Not surprisingly, NFL games played on Saturday afternoons significantly outperformed college football competition.

Still, it’s somewhat surprising that the margin wasn’t larger.

The Texans-Chiefs game at 1 p.m. ET on NBC an average of 15.5 million viewersand Steelers-Ravens attracted 15.4 million for the late game, which began at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox.

The SMU-Penn State CFP game, which began at noon ET, averaged 6.4 million viewers. Clemson at Texas averaged 8.6 million with kickoff at 4 p.m. ET.

Both college games on Saturday afternoon were uncontested. None of the first four playoff games were competitive. More specifically, it never felt like the road team had a chance of winning.

That might put the college football bros on notice, but it’s true. The four games sucked. And it’s no surprise. There is a talent disparity in college football, and there aren’t 12 teams that are sufficiently equal in skill to produce games that feel competitive.

Yes, NFL postseason games aren’t close sometimes. But usually they are not one-sided. Last year there were underwhelming results in the six wild card games. However, THREE of the underdogs won (Green Bay, Houston, Tampa Bay).

The College Football Playoff, as currently constructed, will not often produce upsets in the first round. More often than not, these games create the unmistakable stench of an NFL team hosting a CFL franchise.

It’s not our job to fix the problem. But that doesn’t stop us from pointing it out. And with that in mind, it’s impressive for college football that the gap between NFL games and college games hasn’t been larger.

It could happen next year. Next year, people may know not to waste their time watching the first round of the College Football Playoff.