The old man, in this scenario, is a collective of the Power Four conferences: the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. They control the money, so they control the power—a majority of that consolidated to the SEC and Big Ten—so they control the format of the College Football Playoff. This season, for the first time in the CFP's 12-year history, the Power Four leagues are undeniably guaranteed a spot. I have railed against automatic bids for nearly a decade, pointing to the very nonsense that hammered the ACC last season. They're doing what is best to protect their respective leagues, and securing one guaranteed CFP berth is wise for them.