Two Truths & A Lie: CFP first round

By Chris Marler

It’s been a few weeks since LSU last took the field, but it’s time to bring back our Sunday morning tradition. Here are two truths and a lie from the CFP first round.

Truth No. 1 – Alabama and Miami deserved to be in the field. 

You couldn’t leave Miami out if they beat Notre Dame, and the committee was never going to punish Alabama for playing in a conference title game. And let’s be clear: that conference championship has determined at least one national title participant, and often the eventual champion, in 16 of the past 20 seasons. You can’t diminish the importance of that game by penalizing the loser, especially when they would have been a lock for the field had they not played in it.

Luckily for both teams, they took care of business and became the first two teams to win road games in the 12-team playoff. The worst thing that could’ve happened this weekend for the SEC was Alabama losing in a blowout. 

The committee after Bama and Miami won on the road in tough environments: pic.twitter.com/BzXWbLmdrO

— dustin. (@DMFrank_) December 20, 2025

Truth No. 2 – Notre Dame belonged, too. 

Notre Dame may not have deserved to be in over Alabama and Miami, but they absolutely deserved to be in. After watching the first four games of the Playoff, it’s impossible to think Notre Dame didn’t deserve to be in the field. 

There is something to be said for the 12 most deserving teams being included, but there’s also something to be said for the 12 best teams being in, as well. 

It’s possible to make an argument that they weren’t somehow one of the 12 most deserving teams based on the conference champion requirements and G6 inclusion that was forced on the sport. But, there is no way to look at this Notre Dame team and think they aren’t one of the 12 best teams. They are objectively probably one of the four or five best. 

Notre Dame shouldn’t be upset that Miami or Bama made it in.

They should be upset that we have a system that let Tulane and JMU in (which is not their fault).

We shouldn’t keep G5 out but they shouldn’t automatically get in. Nobody should automatically get in.

— Jake “JBOY” Crain (@JakeCrain_) December 20, 2025

The Lie – The Group of 6 problem is a simple one to fix. 

We have forced the Group of 6 to be included into the field based on a few things. The idea that March Madness provides upsets all the time, the very few moments of New Year’s Six and BCS bowl upsets like Boise State and Tulane and the idea that they must be included because they deserve to be. 

That last one is probably the biggest driving factor. 

There’s really something to be said for that, and it’s what creates the biggest conundrum on what to do with them. It’s unfair to say they shouldn’t be involved in the possibility of playing for a national title in the FBS they are a part of. 

There are 136 FBS schools and only 68 are in the Power 4. To cut out the G6 teams completely means that you are telling 68 other schools on day one of the season that they have no chance to win a national championship. 

I hate that. But, it’s also what the sport has been doing for 156 years. What should we do? Let them play their own playoff? I would love to watch a playoff including Tulane, North Texas, South Florida and James Madison. 

What I don’t want to watch is a repeat of Tulane losing to the same SEC school by 30+ points for the second time in one year. I also don’t want to watch James Madison get blown out by Oregon in a primetime standalone game, with the Power Four team cruising to a 34–3 lead and nothing else on TV.

“Stop blaming G5 teams, remember that time Oregon got blown out?”

P4 teams play bad occasionally.

A G5 team would have to play perfect and out of their capabilities FOUR times to win this tournament.

Stop comparing the two.

— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) December 21, 2025