TCU has done its job, now it's up to the College Football Playoff committee

TCU made its final statement by soundly defeating Iowa State 55-3 to notch an 11-1 record and claim a share of the Big 12 title.

But will it be enough to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff?

To this point, the College Football Playoff committee has been mostly pro-TCU, elevating it to No. 3, ahead of undefeated Florida State, after last week’s dominance of Texas. However, the Horned Frogs' loss to No. 6 Baylor continues to be the elephant in the room.

Baylor and several pundits contend that because Baylor defeated TCU in their game this season, the Bears should earn a playoff spot over the Horned Frogs. The committee has contended that the two résumés have not been comparable up until this final point, so head-to-head has not come into play.

However, Baylor does face No. 9 Kansas State tonight, a game that many believe will level the playing field between TCU and Baylor.

But that doesn’t change the fact that TCU is ahead of Florida State and Ohio State, which also have games this evening. This isn’t just a matter of swapping one team for another, it’s a matter of saying Baylor is better than Ohio State and Florida State, or, at the very least, Ohio State if those teams win.

Also, there’s nothing that says Baylor and TCU can’t both be in the playoff if the scenario works out that way, though the Bears would almost assuredly need Florida State to lose.

The bottom line is that if TCU, which was in the playoff heading into the weekend and did more than enough to show it belongs in the playoff, is removed from the top four then the system needs another overhaul. What’s the point of ranking teams week-by-week if those rankings really mean nothing? All the committee is doing is giving teams false hope and then telling them that whatever they do on the field is at the mercy of the subjective criteria of 12 people sitting in a hotel boardroom.

All of this, of course, could be a moot point if Baylor loses or even plays a close game with the Wildcats. TCU beat Kansas State 41-20. All things considered, Baylor would probably have to have a similar victory to level the playing field if we’re to believe the committee’s logic in comparing these two teams.

From the time the playoff was announced, it was clear that no matter how it played out, someone was going to be upset. Whether it was four teams or eight teams, someone was going to feel cheated. There’s no perfect system and some team is going to fully understand that by the end of the weekend.