Playoff models don't matter for Hogs now, but would have once been helpful

FRISCO, Texas — Big XII commissioner Bret Yormark stood in the same spot in The Star on the Dallas Cowboys practice field where 4-star Arkansas commit Bryce Gilmore will grab his diploma should he decide not to graduate early to get a head start on making the Hogs a winner.

There he doubled down on the idea his conference isn't going to bow down to the SEC and Big Ten in pushing for a 5+11 college football playoff model going forward. Not only that, but he assured the world the ACC would follow suit in a similar stance at its media days.

For Arkansas fans, it's kind of like being two teenage boys overhearing a pair of couples arguing over which type of private jet they should take for their trip to Europe. It's mildly interesting to listen for a few minutes, but it's got nothing to do with their world and the lives they are trying to navigate.

Issues like that go well beyond "First-World Problems." It's a whole different class for only a tiny select few to think about.

Arkansas is trying to figure out whether it has a receiver capable of catching a pass in an SEC game and whether there are any defensive linemen who can get off a block consistently against a quality offensive line.

Still, the beauty of the preseason is programs like Arkansas can still kick back under the warm July sun and imagine what things might be like if numerous balls bounds the Razorbacks' way, making those playoff alignments actually matter for once.

So, for starters, Hogs fans need to understand what is meant by the 5+11 model. Essentially, the playoff committee has to accept the five highest ranked conference champions and add the remaining 11 highest ranked teams regardless of conference.

This is in contrast to the SEC and Big Ten wanting four guaranteed spots each while the ACC and Big 12 get two each, leaving the rest of the field to be filled out by the highest ranked remaining teams. It's a gutsy move by Yormark to stand up for his preferred plan despite having the more fair and ethical option.

While the Big XII and ACC have the plan that is built to roll with the ups and downs of conference cycles while keeping the best teams always in mind in the playoffs, the Big Ten and SEC currently have the big stick of being able to simply walk away from the NCAA to create its own football league, leaving everyone else behind to crumble.

The only question is, other than adding four more teams, would a 5+11 model have looked much different than the inaugural 12-team playoff?

Highest ranked conference champions:
1. Oregon (Big Ten)
2. Georgia (SEC)
9. Boise State (Mountain West)
12. Arizona State (Big XII)
15. Clemson (ACC)

Based on conference champion guarantees, nothing would have changed. No other champions would have been added to the mix.

The +11 other teams:
3. Texas (SEC)
4. Penn State (Big Ten)
5. Notre Dame (Independent)
6. Ohio State (Big Ten)
7. Tennessee (SEC)
8. Indiana (Big Ten)
10. SMU (ACC)
11. Alabama (SEC)
13. Miami (ACC)
14. Ole Miss (SEC)
15. South Carolina (SEC)

Other than tacking on three SEC teams and an ACC team to the bottom of the pile, nothing changed as far as who got in using the 5+11 model. Even if the guaranteed spots model used by the Big Ten and SEC were applied, it would be no different.

The SEC already gets six in, so the idea of four having to be guaranteed is laughable. The Big Ten gets their four in, so maybe there's a little worry since it's a top heavy league, but the numbers are there right now.

The ACC also manages to get in three, so the guarantee of two isn't that big of a deal. The only conference that takes a hit by championing the 5+11 model rather than agreeing to the SEC/BigTen proposal is the Big XII.

There wasn't another Big XII team ranked high enough to make even an ultra-expanded playoff. However, Yorkmark understood as much in the short term while touting his plan with a more long-term vision of what his conference can grow into.

"Five-11 is fair," Yormark said Tuesday at his opening address. "We want to earn it on the field. It might not be the best solution today for the Big 12 ... but long-term, knowing the progress we're making, the investments we're making, it's the right format for us. And I'm doubling down today on 5+11."

For the Arkansas fans, a trip was taken back to 2011 to see how the 5+11 model might have worked out for the Hogs at the height of the Petrino era. Here's how it looked.

Highest ranked conference champions:
1. LSU (SEC)
3. Oklahoma State (Big XII)
4. Stanford (Pac 12)
7. Boise State (Mountain West)
11. Virginia Tech (ACC)

The +11 other teams:
2. Alabama (SEC)
5. Oregon (Pac 12)
6. Arkansas (SEC)
8. Kansas State (Big XII)
9. South Carolina (SEC)
11. Wisconsin (Big Ten)
12. Baylor (Big XII)
13. Michigan (Big Ten)
14. Oklahoma (Big XII)
15. Clemson (ACC)
16. Georgia (SEC)

The one thing that stands out about this is the realization of how far Arkansas could have gone. Other than No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama, the Razorbacks beat everyone else on this list they played.

Everyone knows for sure how a postgame showdown between the No. 6 Razorbacks and No. 8 Kansas State would have played out because the Hogs mauled the Wildcats in the Cotton Bowl back when bowl games actually mattered.