The 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship is a week from this evening in Miami.  We’re down to two teams.  It’s going to be a dandy.  It’s Perception vs Reality.

In the semifinals, perception and reality collided as well.  We questioned if Notre Dame even belonged.  We questioned why Ohio St. even got the chance as eight-point underdogs to Clemson.

We had a perception of how 2020 was going to be as well.  How did that turn out?

Notre Dame seeded fourth lost by 17 to one-seeded Alabama.  Second seed Clemson lost by 21 to the third-seeded Ohio St.  So, based on results, if ND didn’t belong, did Clemson?

Dabo Swinney spent the post-game trying to explain why his defense was shredded for nearly half a hundred points and over 700 yards.  He told the world that he needed to better prepare his team.  In other words, we were the better team, we just didn’t coach ’em up well enough.

Brian Kelly spent the post-game fielding question after question trying to explain why ND even deserved to be there after yet another beatdown in the final four, much less a major bowl.  As they say in the finance world, past performance is no indication of future results.  Or, is it?

Ah, there it is.  Dabo’s Tigers have won it all or at least the semi in the recent past time and again.  Kelly’s Irish have fallen like St. Pat’s Day Irishman walking out of the local pub yet again.

It’s perception v reality.  We perceived Clemson belonged.  We knew ND didn’t.  One gets a pass while it’s getting pounded in the semis.  The other gets pounded for getting a pass into the semis.

What about an eight-team playoff you say?  The average margin of victory in the seven years of the playoffs in the semis is 24 points per blowout.  If the semi losers can’t hang with the finalists, what makes you think the next four in would be any better?  Perception does.

Put the five Power 5 conference champs in, one independent, and two deserving wild cards you say?

The ACC went 0-6 in bowl games. What makes any conference champs deserving?   Perception does.

But, Ohio St. didn’t win enough games to get in.  Hmm.  Clemson beat a bunch of also-rans in seems.  Hmm.

One independent?  This sounds like a nod to ND all over again.  And, why only one?  Or, why any?

Two wild card teams?  Sure.  It’s what you have now, but you’re adding two more.  Good luck to them.

Hey, why not an inclusive minority entrant every year as well?  We digress.  Yellow ribbons for all.  And, again.

“Team X would have given ND a better game!”  Good thing it’s Monday, cause that’s Monday morning quarterbacking with your eyeballs.  Did those same eyeballs think Clemson was better than Ohio St.?  Reality check.

Texas A&M deserved to be in.   They didn’t win a conference.  They got worked by Bama.  But, didn’t everybody?  It’s your perception once again.  If you go undefeated in the regular season you remove any doubt.

Unless you are Cincinnatti, that is.  “Cincinnati deserved to be in.”  Did they beat a bunch of also-rans, too?  The committee’s perception said as much.  And, a loss to two-loss Georgia, no matter how well played, is a loss.

Kirk Herbstreit said, “Nobody would want to be playing Oklahoma right now!”  That might be true.  But to get there you have to win games in September just like November.   And, if ND gets pummeled for past performance how about Oklahoma?  They’re 0-3 in the playoffs, including a 63-28 shellacking by LSU last year.

Bring back the computerized BCS system.  Its only bias is the perception of its programmers.  To think just a few years back sportswriters actually wrote, “we have to get rid of this computer system, it has no idea who the best teams on the field are.”

Come Monday night Perception (Bama) is favored over Reality (Ohio St) by 8.  You know Bama is the best team, don’t you?

The reality is that Vegas builds big hotels with fancy marble, fountains, and statues.  They use our perceptions as the foundation.