Let the College Football Playoff debate begin. It did after the Big Ten Championship, when FOX’s Urban Meyer and Brady Quinn got into an argument over the final two at-large spots. Specifically, when it comes to a potential battle between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
“If you set the precedent that you go play Georgia, at Georgia,” Meyer said of Alabama. “Notre Dame, Miami, who would lose that game in that place?”
“Notre Dame beat Georgia last year?” Quinn responded. “Why are we saying that?”
Meyer fired back, saying his opinion forms from watching tape of all the teams out there. His main point remained the same, though. Moving Alabama out of the 12-team field cannot be done in his opinion, just because they played in the SEC Championship.
But another box got opened when mentioning Notre Dame “never, ever” playing in a conference championship game. Quinn did not give many thoughts on that front, instead focusing on the result Notre Dame got in last year’s College Football Playoff in New Orleans.
“Just watching them on tape,” Meyer said. “I’m just saying if you penalize a team that goes to the Southeastern Conference that plays Georgia at Georgia and kicks them out — people are going to say, ‘Why make it to the championship game?’ You can’t do that. You can’t penalize a team. Notre Dame will never play in a championship game. Notre Dame will never, ever play in a championship game. How is that fair?”
“That’s a whole different discussion then about them joining a conference,” Quinn said. “The reality is, they went through the Playoff and ended up playing for a national championship last year. So, we can’t act like those games didn’t happen. I mean, they beat Georgia last year.”
Of course, Quinn spent his playing days in South Bend, meaning he was going to defend Notre Dame. Nobody on the FOX panel represents Miami in any fashion. The statement from Meyer did not receive much pushback from the Hurricanes’ end.
Meyer and Quinn will find out with the rest of us as to who will earn the final two spots in the College Football Playoff. Making a final prediction, Quinn decided to go with Miami and Notre Dame. Meyer kept Miami in there — due to the head-to-head over Notre Dame — but thinks Alabama is deserving due to their participation in the SEC Championship.
