I get what you are saying. They wouldn't deserve to go under the previous 2-team format. The DO deserve to go under a four team format, however. If one of them wins it they will most likely have to get through Clemson AND Bama. If they can do that, then they certainly prove that they are as good as those two.
Notre Dame would be an undefeated team with a win over both of this year's "more deserving" teams. I mean c'mon.
In this regard the playoff has changed things a LOT. Pre-playoff even the BCSNCG teams only played ONE highly ranked opponent in the post-season. Thus, there was still the possibility of a split title (see LSU/USC in 2003). Now there really isn't. Whoever wins the CFP will do so by winning TWO games against teams ranked higher than any team that any of the teams outside of the CFP will play.
Example, this year:
Even if you think that #5 UGA and/or #6 tOSU should be ranked ahead of #4 Oklahoma and/or #3 Notre Dame, the Bulldogs and Buckeyes are not going to be in a position to prove it unless ND/OU get massacred in the semi-final. Suppose that #5 Georgia humiliates #15 Texas in the Sugar Bowl while #6 Ohio State does the same thing to Washington in the Rose Bowl. They *MIGHT* pass OU/ND if the Sooners and Irish lose in the first round but there wouldn't even be an argument to put either the Bulldogs or Buckeyes at #1 no matter what happens in the playoff because no matter what, the winner will pick up two top-4 wins.
FWIW:
I view Notre Dame somewhat differently than I view Oklahoma. I'm saying this as someone who absolutely despises Notre Dame but they went undefeated on a reasonable schedule. Based on final rankings, they:
- Beat #7 Michigan by a TD
- Beat #20 Syracuse by 33
- Beat #22 Northwestern by 10
They did have some alarming close calls against the likes of Ball State, Vandy, Pitt, and USC but I'm willing to overlook that for an undefeated team with at least some quality wins. Notre Dame has those and if they manage to win the CFP they'll have more and better quality wins than anyone else.
Oklahoma is a different case in part because they have a loss and in part because their defense is just awful. We all had our doubts about Ohio State's defense this year but when I looked at advanced stats, Oklahoma's defense made Ohio State's look like the Steel Curtain. They are THAT bad. Even there, if the Sooners manage to win the CFP they'll have more and better quality wins than Georgia and Ohio State combined so there isn't much you could say to argue with them as #1.
