SEC coaches are getting the car wash treatment at ESPN this week, since they apparently didn't have enough time to talk at SEC Media Days last week. Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel has some thoughts on who should and shouldn't be able to play in the College Football Playoff.
Gary Pinkel said no independents in @CFBPlayoff. "Give Notre Dame year to join a league. They don’t have independents in NFL"
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) July 20, 2015
Before that, Pinkel stated how important he thought it was that each conference have a championship game, so it stands to reason that he thinks Notre Dame's independence -- and thus no conference championship game -- makes them unworthy of making the four-team field, along with TCU, Baylor, and anyone from the Big 12.
Is Pinkel right? That depends on your point of view and team of choice, I suppose, but he doesn't make the decisions on these things so it doesn't particularly matter what he thinks. I'm sure if Missouri was in a conference that didn't have a championship game he would be singing a different tune.
But they're not, so he isn't.
College football isn't the NFL, and never has been, so I'm not sure why the way the NFL works should have any bearing on what happens in the college game. Football has never been a homogenous game, and that's a good thing.