The first round of the expanded College Football Playoff Invitational showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the new 12-team format. Tulane proved why expansion matters. James Madison, by contrast, highlighted the limits of the selection process.
Tulane earned its place
Tulane’s inclusion was fully deserved. The Green Wave dominated the American Athletic Conference and earned a signature win over ACC Champion Duke, a team that won its conference but was left out of the playoff. That victory reinforces the point of expansion because teams that perform on the field should have a path to the postseason, regardless of conference affiliation. Their first-round loss, while lopsided, does not diminish their achievement.
The results are one snapshot; Tulane’s full season demonstrated that they belonged.
JMU did not
James Madison’s presence is harder to justify. The Dukes’ scoring totals against Oregon are often cited as evidence of their quality, but context matters. Most of those points came when Oregon rotated in backups and younger players… probably donors’ kids. When Oregon’s starters were on the field, JMU struggled to move the ball. High scoring in garbage time does not make a team playoff-worthy.
Their inclusion exposes a flaw in the expanded system: inclusivity is important, but credibility must remain central.
Even with JMU in the field, Round 1 confirmed the value of expansion. Group of 5 teams like Tulane now have a legitimate path to the playoff, and the regular season carries real stakes. The system works when it rewards accomplishment, as it did for Tulane, and falters when it prioritizes narrative over merit, as with JMU.
The expanded CFI is not perfect, but Tulane’s presence proves the principle behind it… on-field performance now matters more than ever in determining playoff inclusion. JMU’s berth is a reminder that the committee still needs to make careful, principled selections.
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