Yes, the days of every single game mattering if you wanted a shot at being voted the champion after the season are over. The days of it being much better to lose game 3 than game 12, even if it were theoretically the exact same opponent, are over. You can lose late and still make the playoffs and therefore still have a shot at the title. That much is true.


But the end of season is less relevant? For the first time in history we went into the final weekend with 20ish teams all with some sort of a path to make the playoffs. 20ish teams all still vying for the right to play for the national title. That's the most relevant final weekend we've ever had.


Of course, now we will have odd results like Clemson losing and yet finishing the final weekend with better odds of making the playoffs than when the day started, so there is that.