Fixing College Football

[subwaydomer26]

How would you fix it?
LINKLINKLINK

 

[JeremyND07]

3 words....Notre Dame Championship

 

[subwaydomer26]

Yes Jeremy, that would help too. lol

 

[onenybrother]

Blow up the NCAA. Then make sure there's a playoff system in place. Until then we will never have a true champion.

 

[SoCalDomer]

good thoughts Subway.

here's what I would add:

1) Officiating: there needs to be one organization (not necessarily the NCAA) that trains, monitors and assigns referrees and replay officials. The officitaing between conferences is so inconsistent. Then you also take away any potential bias from having conference officials.

2) Penalties: You touched on the excessive celebration pretty well. I would make sure the Sean Merriman style of celebration is on that list. College more than pros should be about team, not individuals. And when an individual celebrates like he just did something entirely by himself, he should be reminded he can do nothing without the 10 other guys out there. He should have to sit out one play if he gets an excessive celebration penalty.

Also, I think the NCAA needs to adopt rules similar to the NFL when it comes to hitting (no helmet to helmet, no horse collar, and protecting the QB). They should also adopt the pass-interference and no contact after 5-yds with receivers rules.

3) Clock stoppage: The clock should stop after 1st downs but only in the last two minutes of each half. This will shorten the games, meaning less plays and less opportunity to get hurt. It will also force teams to manage the clock better.

4) School Eligibility: In order to play, players must maintain their grades. So why should the schools themselves be any different? If a school is not graduating 70% (a "C" average) of its players in a given year, it loses 5 scholarships the following season. If it does not meet 70% for 3 years in a row, it does not play at all the next year. I am tired of football factories playing lip service to the academics aspect of "student athlete."

Also, transfers do count against a school's graduation rate (the new GSR forumla omits transfers in good academic standing because the football factories complained they looked bad under the old formula). Schools should be certain the students they recruit want an education from that school and are not just using college to play football. Exceptions could be made for students who move back closer to home because of family death or other family problems.

5) Coaching: Let's call this the Saban/Petrino rule. A coach who publicly says he's staying with his team then leaves (not fired) while still under contract is barred from coaching in Div-1 for one year. If the NCAA stands for honesty and integrity, should we have coaches who lack both of those qualities instructing these young men?

6) Recruiting: a school should be limited in the amount of offers it can make to recruits. Many schools send an offer to everyone and hope some stick. This will force teams to focus on recruits who really want to be at that school.

A school should not be able to accept more commits than it has scholarships. The schools and commits should know before NSD whether they will gain admittance into the school.

 

[NDSMC78]

One more suggestion: limit the number and total duration of television timeouts.

 

[SoCalDomer]

One more suggestion: limit the number and total duration of television timeouts.

ha ha. absolutely. I'm tired of hearing "We interrupt these commercials to bring you these short football clips."

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

All great ideas fellas.

 

[BDIrish4ever]

good thoughts Subway.

here's what I would add:

1) Officiating: there needs to be one organization (not necessarily the NCAA) that trains, monitors and assigns referrees and replay officials. The officitaing between conferences is so inconsistent. Then you also take away any potential bias from having conference officials.

2) Penalties: You touched on the excessive celebration pretty well. I would make sure the Sean Merriman style of celebration is on that list. College more than pros should be about team, not individuals. And when an individual celebrates like he just did something entirely by himself, he should be reminded he can do nothing without the 10 other guys out there. He should have to sit out one play if he gets an excessive celebration penalty.

Also, I think the NCAA needs to adopt rules similar to the NFL when it comes to hitting (no helmet to helmet, no horse collar, and protecting the QB). They should also adopt the pass-interference and no contact after 5-yds with receivers rules.

3) Clock stoppage: The clock should stop after 1st downs but only in the last two minutes of each half. This will shorten the games, meaning less plays and less opportunity to get hurt. It will also force teams to manage the clock better.

4) School Eligibility: In order to play, players must maintain their grades. So why should the schools themselves be any different? If a school is not graduating 70% (a "C" average) of its players in a given year, it loses 5 scholarships the following season. If it does not meet 70% for 3 years in a row, it does not play at all the next year. I am tired of football factories playing lip service to the academics aspect of "student athlete."

Also, transfers do count against a school's graduation rate (the new GSR forumla omits transfers in good academic standing because the football factories complained they looked bad under the old formula). Schools should be certain the students they recruit want an education from that school and are not just using college to play football. Exceptions could be made for students who move back closer to home because of family death or other family problems.

5) Coaching: Let's call this the Saban/Petrino rule. A coach who publicly says he's staying with his team then leaves (not fired) while still under contract is barred from coaching in Div-1 for one year. If the NCAA stands for honesty and integrity, should we have coaches who lack both of those qualities instructing these young men?

6) Recruiting: a school should be limited in the amount of offers it can make to recruits. Many schools send an offer to everyone and hope some stick. This will force teams to focus on recruits who really want to be at that school.

A school should not be able to accept more commits than it has scholarships. The schools and commits should know before NSD whether they will gain admittance into the school.

Great Work, SoCal!! I would like to see an addition to recruiting. It is time to do away with NSD...A recruit can sign a letter of intent at anytime and can only change schools through transfer just like any other player. I am tired of hearing the "I wanted to play for the old coach" excuse, recruits sign to a university not a coach. If the recruits do their homework on all schools recruiting them, they will pick the perfect school for them the first time. It is time to end this recruiting circus.

 

[Bubba]

Some very good ideas.

Outsourcing the officiating is a great idea. One completely nuetral organization for all officiating. All conferences have exactly the same rules covering all aspects including instant replay.

I would like to see 8 seperate 12 team conferences divided into 2 divisions each. All teams would play 10 games (no I-AA opponenets). The 2 winners of the divisions in each confernce play for the conference championship. Those 8 teams play in the "playoffs" throughout December. This keeps all regular season games important, but also makes a team earn it's national championship.

No pre-season rankings. No coaches involved in the ranking process. Rankings start after week 5 and are soley for amusement. Playoff seeding will be based on team records and strength of schedule determined by an independent organization.

 

[NDSMC78]

Some very good ideas.


I would like to see 8 seperate 12 team conferences divided into 2 divisions each. All teams would play 10 games (no I-AA opponenets). The 2 winners of the divisions in each confernce play for the conference championship. Those 8 teams play in the "playoffs" throughout December. This keeps all regular season games important, but also makes a team earn it's national championship.

I don't like this at all.

Problem 1---It forces ND to join a conference. No, no, a thousand times, no.

Problem 2--When you have two divisions in a conference, that leaves the possibliity that the winner of one division will have 3 or 4 losses. That is, that team can go 1-3 or 0-4 in non-conference games and then win all its conference games. Then that team can get hot in the playoffs and win the NC. It does NOT keep all regular season games important.

 

[Timugen]

I don't like this at all.

Problem 1---It forces ND to join a conference. No, no, a thousand times, no.

Problem 2--When you have two divisions in a conference, that leaves the possibliity that the winner of one division will have 3 or 4 losses. That is, that team can go 1-3 or 0-4 in non-conference games and then win all its conference games. Then that team can get hot in the playoffs and win the NC. It does NOT keep all regular season games important.

Well if a team with a better record can't beat that 3 or 4 loss team in the playoffs then that's their problem...they had their chance. It's not as if a 3 or 4 loss team would be getting voted in as the national champion. If they win it by beating "better" teams then they EARNED it on the field, not in a poll.

 

[NDSMC78]

IMO, 3 and 4 loss teams shouldn't be playing for an NC. That's what will happen though. Why have a regular season at all?

 

[onenybrother]

I love my wife but if someone told me leaving her would cure cancer she is history. The same goes for The Dame. I would hate for them to be reason why there no playoffs.

 

[NDSMC78]

I love my wife but if someone told me getting rid of her would cure cancer she is history. I would for Notre Dame to get in her playoff.

Huh?

 

[onenybrother]

Huh?

Let me clarify. No One person or institution can't destroy meaningful progress. If it get to the point that Notre Dame is the reason why there no playoff's , then Notre Dame is wrong.

 

[NDSMC78]

Well, we are just going to have to agree to disagree. I don't view playoffs as progress. We already have a two team playoff. I could deal with a four team playoff. Once you expand beyond four teams, you are getting wild cards, automatic bids for conference champs, three and four loss teams, etc. The system is not perfect now, but it is infinitely better than a 8 or 16 team championship would be.

 

[Bubba]

The eventual NCAA basketball champion doesn't always have the best record in the land, but they prove it on the court during the tournament. I'm pretty sure March madness is still pretty awesome even though the team with the fewest losses isn't always the champ.

 

[NDSMC78]

The eventual NCAA basketball champion doesn't always have the best record in the land, but they prove it on the court during the tournament. I'm pretty sure March madness is still pretty awesome even though the team with the fewest losses isn't always the champ.

Which is why a lot of folks I know don't watch much of the college basketball regular season. So many schools get into the NCAA tournament that regular season matchups, even those between two good teams, have essentially become meaningless.

 

[Bubba]

Which is why a lot of folks I know don't watch much of the college basketball regular season. So many schools get into the NCAA tournament that regular season matchups, even those between two good teams, have essentially become meaningless.

But there aren't 25 football games in a season and everyone wouldn't be invited to a conference tournament. The top 2 teams in the conference would play for the right to go to the playoffs. This makes every game important in a 10 game season.

There also wouldn't be 64 teams invited to the playoffs. Only 8, and they would have to earn the right to be there during the regular season.

 

[NDSMC78]

But there aren't 25 football games in a season and everyone wouldn't be invited to a conference tournament. The top 2 teams in the conference would play for the right to go to the playoffs. This makes every game important in a 10 game season.

No, it would not be the top two teams in each conference. It would be the top team for each division in a conference. Say, school X from one division of a conference goes 10-0 in the regular season. Then, team Y from the other division of that conference goes 1-3 in non-conference play, but goes 6-0 in conference play, thus finishing 7-3. Team Y then beats team X in the conference championship game. Those three non-conference losses are rendered meaningless, and by any stretch of the imagination, are not important.

 

[MeanGreen]

I have never been a fan of the super conferences and feel they are the reason we have these problems. Did these problems exist before they created the super conferences? Yes, but it was not every year. Also instead of have Mich vs App St., LSU vs Tiffin or Fla vs South Harmon, we had some great inter-sectional rivalries. We never worried about strength of schedule, because for the most part every ones was the same. One loss wasn't the killer it is now. Georgia got screwed this year because of being in a super conference and not making it to the conference championship game. Do away with the super conferences, do away with the exhibition games against IAA teams. Basketball has it problems too, weren't we snub a few years ago, isn't there a hand full of teams that get snub every years. That model works because you can play 25 games and play a tournament that play every other day. It is not a good model for football.

 

[Bubba]

No, it would not be the top two teams in each conference. It would be the top team for each division in a conference. Say, school X from one division of a conference goes 10-0 in the regular season. Then, team Y from the other division of that conference goes 1-3 in non-conference play, but goes 6-0 in conference play, thus finishing 7-3. Team Y then beats team X in the conference championship game. Those three non-conference losses are rendered meaningless, and by any stretch of the imagination, are not important.

OK, no non-conference games. With 12 teams in a conference, you can play a 10 or 11 game season without palying outside the conference. Take the team with the best record and have them represent that conference. No conference championship game.

 

[NDSMC78]

OK, no non-conference games. With 12 teams in a conference, you can play a 10 or 11 game season without palying outside the conference.

So no ND/southern cal? You really want to see that?

 

[Timugen]

Here's a possibility for a somewhat simplified solution that could keep both sides somewhat happy (still being able to schedule rivalry games, but not counting on sportswriters and computer programmers to determine who gets to play for all the beans):

1. Cut the regular season to 10 games and ban scheduling 1-AA teams, and otherwise keep scheduling as it is.

2. No polls until week 5. <----KEY

3. At the end of the season use the rankings to seed a playoff, using the "real" bowls to play the games. Keep all the pets.com bowls as is....they're inconsequential now, so nobody's panties will get in a bunch when they're inconsequential in the new system.


The problem with this though is #2. This would still be a system dependent on polls to seed the playoffs, so the polls need to be as legit as possible. The biggest problem with the polls as they are now is pre/early-season bias giving some teams a "head start" and others a "handicap." This is eliminated by eliminating those early polls.

But there are two reasons we will never be able to get rid of the early polls. First off, the powers that be in CFB would never....NEVER sign off on it because they then just throw away their ability to hype early games based on rankings, and in turn throw away $$$. Secondly, even they did sign off on it, there would still be "rogue" polls popping up all over the place. I'm not sure what power the NCAA has wrt the AP poll (I'm assuming they have to sanction it, but I don't have a clue,) but even if there is no AP poll there will be numerous other "unofficial" polls popping up, and those polls, no matter how "unofficial" will influence the initial mid-season official polls. End result - the same as if there were official polls from day 1, but a bunch of money is lost in the process from not being able to hype games based on the unofficial polls.


It's really unfortunate that we'll never be able to get rid of early polls (in my opinion, at least) because if we could then it would go a long way toward fixing things.

 

[NDSMC78]

But there are two reasons we will never be able to get rid of the early polls. First off, the powers that be in CFB would never....NEVER sign off on it because they then just throw away their ability to hype early games based on rankings, and in turn throw away $$$. Secondly, even they did sign off on it, there would still be "rogue" polls popping up all over the place. I'm not sure what power the NCAA has wrt the AP poll (I'm assuming they have to sanction it, but I don't have a clue,) but even if there is no AP poll there will be numerous other "unofficial" polls popping up, and those polls, no matter how "unofficial" will influence the initial mid-season official polls. End result - the same as if there were official polls from day 1, but a bunch of money is lost in the process from not being able to hype games based on the unofficial polls.

I agree with you. Early polls are not going to go away, and there is nothing that the NCAA can do about it. Just think of all the CFB magazines that start coming out in May and June. Between Athlon's, Lindy's, Sporting News, Street & Smith's, etc., etc., etc., they all try to pick the top 25. These all create a lot of interest in the coming season.

 

[kmoose]

But there are two reasons we will never be able to get rid of the early polls. First off, the powers that be in CFB would never....NEVER sign off on it because they then just throw away their ability to hype early games based on rankings, and in turn throw away $$$.

I'm not buying this argument. I'm not saying you are foolish for putting it forth, I'm saying that I would be just as excited to watch a tOSU vs. USC game, no matter whether there were rankings or not. They might need polls to hype up So. Florida vs. West Virginia, but that's because most people don't care much about either of those teams, as it is. But you put Oklahoma and Tennessee, Florida and Oregon, or Texas and Michigan on TV in the first few weeks of the season, and those TV ratings are going to be BIG. And those matchups are much more likely to happen, if they need a "signature win" to gain a good starting point in the polls.

 

[Bubba]

So no ND/southern cal? You really want to see that?

No, I was just providing you with options since you have a problem with a 3 loss team that is good enough to beat an undefeated team on the field. My post also addressed your concern that the 2 best teams in a conference aren't necessarily in opposite divisions.

No system is going to be perfect. But anything is better than what we have now. It's pretty sad to me what happened at the end of this season. LSU didn't deserve to be in the national championship game. But, voters put them in there anyway. If there was a way to decide it on the field it would be better as far as I'm concerned.

I'd rather go back to pre-BCS college football or adopt a playoff system instead of keeping it the way it is now.

 

[Timugen]

I'm not buying this argument. I'm not saying you are foolish for putting it forth, I'm saying that I would be just as excited to watch a tOSU vs. USC game, no matter whether there were rankings or not. They might need polls to hype up So. Florida vs. West Virginia, but that's because most people don't care much about either of those teams, as it is. But you put Oklahoma and Tennessee, Florida and Oregon, or Texas and Michigan on TV in the first few weeks of the season, and those TV ratings are going to be BIG. And those matchups are much more likely to happen, if they need a "signature win" to gain a good starting point in the polls.

That's the point.

 

[Sir John]

No polls till anytime is whistling. I'd like it but you are talking about controlling 20 or 30 major organizations. ESPN, Sports Illistrated, Street & Smith.....on and on and on. There is just no way it can be done. I simply just don't pay any attention to them as it's just hot air and empty opinion and we all have an opinion.