The 2025 College Football Playoff is now at the quarterfinal stage, and there’s an persistent narrative floating around after the first round: The Group of Five should not receive an automatic bid to the twelve-team bracket and should be restricted from playoff access by any means necessary. A newly upgraded conference might be able to push back against that argument. Tulane and James Madison both had historic seasons for their programs and were worthy representatives in the current College Football Playoff format. That said, both teams were also clearly outmatched in their first-round matchups against Ole Miss and Oregon, prompting many analysts to question whether the selection committee should adjust its format. In fact, analysts like Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt have argued that the non-power five conferences should have their own playoff rather than any access to this field. This argument comes with the question of whether the elite non-Power Four teams of the past can be recreated. Squads like the 2004
