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Seems like the CFB Playoff has done at least decent business, right?
I think it is a foregone conclusion that it will expand at some time in the future. But when and by how much. More importantly, WHY 6 vs 8 vs 1424 teams?
I think 8 teams is best.
Assuming that we stand pat at 5 major and 5 mid major conferences with current financial gaps between the two......
All Power 5 Conference Champions get in. No more worried about getting snubbed (looking at you Pac/Big 12)
After that, it's a free for all. You can still have all your hemming and hawing of THIS TEAM LOOKS BETTER or THIS TEAM HAD A BETTER SCHEDULE. There is too much of that now with only 4 teams but the media (and I wager still some fans) like it.
BUT THE REAL REASON FOR THIS SETUP IS.....
An 8 team playoff is a great chance for the mid majors to finally get a chance to prove themselves on the field and not just via polls or internet flame wars.
Tom Herman's Houston, Classic Boise State, Urban Meyer's Utah. TCU......all those "BCS Busters" would finally REALLY be tested.
That ALONE is worth expanding the playoff. Plus while the gap between the two would still exist, there could be financial windfall for the Mid Major conferences in terms of more TV money and fan interest for certain teams....
WILL THEY MAKE IT IN???!!
That drama alone could spike interest at a lot of Mountain West and AAC Programs provided the schools invest in their football teams enough to rival what Boise and Houston are able to do.
I think we'll get to an 8 team playoff within 5 years. Personally, I'd prefer a 12 or 16 team playoff, but that probably won't happen a while, possibly ever.
I think we'll get to an 8 team playoff within 5 years. Personally, I'd prefer a 12 or 16 team playoff, but that probably won't happen a while, possibly ever.
I'd prefer a 6 team playoff with the top 2 seeds getting a first round bye and the top 6 overall making it in.
-1st round byes for the top 2 teams is a big reward for the best regular season.
-This would allow all major conference teams the chance to make it in.
-A 16 team playoff would diminish the regular season. For example, three 3-loss teams would have made it in this year, including my favorite team, Michigan, which didn't deserve to be a playoff team. What is special about CFB is that every regular season game has high value. Under a 16 team playoff, Michigan losing at home 42-13 to Ohio State in the season finale would be just a bump on the road to the playoffs costing them a few spots in the seeding process.
-Even an 8 team playoff would in some years see a three loss team make it in.
I'd prefer a 6 team playoff with the top 2 seeds getting a first round bye and the top 6 overall making it in.
-1st round byes for the top 2 teams is a big reward for the best regular season.
-This would allow all major conference teams the chance to make it in.
-A 16 team playoff would diminish the regular season. For example, three 3-loss teams would have made it in this year, including my favorite team, Michigan, which didn't deserve to be a playoff team. What is special about CFB is that every regular season game has high value. Under a 16 team playoff, Michigan losing at home 42-13 to Ohio State in the season finale would be just a bump on the road to the playoffs costing them a few spots in the seeding process.
-Even an 8 team playoff would in some years see a three loss team make it in.
As long as conferences don't play true round-robin schedules and teams play a limited number of non-conference games, there will always be teams that get screwed if you have only 4 or 6 teams in the playoffs. That still happens to some degree even with 8 teams, but it is reduced somewhat. Also, a larger field allows very good G5 conference teams to participate, which quite frankly would increase interest in the playoffs because there would be underdog angle(s) not unlike the NCAA Tournament. Finally, we are already starting to see that the 4 team playoff is encouraging some teams to improve their regular season schedules. That would increase further with an 8 team playoff (and would increase further still with a 12 or 16 team playoff IMO); teams would know that a loss or two to a high quality opponent wouldn't destroy their playoff chances. Stated more simply, a larger but not too large playoff field would enhance the importance of the regular season rather than distract from it.
As a frame of reference, the NFL currently allows 12 teams to make the playoffs out of only 32 teams, yet no one thinks the NFL regular season is meaningless or that it is a bad thing if a lower seeded team wins the championship. I mean, just last season a 15-1 team lost in the Super Bowl. The world didn't stop spinning because a team that was "only" 12-4 won the Super Bowl.
The real key for expanding the playoffs, and the thing I'd like to see, is to uncouple the playoffs from the bowl system and allow all playoff games through at least the quarterfinals and preferably the semifinals to be played at participant teams' sites (i.e. higher seeded teams are rewarded by hosting playoff games*); the championship game should continue to be played at neutral site. That factor is the biggest factor holding back playoff expansion IMO; the bowls know that if the playoffs expand, there's an increasingly good chance they'll be excluded from the process. (The bowl games could still host games for non-playoff teams or eliminated playoff teams.) IMO, the bowl games are a relic of a long by-gone era that hasn't existed for at least 50 years, from a time when the national champion was determined before the bowl games.
*Allowing higher seeded teams to host playoff games would also encourage teams to strengthen their regular season non-conference schedules, if they knew schedule strength was a key factor as to how high they were seeded. More attractive non-conference regular season games are a positive for the teams and especially the fans. Additionally, allowing higher seeded teams to host playoff games would allow more of the participating teams' fans, or at least fans of the higher seeded teams, to attend the game(s) and reduce their total costs because they wouldn't have to potentially travel multiple weeks to attend neutral site playoff bowl games.
The most I've seen for a high school team is a 15 game season. The best NFL teams end up playing what 18 - 19 games?
FCS is a 24 team playoff. NDSU received a bye into the second round and ended up playing 4 playoff games. so combined with their 11 regular season games they played 15 games total.
An FCS team COULD end up playing 16 games.
I see no reason to have any of the FBS teams to go beyond that. So find a way to work within a 16 game max for two teams.
WTBS you could easily go to an 8 team playoff. 16 teams and you're talking eliminating a regular season game which would hurt those FCS teams looking for an FBS pay day.
I would like to see something like what FCS does with 24 teams making it using a 16 man bracket with bye's. BUT eliminating ONE regular season game for the FBS schools.
You could still keep the minor bowl games as well for those who don't qualify.
I think we'll get to an 8 team playoff within 5 years. Personally, I'd prefer a 12 or 16 team playoff, but that probably won't happen a while, possibly ever.
Totally agree. There is no reason not to do 16. It wouldnt diminish anything about the regular season, you still couldnt take any games off no matter who you were to make a playoff or to take a higher seed. It would be the biggest money maker in sports.
Uh... length of season is a reason; they're already at a 15 game season. You do realize these are academic institutions and not just football teams, right? The impact of a lengthy season on student-athletes becomes a concern.
Uh... length of season is a reason; they're already at a 15 game season. You do realize these are academic institutions and not just football teams, right? The impact of a lengthy season on student-athletes becomes a concern.
You do realize every other division has a playoff with no problem. In fact every other sport in the NCAA except FBS football has a playoff. Im pretty sure they can work out the schedule
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