Is the national title game between Ohio State and Oregon more a battle of budgets versus football?

For years, college football critics have been clamoring for a true playoff instead of a champion being crowned by voters or computer algorithms. In less than a week, Ohio State and Oregon will face off for college football’s first ever playoff championship. After number four Ohio State’s defeat of number one Alabama and number two Oregon’s demolition of number three Florida State, few can argue (except for perhaps number five Texas Christian) that they are deserving of their place in college football’s championship game. The national championship game, however, could also be referred as the athletic department budget championship.

According to USA Today, both Ohio State (at number five) and Oregon (at number nine) are among the colleges with the biggest athletic department budgets. Throw in Alabama (at number three) and Florida State (at number 24) and there is the proof that college football is literally a game for the big boys.

Following the last round of conference realignment, the discrepancy between the haves and have nots grew exponentially and the discrepancy is growing every year. Unless a school not named Notre Dame is in one of the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or SEC), it might be virtually impossible for a non-Power Five school to find itself in the national title race. The last time a school not in one of the current Power Five conferences won the national title was in 1984 when BYU took the crown. Before BYU’s 1984 title, Army was the last non-Power Five school to win a national title, which it did in 1944 and 1945.

Back in December, the University of Alabama-Birmingham had to drop its football program due to lack of resources. While the budgets of the haves like the Ohio States and Oregons of the world continue to grow, the question arises as to how many more of the have nots like the UABs of the world will buckle under the financial pressure.

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