Regardless of the outcome at the College Football Playoff championship game on Monday night, expect some critics to bring up the following points:

• “But they lost to Northern Illinois!” will likely be a common comment if Notre Dame secures the victory, highlighting the oddity of a national champion having such a disheartening loss.
• If Ohio State wins and gives coach Ryan Day his first national title, prepare for complaints about how it undermines the regular season that a two-loss team could end up winning, having finished fourth in the Big Ten.

Let’s preemptively address any attempts to undermine the inaugural champion of the 12-team playoff: Let’s stop this silliness.

Either Ohio State or Notre Dame won’t just be a worthy champion; they will genuinely deserve special acknowledgment for facing an unprecedented set of four physically demanding playoff games — a feat unmatched in college football history.

Deserving? Absolutely.

At some point, as this playoff format becomes more familiar and accepted, we can hope that this discussion fades away.

Other team sports have successfully crowned champions through multi-round playoffs without much debate over hypothetical scenarios or questioning the legitimacy of the winner’s claim. It’s high time college football fans embrace this reality and leave outdated beliefs behind.

For many years, college football was distinct because it prioritized an image of perfection over a series of challenging tournaments that truly reveal a team’s capabilities.

Indeed, there have been numerous champions in college football who would likely prevail in any system, be it during the poll era, the BCS, or the four-team CFP. We can agree that powerhouse teams like 2019 LSU, 2001 Miami, or 1995 Nebraska would remain unbeatable against any opponent.

However, several seasons, particularly during the poll era and the BCS, have seen champions awarded perhaps undeservedly due to a system likened to a beauty contest.

Take the 1984 season, for instance: BYU achieved a notable victory over Pittsburgh at the start of the season, climbed the rankings, and later enjoyed an impressive yet easy schedule in the Western Athletic Conference, ultimately clinching the national title by defeating an average Michigan team with a 6-6 record in the holiday bowl.

This was the reality of yesteryear.

Even during the BCS era, issues persisted.

Who can say that Auburn wasn’t the best team in 2004 after dominating the SEC only to be excluded from the championship game due to Southern Cal and Oklahoma both remaining unbeaten? Was there no chance Oklahoma State could have defeated LSU or Alabama in 2011 had they received a shot instead of the BCS settling for a rematch between SEC rivals?

What was even more exasperating was that each year, rather than acknowledge these ongoing issues and reform the postseason system, those in charge claimed that the ongoing disputes over identifying the best team merely increased college football’s viewership.

Imagine if the BCS were still in place: this year’s championship game would have been Oregon facing Georgia, and the winner would be automatically accepted as the legitimate champion of the season.

Yet, after watching the games unfold, it’s evident that these were not the two best teams. Georgia didn’t just lose against Notre Dame; they were physically dominated. While Oregon edged Ohio State earlier in the season at their home field, the Buckeyes proved they were far superior in their neutral field matchup when it mattered most.

If you’re a traditionalist who feels that Oregon’s earlier victory and subsequent Big Ten title should have been enough to cement their legitimacy since that’s how the system worked for so long, I understand.

However, this way of thinking is misguided, reflecting an outdated notion that views a championship as a mere reward rather than the culmination of a rigorous evaluation process that tests every aspect of a team’s abilities.

Consider the journey of Ohio State in this playoff: they faced the nation’s No. 3 defense (Texas), the No. 6 defense (Tennessee), and an offense that put up an average of 35 points per game (Oregon).

Notre Dame encountered formidable opponents as well, facing the No. 2 scoring offense (Indiana), the SEC champion (Georgia), and the No. 7 defense (Penn State).

Do these teams have their imperfections? Certainly.

No national championship-winning team has ever lost to an opponent as underwhelming as Northern Illinois, who finished with a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference. Notre Dame suffered an embarrassing loss, but it served as a wake-up call that propelled them to address their problems and come together as a focused, driven team.

It’s also worth noting that Ohio State’s four-year streak of losses against Michigan would have led them to be overlooked in both the BCS and the four-team CFP, banishing them to an insignificant bowl game and ending a season that fell short of expectations.

Yet, watching Ohio State compete in this tournament, highlighted by two comprehensive victories over solid teams and a tough win against Texas, does not make a great case for the outdated playoff system.

“We are very grateful. I think everybody in the program is, to be in this situation, for a lot of reasons,” Day shared. “But I do think the new format has allowed our team to grow and build throughout the season; losses can be painful, yet those experiences give us a chance to reflect on our shortcomings, make improvements, and focus on getting better. That’s been my key takeaway from this format, which I believe is beneficial for our players and the sport as a whole.”

No one owes anyone an apology for this change.

Just as the Miami Heat didn’t owe anyone an explanation for reaching the NBA Finals last year after stumbling in their initial play-in game and seizing another chance to capture the eighth seed.

Similarly, UConn didn’t have to justify winning the men’s basketball championship in 2014 despite being third in the American Athletic Conference and entering the NCAA tournament as an overlooked seventh seed.

Nor did the 2011 New York Giants need to apologize for being a 9-7 regular season team that remarkably won the Super Bowl, defeating one of the greatest New England Patriots teams in history in the process.

This is how sports operate. Accept it and redirect your grievances.

The argument that it undermines the college football regular season because the last two teams standing weren’t those chosen by committee or pollsters? There’s no evidence supporting this claim.

Ultimately, any team that qualifies for the playoffs during this new format has done so by either winning a conference or being recognized as a top-10 team. This is the current standard in the 12-team playoff, and qualifying is not an easy feat.

Alabama and Ole Miss both fell short despite receiving ample chances. Similarly, Miami didn’t make the cut even with the top offense in college football and a ten-win record in a competitive conference. If the regular season were inconsequential, there wouldn’t be so much disappointment from these teams about narrowly missing out.

To secure a national title in college football today, you must perform as one of the best teams throughout the regular season and execute your best play in December and maintain player health to win four postseason games and confront teams with diverse styles and strengths.

There are no shortcuts. You must be a complete team.

Ohio State and Notre Dame have demonstrated this better than anyone else, and the victor come Monday night will undoubtedly be the most deserving national champion in the sport’s history.

Follow News Sports columnist Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken