You may have noticed that after decades of denial, the college football overlords finally got with the program and expanded their postseason tournament. They would never admit that they craved their own version of March Madness, but let’s face it, by expanding from four to 12 teams, they ripped a page straight from college basketball’s playbook.

Their imitation is flattering! The more the merrier.

But if you’ve paid attention to the media chatter over the last week you know that the college football folks aren’t very good at the tournament thing just yet.

Last weekend was the opening round of the first real playoff that college football has ever had. What should have been a glorious celebration turned into a bitchfest about lopsided games, incorrect seedings and bad weather. They finally got the tournament they’ve been putting off for decades and they refuse to enjoy it.

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, we share college basketball’s wisdom and guidance on how to actually enjoy a postseason tournament.

1. Somebody’s getting shafted. Deal with it.

Selecting teams for a bracket is more art than science. March Madness has a 68-team field, and every year a handful of teams have a legitimate beef about being excluded. The basketball committee’s annual “First Four Out” list is the saddest consolation prize in sports.

But these arguments are a feature of a tournament, not a bug.

No matter the size of a bracket, there will be fights over who deserved the last spot or two. Not long ago college football had a two-team “playoff” where the third team got hosed. When it was a four-team bracket, the fifth and sixth teams got it. And now that it’s 12, the South Carolinas and Alabamas and Kirk Herbstreits of the world will tell you all the reasons that Indiana didn’t deserve to be included.  

And that’s fine! These decisions aren’t life and death; they do the best they can. It’s a tournament, not a lifeboat.

Was Indiana one of the best 12 teams? I don’t know and neither do you. Only God knows and He’s more focused on the NFL right now. 

2. Blowouts happen.

This is sports. The better teams often win, sometimes by a lot – that doesn’t change once the regular season is over.  And when you allow the better teams to play in their raucous home stadiums in familiar weather, don’t be surprised when the games aren’t close.

3. Seeds are sacred.

Look, Boise State and Arizona State had nice football seasons. They won their respective conferences and they deserve to be in the bracket. But two of the top four seeds? C’mon.

College football needs to learn that winning your conference can get you into the tourney but doesn’t guarantee you a special seat at the table. Cousin Gary might have flown in from Alaska, but if he smells like bourbon he’s eating Thanksgiving dinner in the kitchen.

4. Remember the reason for the season.

The real point of sports isn’t revenue or rankings or ratings. It’s FUN. That’s why March Madness is the best party in sports — we toss 68 teams into a bracket, roll basketballs out onto a bunch of weirdly generic basketball courts and three weeks later, presto! A champion emerges.

College football needs to shake its obsession with identifying the One True Best Team and recognize that the purpose of a tournament is to simply crown a champion. That’s it. Even the NFL gets this — all that matters is winning the Super Bowl. Who’s the best team? Who cares!

The winner of a tournament does nothing but hold a trophy and sell hats. There are no other responsibilities. This isn’t Space Jam or Miss America; there are no alien superteams to play, no special duties to fulfill. The point of all this is to have fun.

Let’s give the college football folks a break for now. They are new to this tournament thing and they aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer. Remember, they once designed a four-team playoff for five major conferences and thought it would work out fine.

So, if you hear college football fans complaining about the tournament this holiday season, give them a hug and tell them it’s going to be okay. The quarterfinal games look mostly fantastic and March Madness – the real tournament – is right around the corner.