2015 Playoffs

[T Town Tommy]

This will work until an 8-5 team sneaks into the playoffs by winning their division, winning a rematch in the conference championship game against a team they already lost to, and then catches fire in the playoffs a month later (See Wisconsin 2012 perhaps?)

May happen from time to time, but if that's the setup then they won when they had to. I am not even opposed to seeding the eight teams. If your example ever happened, then that team would probably be an eight seed and would play the # 1 seed starting - given a seeding sytem is in place. The liklihood they are around after the quarters is significantly reduced by their seed based on their record. Plus, the 1-4 seeds would have earned the right to play the quarter round game at home. A huge advantage for sure... but their full body of work should mean something as well. No system will ever be perfect. I just can't see the conference or conferences that get left out of a four team playoff being content with the setup. Some commissioner is gonna be pissed... and may very well have that right to be.

 

[stlnd01]

May happen from time to time, but if that's the setup then they won when they had to. I am not even opposed to seeding the eight teams. If your example ever happened, then that team would probably be an eight seed and would play the # 1 seed starting - given a seeding sytem is in place. The liklihood they are around after the quarters is significantly reduced by their seed based on their record. Plus, the 1-4 seeds would have earned the right to play the quarter round game at home. A huge advantage for sure... but their full body of work should mean something as well. No system will ever be perfect. I just can't see the conference or conferences that get left out of a four team playoff being content with the setup. Some commissioner is gonna be pissed... and may very well have that right to be.

I dunno. If the Big 10 or ACC get left out this year, it's because the bulk of the conference sucks and their best teams have no quality wins. If the Pac-12 gets left out, ironically, it's because the mid and upper levels of that conference are too good. Ideal model might be the Big 12, where you have a few elite programs that can run up wins against the rest, then face off for the crown.

 

[heygipper]

May happen from time to time, but if that's the setup then they won when they had to. I am not even opposed to seeding the eight teams. If your example ever happened, then that team would probably be an eight seed and would play the # 1 seed starting - given a seeding sytem is in place. The liklihood they are around after the quarters is significantly reduced by their seed based on their record. Plus, the 1-4 seeds would have earned the right to play the quarter round game at home. A huge advantage for sure... but their full body of work should mean something as well. No system will ever be perfect. I just can't see the conference or conferences that get left out of a four team playoff being content with the setup. Some commissioner is gonna be pissed... and may very well have that right to be.

The old system was about as perfect as it gets, as stated above, in that the right champion was selected every year (the 2003 season being maybe the lone argument that it may not have worked out right). People who want 8 team playoffs are overlapped with the people who get worried every October when there are 7 teams still undefeated, only to watch 5 or more of them lose in the last five or six weeks and completely forget that happened by the next October.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Yeah. Tying a playoff spot to winning your conference title places way too much importance on the conference championship game, which, let's face it, in most conferences is an artificial creation designed to generate a TV payday.
Many times, the winner of one of the divisions is the fourth or fifth or sixth best team in the conference. But maybe on that day they knock off a far better team. Meanwhile a strong divisional runner-up gets a week off and a trip to the playoff (see: Alabama, 2011). Are they more deserving? Or do all three get in?
There's too much variance between, and within, conferences, to place that much import on a conference title. Says the fan of the lone major independent, of course.

That's why you have three at large bids. There may be a team that gets lucky and wins the conference championship game. The other team(s) now are relegated to hopefully getting an at large bid. They put themselves there by losing the CCG. And in a lot of years, ND would be up for one of the three at large bids, so that would leave two teams to pick. I think the committee could do that. I just think that every year at least one conference is gonna miss out on a huge payday. That's gonna drive them to want some sort of "protection" - hence the eight team format.

 

[T Town Tommy]

The old system was about as perfect as it gets, as stated above, in that the right champion was selected every year (the 2003 season being maybe the lone argument that it may not have worked out right). People who want 8 team playoffs are overlapped with the people who get worried every October when there are 7 teams still undefeated, only to watch 5 or more of them lose in the last five or six weeks and completely forget that happened by the next October.

I agree that the BCS was probably a better - not perfect - but better system than a four team playoff is. What will drive the changes will be when one conference gets left out. Commissioners care more about that payday than whether their conference team is good enough. Lose out on a few of them paydays and they will probably be looking to expand... or get sacked by their conference schools.

 

[heygipper]

I agree that the BCS was probably a better - not perfect - but better system than a four team playoff is. What will drive the changes will be when one conference gets left out. Commissioners care more about that payday than whether their conference team is good enough. Lose out on a few of them paydays and they will probably be looking to expand... or get sacked by their conference schools.

I think we are saying what the other is thinking and vice versa. I agree that an eight team playoff will most likely come and I'm not going to like it. People who hate the SEC won't be any happier either I think-- the SEC will gobble up two of those at larges

 

[BleedBlueGold]

My initial thought was to have a 6-team Playoff with the two top seeds getting a first round bye. I think 8 is way too many and as other have pointed out, not many times will the 6-8 seeds actually deserve a shot at the championship. However, with 5 power conferences, one of which is typically dominant across the board, I don't think it's unreasonable to increase it to 6 teams and let the big dogs eat.

Pac Champ
Big 12 Champ
B1G Champ
ACC Champ
SEC Champ
One at-large Bids (#2 SEC team? #2 PAC team? ND? etc)

*Not all conference champs are created equal so I think it'd have to be a case by case evaluation. But in most years, there's usually a top team that wins the conference and I think those teams deserve a shot. Then the overall top 2 teams deserve a bye week, which allows the cream to rise out of the first round.

I'm sure there are holes in this thought process. But my gut tells me to pair 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5. Then re-seed and have 1 play the lowest to advance and 2 play the other. Ideally, you should get a 1 vs 2, but we all know tournaments don't play out that way. I just think this route gives the top seeded teams 1) a chance to win and 2) some wiggle room since it's so rare that the top 4 really separate from everyone else. Just look at the AP poll right now and it's hard to stop at 4 teams. There are plenty of others that can make a case. The next few weeks will help with separation, but what if you have a bunch of one-loss teams in the top 10? Seems hard to find which four are the ones that deserve the shot while stiffing the others, imo.

 

[mtnd15]

I think guaranteeing a slot to a conference champion would really hurt ND in this situation. By limiting the at larges you are guaranteeing there will be a handful of SEC runners up clamoring for an at large bid. ND will be left on the outside watching conference champs they are better than - and may have already beat - waltz into the playoff. My two cents.

 

[Irish YJ]

Condoleezza Rice talks ins, outs of College Football Playoff committee - ESPN

 

[Rudy89]

8 team playoff. Opening round is bowl games 8 major bowls on rotation. Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Sun, and Holiday. Power conference champs get an automatic bid and 3 at large. 2nd round on neutral fields. National Championship game in a major stadium the week inbetween the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Giving us 3 big weeks of football.