College Football's New Playoff Has a Bad Seeding Problem

The tournament gave automatic bids-and extra time off via first-round byes-to its top four ranked conference champions. Now they have all been swept out of the event before the semifinals.

I couldn't help but sing it in the car late Thursday night.

Mammas, don't let your college football teams grow up to be conference champions...

Sorry, Willie. Sorry, Waylon (RIP). Sorry Ed & Patsy Bruce (original songwriters of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys") You all deserve better.

But what other doleful ditty am I supposed to warble, after watching the fancy new college football playoff's top four seeds, all conference champions, unceremoniously booted from the tournament without a single win?

No. 1 seed Oregon is gone, catapulted out of the Rose Bowl by the ferocious No. 8 seed, Ohio State.

No. 2 seed Georgia is out, sent packing from the Sugar Bowl by 7th-seeded Notre Dame.

No. 3 seed Boise State is done, flushed from the Fiesta Bowl by 6th-seeded Penn State.

No. 4 seed Arizona State has exited-though barely-pushed from the Peach Bowl by 5thseeded Texas in a kooky double overtime thriller.

That's right: Your top four went oh-fer-four.

What gives? Top seeds are supposed to be top seeds for a reason.

But the system here-automatic byes for the four-highest ranked conference champions-appears to be a misfire.

I mean, we knew this going inall four top seeds were underdogs this week, two of them (Boise, Arizona St.) significant underdogs.