The argument against a playoff (and now against an expanded playoff) was that only 2-6 teams were really good enough to win it all. But the reality is that most years there are only 1-3 teams that are consistently superior to everyone else and then a large group of 10-15 schools that are also talented but less consistent. That second group has always been able to compete with the top teams and occasionally pull upsets. But they were locked out of the playoffs until last year. The talent hasn’t drastically shifted, it’s just expanded opportunities for teams 5-15 to prove their worth on the field. And the SEC is showing that they are more hype than substance.