CLEMSON, SC - NOVEMBER 12: Head Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts after a play during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Memorial Stadium on November 12, 2016 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images)

Dabo Swinney contradicted himself, showing just how ludicrous the CFP selection process is

Coach has to be smarter than this.

The narrative that "every game matters" was dispelled (again) after the College Football Playoff field was released on Sunday.

Related: To much controversy, the official College Football Playoff has been released

To some, the beauty of college football is that unlike in the NFL, every game in the regular season actually matters. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney reiterated this point on Sunday night.

But here's the thing: it's not true. Penn State beat Ohio State head-to-head and defeated Wisconsin to win the Big 10 championship. Yet, Ohio State was selected over the Nittany Lions. Regardless of the outcome of the Big 10 title game — which featured a pair of two-loss teams — Ohio State was going to make the playoffs. So the notion "every game matters" isn't necessarily true in the context of how Swinney meant it.

Part of the logic people use against an eight-team playoff is that it would devalue the regular season. You can pick holes in any postseason format, whether it's the BCS, a four-team playoff, a six-team playoff or an eight-team playoff. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but a system that doesn't value conference title games or head-to-head obviously has some flaws. The playoff format will inevitably expand to eight teams eventually, and there will be flaws in that system as well (complaints of a watered down regular season will be most prevalent).

It's a bit shortsighted of Swinney to suggest the playoff field is working simply because his team made the field. If Swinney coached Penn State, he would assuredly feel otherwise.