Instead, let’s turn the argument to this reality: Of the 235 non-conference games among the Power 5 conferences, more than 70 percent are against teams in the Group of 5 conferences or the FCS.

Want to fix the game in the new College Football Playoff era? It starts here.

Give Nick Saban credit. For all the grief the Alabama coach gets off the field (you know who you are, Hurry Up No Huddle people), Saban is the guy who wanted nine league games in the SEC and everyone in the Power 5 to play everyone else in the non-conference schedule.

If Saban had things his way, every game would be a game against a Power 5 school, instead of the 28 percent it currently stands at (66 games of 235 possible). You know, sort of like the NFL — where there are no gimme putts.

The closest we get to that is Florida State, the defending national champion and the team with the best non-conference schedule. The ‘Noles play an eight-game ACC schedule, but also get the ½-ACC game by playing host to ACC part-timer Notre Dame.

FSU also has games against Big 12 heavyweight Oklahoma State (in Houston) and SEC power Florida. Meanwhile, back in the world of the coach we love to criticize: his team plays West Virginia in one of the 10 best non-conference games of the year — but the rest of the Tide’s non-conference schedule is putrid.

A breakdown of college football’s best non-conference schedules:

Top 10 non-con schedules

  1. Florida State. Oklahoma State (Arlington, Texas), Citadel, Notre Dame, Florida

  2. Clemson. at Georgia, South Carolina State, Georgia State, South Carolina

  3. Georgia. Clemson, Troy, Charleston Southern, Georgia Tech

  4. UCLA. at Virginia, Memphis, at Texas

  5. USC. Fresno State, at Boston College, Notre Dame

  6. Michigan. Appalachian State, at Notre Dame, Miami of Ohio, Utah

  7. West Virginia. Alabama (Atlanta), Towson, at Maryland

  8. Miami. Florida A&M, Arkansas State, at Nebraska, Cincinnati

  9. Virginia. UCLA, Richmond, at BYU, Kent State

  10. Utah. Idaho State, Fresno State, at Michigan

10 best games

  1. Michigan State at Oregon

  2. LSU vs. Wisconsin (Houston)

  3. Clemson at Georgia

  4. UCLA at Texas

  5. Miami at Nebraska

  6. Auburn at Kansas State

  7. Florida State vs. Oklahoma State (Arlington, Texas)

  8. West Virginia vs. Alabama (Atlanta)

  9. Utah at Michigan

  10. Tennessee at Oklahoma

Keeping score

(Composite of Power 5 conferences)

Games against Power 5 teams: 66 of 235 (28 percent)

Games against Group of 5 teams: 115 of 235 (49 percent)

Games against FCS teams: 54 of 235 (23 percent)