There is one great team in men's college tackle football this strangest of seasons, Georgia. Other evergreens from seasons past have collapsed into mediocrity-to-goodness and the few who have not have glaring weaknesses that would exclude them from a tournament of greatness in any other year. Of the latter I am thinking most prominently of Oklahoma. I would include in that category also Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame. Of the preseason top five teams, Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, only Georgia is indisputably worthy and along with the "Bulldogs" only OU seems a lock to make the four-team playoff. The former category is so numerous: Clemson, Iowa, PSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Iowa State, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Miami, USC, LSU, Texas.

Why has Oklahoma had so many close calls? What happened to Iowa, once ranked second? Even their win against PSU seemed at the time, and has proven to be, evidence of a flawed team. Is Ohio State really all that? They already had a loss to Oregon, but okay, good team Oregon, but their win over PSU feels like Iowa's, unsatisfying of greatness criteria. What happened to Iowa State! North Carolina!

There is what is called a "bureaucratic imperative," right? In organizational analyses, once created a bureau will protect its continued survival as fiercely as does a biological organism. This is a year, so far, where it looks like there is going to be a college football playoff of four teams whether they deserve it or not. Just because it is there.