I think that the Universities are the reason we can't/won't get a playoff.
It must be realized that of the 118 teams who play Div I-A football, there vast majority are teams like North Texas, UTEP, Rice, Troy, etc., which all know that they have no realistic shot at making a playoff system, be it 8 teams, 16 teams, or even 32 teams. So they have absolutely no interest in a playoff system.
The current bowl system is a feel good system. All the teams and the University admins get to go to a nice destination for a week, where they are wined and dined and treated with lots of nice things.
Personally, I don't care if we never have a playoff. I also wouldn't mind if we went back to the old way - where we knew which bowl the conference champion was going to before the season even began. The "controversy" over who is the #1 team is part of what makes college football great, imo.