Isn’t asking this kind of question the perfect way to start the new year? It’s a good thing I don’t make resolutions, or commit to things like being nicer and not stirring up trouble!

But seriously.

Who even cares that Alabama and Georgia are playing for College Football’s National Championship next week? Didn’t we just see this match-up in the SEC Championship about a month ago?

I know I’m not the only one who is tired of Alabama … in the championship game yet again! There were a lot of people commenting on social media over the weekend, and the only ones who seem to be excited about this re-match are Alabama fans and Georgia fans! And those fans got more than a little defensive when it was suggested that the average person gets tired of seeing the same teams over and over again. One Alabama fan tried to make a point about “maybe that’s how I feel when I see the Chiefs in the Super Bowl over and over again.”

What?

I don’t remember the Chiefs in Super Bowl more than a few times! But the comment did make me think, and I decided to do some research!

The NCAA started the College Football Playoffs (CFP), and the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Championship game in 2014, so I used 2014 to the present for my comparison.

And guess what? Only 6 different college football teams have played in the championship game in those years (including next week’s game):

  • Alabama – 6 times
  • Clemson – 4
  • Georgia – 2
  • Ohio State – 2
  • Oregon – 1
  • LSU – 1

But in the same time frame, 10 different NFL teams have played in the Super Bowl:

  • New England – 4 times
  • Kansas City – 2
  • Seattle – 1
  • Denver – 1
  • Carolina – 1
  • Atlanta – 1
  • Philadelphia – 1
  • LA Rams – 1
  • San Francisco – 1
  • Tampa Bay – 1

Let’s take a deeper dive into those numbers.

There are 130 FBS teams, and the 6 who have played in the championship are just 5% of those 130 teams! There are only 32 teams in the NFL, so the 10 who made it to the Super Bowl in the same time period account for 31%!

So give me the thrill of the NFL playoffs any day, where thanks to the draft process and salary caps, the league is more balanced and more exciting to watch. Any team truly can beat any other team, on any given Sunday!

I can’t wait to hear what you think about this one, so drop your comments below!

See you back here next week, when I won’t be commenting on the championship game, because I don’t plan to watch it.

Carrie

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