Of all the arguments we’ve heard against a playoff in college football, the only one that makes any sense says that a lack of playoffs makes the regular season more important. (Well, there’s also the argument, coming from the university presidents, that “we’ll make less money that way.”) We’re not buying the argument, of course, but at least it makes sense.

Anyway, apparently Tony Barnhart, national college football writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is an advocate of this argument. Or is he? We honestly can’t tell.

“It’s unique in that no other regular season is so important. Every game is crucial every week. I think the Fiesta Bowl [Boise State stunning Oklahoma] made a great statement for why you don’t need playoffs. If we had playoffs, Boise State probably would’ve been in them. It was a great night for college football. Again it’s about strength of schedule. I thought Florida was deserving of playing for a national title. What the Boise State thing did was give a lot of ammunition for those who want to see the playoffs.”

With this kind of clarity on the case against/for a college football playoff, it’s no wonder we’re making progress.