that every team has a fair shot.

We're not trying to change the game for the sake of change. We're trying to preserve its integrity, and that starts with making sure everyone gets a fair shot at the playoffs. The way we select teams today is simply outdated, and if Urban Meyer is right—and I think he is—then it's time to rethink how we do things.

The beauty of college football lies in its unpredictability, but more than anything, it's about fairness. Let's make sure the system reflects that.

Final Thoughts: It's Time to Play Fair

As a coach and a fan, I've seen plenty of good teams go unnoticed in the playoff system, and I'm not going to pretend that this is just a small issue. It's a big one. The way we select teams isn't about making things easier—it's about making things fairer.

Meyer's words aren't just criticism—they're a call to action. We need to fix this system before it gets worse, and if it takes an overhaul of the format itself, so be it. At the end of the day, college football is about competition, talent, and heart. Let's make sure our playoff system reflects that.