Some think the College Football Playoff did the sport no justice by the 12 teams picked for the 2025/2026 field. USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer condemned the inclusion of the American champion Tulane Green Wave and Sun Belt champion James Madison Dukes in the field.
If Toppmeyer included the 12 best teams, there'd be no Group of 5 programs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would be the No. 8 seed, the Alabama Crimson Tide would be the No. 11 seed, and the Texas Longhorns would've snuck in at No. 12 with a 9-3 record, the latter of which would've been the first single-digit team to make the field.