It just seems that things will be less interesting. The fact that out of conference games are unlikely to be used as a qualifier for conference championship game bids renders them utterly meaningless in the grand scheme. That means schools can either load up on OOC cupcakes that are strategically timed to enhance the ability to win their division, or go crazy with tough games to maximize revenue. Will coaches sit star players for OOC games? Who knows? Nobody here can even pretend to predict what will really happen, but if OOC games become de facto exhibitions then each team will essentially be playing 3-4 Motor City Bowls every year. This year, Oklahoma-OSU actually mattered. Can you imagine a world in which it did not?

Right now, we had five conferences jockeying for four bids, and non-conference winners were also in the mix. Controversial and frustrating, but interesting nonetheless. By contrast, the P4 auto-bid route seems to me like watching four horses racing for four winning slots.

I won't convince anybody here I'm sure, because so many are hellbent on the drive to order, uniformity and certainty. 'Tis the season for mega-acquisitions after all.