re: Does anyone seriously believe that there are 12 legitimate contenders in any given season?

You can guarantee that there will be opt outs from playoff teams. #12 #10 etc are never winning a title. Those players are going to opt out.

4 has always been the right number.

You go look at the BCS numbers and take the top 4. That's it.

I like the BCS formula better, but I'm not unhappy with the committee.

Georgia is actually the team that got screwed this year and I think the only acceptable tweak to the four team system is going to 6, with 1 and 2 getting a bye. Beyond that it's absurd.

In this day and age it's not hard to evaluate the teams. Look at FCS - as time as gone by, the eventual winner has come from a higher seed. With the internet and expanded TV coverage, people are not having a tough time figuring out which teams are the best.