Hill: Save the complaints about a few duds, the CFP is awesome

Let’s not start this nonsense after a few first-round duds.

The expanded College Football Playoff is a great thing and will only get better.

There are already some naysayers questioning whether the field really needs to include 12 teams and if there will ever be enough deserving teams to fill the bracket.

Please stop.

How did we so quickly go from one of the most anticipated weekends of football ever to cries for sweeping changes? It’s so silly.

College football has needed this for years. For far too long, there were too many teams that knew even an undefeated season wouldn’t be enough to give them an opportunity to play for a title.

That’s ridiculous.

Yes, we still need 16 teams in the field so every conference champion gets a chance to play for the ultimate prize, and that could lead to even more first-round blowouts.

So what?

Improvements will come to the selection and seeding process. Most importantly, scheduling will be more closely scrutinized in the future. That will likely lead to teams getting more aggressive in their regular-season scheduling and give fans bigger games throughout the year.

There will be plenty of great playoff games going forward and in the future.

Don’t overreact to the first round of the first year. It will get better, starting with a quarterfinal round that should be phenomenal.

The opening round will also have its fair share of great games in the future. And anyone who hated this round probably didn’t see the atmosphere at Notre Dame on Friday.

This system is a massive improvement.

Thanks for the memories

Many words have been written and said about the players responsible for the best season in UNLV football history.

It’s probably not enough.

What the players did on the field was phenomenal, and each and every one who contributed should be incredibly proud. But it was also a good group off the field and in the community.

The leadership group set the path.

Guys like Jacob De Jesus, a loving father who endured the loss of his own dad during the season.

And Ricky White III, a player who had every chance to cash in on his final collegiate season but chose to stay to help build something special while sacrificing his body to become one of the best special teamers in the country in addition to an elite receiver.

Or Hajj-Malik Williams, who stepped into a very difficult situation to help stabilize a season that could have spiraled out of control.

Perhaps nobody more exemplified the spirit of the program’s turnaround than linebacker Jackson Woodard.

The heart and soul of the team poured every bit of energy into UNLV football from the moment he stepped on campus until the last play of the LA Bowl.

They, along with all of their teammates, should be the ones remembered during this time and not all the coaching changes and portal comings and goings.

Almost inevitable

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s first MVP award has become an inevitability.

His final three games are against bottom-feeders and should essentially become part of a coronation tour in the eyes of many league observers.

The player most mentioned as his competition is Lamar Jackson, who already has two awards to his name.

Sure, Jackson has better overall numbers and a blowout head-to-head victory on his resume. But there will undoubtedly be voter fatigue when it comes to his candidacy.

Allen is a massive betting favorite for a reason.

Jackson, however, probably shouldn’t be considered the biggest upset threat. Instead, long-shot voters should look elsewhere in the same division.

Should the Bengals complete a miracle run to the playoffs, there has to be some consideration given to Joe Burrow’s unbelievable season.

And they do have a chance, however remote. The Bengals need to win out and have the Broncos lose out, but Cincinnati hosts Denver next weekend.

Again, Burrow is still a massive long shot for a reason. But he is still available at as high as 200-1 on the betting board.

To make the math simple, the Bengals’ chances of making the playoffs are far better than 200-1 . If they do, Burrow’s MVP odds will be far shorter than they are now.

That represents value.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.