College football championship

And so far, the Final Four will be -- nobody knows. Unlike most years, there are no "locks" to date. Yet there are a couple in waiting, a few more maybes, and the perennial "long shots" hoping to get in, but probably won't.

Also one familiar name that rightfully got bounced out the Top Four by getting thoroughly defeated last week, but sits in the catbird seat with a better than average chance of getting back in -- even though they won't be playing this weekend. Hint -- it has something to do with Nick Saban and Tuscaloosa.

But let's look at some of the match-ups.

Clemson/Miami for the ACC title. With a a win, Clemson's a lock for the Final Four, despite their earlier mysterious loss at unranked Syracuse. If Miami wins, Clemson's probably out and Alabama back in.

Oklahoma/TCU. The Sooners are a lock if they win the Big 12 showdown, but TCU won't get back in if they prevail. The latter scenario would also eliminate the Sooners and let the Crimson Tide back in.

USC/Stanford for the Pac 12 title. Two words. Who cares?

Memphis/UCF for the AAC crown. Somebody had to step up and challenge Central Florida, might as well be Memphis. While this will likely be a blow-out, the still undefeated Knights of UCF won't get anywhere near the Final Four, though all the other teams (except Wisconsin -- see below) have gone down at one time or another. In some cases twice. How can a 2-loss team be considered a more worthy candidate than one that is undefeated, regardless of what conferences they play in?

Alcorn State/Grambling State. Not sure what the "SWAC" acronym stands for -- perhaps "Sealed With A Curse?", but see the comment above regarding the Pac 12. Ditto.

C-USA features North Texas and FAU, whatever that is. I didn't know any part of Texas could be considered "north", nor even relevant in this year's playoffs. Just go away.

Akron/Toledo for MAC bragging rights? Sounds like an Ohio Bowl to me and the only "Mac" that occasionally whets my appetite is served up at those joints with the golden arches out front. Get this crap outta here.

The Big Ten --actually 14 these days -- features a very good game with undefeated Wisconsin taking on Ohio State. If the Badgers win, they're a lock for the Final Four. Forget strength of schedule. They play in a "power" conference and will be the only undefeated team still left -- sorry again UCF. But let's not forget that in a similar situation just last year, the Buckeyes put an unmerciful woodshed beat down on the Cheesers to the tune of 59-0. Could there be an almost NINE touchdown swing in this year's match-up? Probably not.

And if Ohio State wins, the Badgers drop out of contention, as so many seem to want them to. It also elevates that pesky Alabama back in. Do you see a recurring theme here?

The SEC championship will be decided by powerhouses Auburn and Georgia. As mentioned above, Auburn was the team to slay Alabama just last week, knocking them down to #5, on the cusp, but not in the magical Final Four.

If the Tigers prevail, they're a lock as well. But if the Dawgs come out on top, Auburn likely falls off the radar and -- you guessed it -- that pesky Crimson Tide finds itself with an invite to the party. Again, the same theme, that while Bama sits home and twiddles their thumbs, they have a better than average chance of moving back up. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical, much less fair. But Alabama is a big money team when it comes to TV, their sponsors, and the national hype they always generate. Much more so than a Wisconsin, Clemson, or Auburn.

And let's face it. The only reason there are so many bowls these days, though many of them feature teams somewhere between ho-hum and "THAT team made it to a bowl -- REALLY?" -- is all about the money. Strike up the marching bands and collect a few million bucks, ad nauseum.

This Saturday will be a college football extravaganza for sports junkies. (Guilty, Your Honor). A whole LOT of clicking with the remotes going on from coast to coast.

And when it's all said and done, the Final Four will be set in stone, or at least the best guess the almighty "committee" of geniuses can come up with. Regardless of how it all turns out, there are sure to be howls of protest from those that think they were unfairly excluded. And some of them will definitely have legitimate beefs.

I feel your pain, Central Florida. You're the contender that KOed all comers along the way but was never given a title shot.

And somehow, that's just not right.