[Farm93]

Does anyone think the fifth through eighth best teams would have fared any better, let alone expanding through 12 teams?

BC

No, but does anybody really believe Cincinnati would have been in the semi-finals if there were 6, 8 or 12 teams?

More importantly, if there were 12 teams in the CFP then it is really unlikely Alabama would be able to hoard most of the 5 star recruits. 

Right now they credibly can claim that 'Bama is the best path to the CFP and the NFL.   There are ~15 teams fighting for 3 spots each year, but 'Bama is the one team you know will be in the CFP.   That's such a recruiting advantage/benefit.

If more teams were in the CFP, then Bama would probably have to work a little bit harder to hoard all of the 5 star talent.   They would still be good, but right now a lot of athletes from other regions are going to 'Bama because they correctly assess that 'Bama is the best bet to play in multiple CFPs.

[Farm93]

Does anyone think the fifth through eighth best teams would have fared any better, let alone expanding through 12 teams?

BC

No, but does anybody really believe Cincinnati would have been in the semi-finals if there were 6, 8 or 12 teams?

More importantly, if there were 12 teams in the CFP then it is really unlikely Alabama would be able to hoard most of the 5 star recruits. 

Right now they credibly can claim that 'Bama is the best path to the CFP and the NFL.   There are ~15 teams fighting for 3 spots each year, but 'Bama is the one team you know will be in the CFP.   That's such a recruiting advantage/benefit.

If more teams were in the CFP, then Bama would probably have to work a little bit harder to hoard all of the 5 star talent.   They would still be good, but right now a lot of athletes from other regions are going to 'Bama because they correctly assess that 'Bama is the best bet to play in multiple CFPs.