The goofiest part is that it wasn't granted to any of the other independents, only to Notre Dame. If UConn, the only other remaining independent FBS program, finishes top 12, they don't get any automatic spot gifted to them, even if they play a tougher schedule than ND. That says all anyone needs to know. The bottom line is that everyone should have realized at this point that the CFP is a joke. It's an illegitimate beauty contest, where ratings matter more than on-field results. It carries no more weight, perhaps less weight than the BCS, the Bowl Alliance, or the individual media selectors before it. It's an invitational, owned lock, stock, and barrel by the Walt Disney corporation, which dictates who gets in and who's left out based upon their advertisers' bottom lines. They can have as many at-large spots for SEC teams as they want, but the stink of illegitimacy will stick to the CFP until every FBS conference champion is guaranteed a spot. This remains so even if VT won the next 10 in a row.