THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Jan. 10, 2015

All the buildup and hype, and only one of the semifinal games in the FBS College Football Playoff was close.

The other, meanwhile, wasn't.

So after the dust settles on the season on Monday night as soon as Oregon and Ohio State determine the national champion, are you happy with this playoff system?

AT FIRST, I was a little skeptical that they found the best four teams - with Ohio State sneaking into the final four in the final week - joining Alabama, Oregon and Florida State, who were almost locks after winning conference title games as well.

After those semifinal games, at least for the first try, they got it right.

Leaving TCU and Baylor out in the cold had to be done, with neither playing in a conference championship game and Baylor beating TCU when the teams played head-to-head.

You can't fault Florida State for making it. All the Seminoles did was win, whether the games were close or not.

But that last game against Oregon, they didn't look the part at all. Whether it was the way the Ducks played, or just running out of momentum, it showed that they hadn't played in a while.

The semifinal between Ohio State and Alabama was close to what everyone had in mind, a close, competitive game.

Then Ohio State, with a third-string quarterback, found a way to win a game that nobody thought they could against Alabama.

Had they not switched from the computer system, fans might have had to stew with an Oregon vs. Alabama final.

Who knows how that might have played out.

THE PLAYOFF is nowhere near that of the FCS system, which will play out today with Illinois State facing North Dakota State in that title game.

Should the FBS look to go to a 16-team tournament, much like that of the FCS? Probably.

At least at that point, at least one or two of those top conferences could have a chance to play their way into a championship game.

As it seems, the only downfall could be the subtraction of some bowl games - if there isn't enough already anyway - or a team playing an extra home game or two before going to the warm-weather locations to fight out the final few games.

I get that players have finals during the first few weeks of December, but don't those in the FCS playoffs have those same tests during that time?

No matter how many teams are in the playoff, somebody is going to be upset they didn't get a chance to compete in the championship game.

It's a good start for sure.

But you can't help but hope things go up from here.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.