Here’s the reason I don’t like the “at large” part. It is STILL subject to the “eye test”. The SEC might end up with 4 team out of 8 (with 3 being likely many years).
5 P5 champions (conference decides that however they want), plus 1 team from “the rest”. Not sure how to pick that team, maybe the highest rated team from some committee, poll, computer model, or something.
Top 2 get byes, then 5 total games.
I am NOT trying to get the most “deserving” teams in based on some subjective evaluation by a committee, a poll, or the public at large. I don’t care if the “best” team wins. I’m trying to have an objective (as much as possible) system to fill a playoff and determine a winner of that playoff. The “best team” doesn’t always win the Super Bowl, the World Series, or the NBA Championship either. But the CHAMPION always wins.
6 teams is odd, I’ll admit. The non-P5 selection isn’t perfect. Notre Dame might have too easy a path in. But it makes EVERY P5 championship (game) a huge deal, and prevents schedule gaming from allowing over representing a conference to continue to feed a narrative about how awesome it is.