ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck has no interest in a playoff specifically for Group of Five teams.
Fleck responded Saturday to comments by Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier, who said recently that it’s time for a conversation about creating a playoff for the Group of Five . Northern Illinois is in the Mid-American Conference with Western Michigan.
Fleck, whose undefeated MAC champion Broncos (13-0) play Wisconsin (10-3) in the Cotton Bowl on Monday, said he loves the mix of the Group of Five and the Power Five leagues. He calls a Group of Five national championship “ridiculous.”
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“I think the way it is, is perfect. If you’re in the Group of Five, if you can go undefeated two years in a row, you deserve to be in a national championship and you’ll find your way into the national championship,” Fleck said.
“Everybody is talking Houston this year, Group of Five team. Goes 13-1 last year, beats Florida State. They beat a top-five team to start the year. If they would have continued that and went 13-0 or 13-1, I guarantee they’d be in one of those top four spots.”
Fleck says he talks to recruits about the playoff system and the possibility of Western Michigan playing for a national title. He does acknowledge that it’s much harder for teams like the Broncos than those from one of those five major conferences.
“But you know what, there’s a chance for it to happen,” Fleck said. “In the old BCS system, we didn’t even have a chance.”
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