College Football Playoff 2014

I think they will go to eight teams in a few years because I won't know what to do if FSU is still in the final four when you have three teams that could beat them easily by 10+ points (TCU, Ohio State, and Baylor)

Personally, I have been watching the D3 playoffs, and I like the way they do it.
All conferences that have 7 members or more get an auto bid into the play offs. Then there is an poolb bid for all independents and conferences less than 7. The remaining open spots are filled with at large teams chosen nationally. If you are in an auto bid conference, win your conference and you are in.

 

I will agree with you on that since Barrett is hurt, I think the playoffs should go to eight.

I'd like to see eight playoff teams. The five major conference winners plus three wild cards. But if/when there are eight teams the teams that finished nine, ten, etc. will complain they got shortchanged. It's the nature of things. Whomever doesn't make March Madness (#69) complains. Moving from four to eight teams depends on how it affects the major bowls. They have a lot of power aka $$$.

 

This is exactly right.

 

... oh, and pay the players. That's a lot of games to play without getting paid.

Mississippi State being out creates a spot for TCU and Ohio State.  I hear lots of commentary saying OSU will leap-frog TCU but that does not make any sense to me.  TCU destroyed Texas and they should logically move up into contention with OSU on the outside looking in.  OSU's quarterback situation should not affect decisions but it probably will.  All that said, I'd like to see D1 go to at least an 8 team playoff but as human nature goes, then we'll be having these same conversations about which two-loss teams are worthy.  I have friends who are college football fanatics and they love having less teams in it.  They love the excitement of arguing who is best for weeks at a time.  I guess there is something to that if that is what you enjoy.

I agree with RJM make it 8 teams with 5 power conference teams and 3 non power conference teams.

But that is not what he said.  A wild card team could be the runner up in a power conference.

Yeah but at least one of the non power 5 conference teams will have to get in if they go to 8

I don't understand that.   Why wouldn't a wild card be the second best team in the SEC or the PAC12? Or be an unaffiliated team?  Why would all 3 wild cards come from other conferences?  You'd still have a selection committee, and their job would be to pick the 3 remaining best teams in the country, regardless of conference.

Yes ONE of the wild card spots should go to an at large team such as Marshall before they lost to WKU The wild cards won't have to be ranked 5,6,&7 the selection committee could chose whoever they want in the top 25 I'm just saying one of those spots should go to a non power 5 conference team.

Here's my thoughts and no way in the world would it ever happen due to the bowls getting minimized even if they used a rotating system or bowls as playoff sites.

 

All football teams go into 8 conferences with one or two conferences being the mid major schools.  Play 11 game season with 8 games being in conference.  Each conference has a conference championship game from two divisions inside each conference.  Once all that is done and over with on the same weekend take a week off (or maybe no) then use the ranking playoff committee being used now to rank the teams 1-16 and go with a playoff from that.  

 

Things to consider -

 

1.  Can two conference champs meet up in the first round?

2.  Can two schools from same conference meet in the first round?

 

At the end of the day no system is perfect and there will always be someone on the outside looking in saying they got screwed.  At least in this scenario you create more opportunities to earn your way into a chance which is what the mid majors want and deserve.  I still think Marshall should not be punished for having a bad day especially at the end of the season.  Yes there is the argument that the number three teams in the SEC are better than anybody in the mid major conferences but oh well.  Can't make everyone happy.

Eight could mean an extra week of football, and I'd really like to know what the players (students) really think about it before deciding to implement.   So, you'd have the regular season + conference champ + national playoff.   That is a lot of games, travel, and focus on things other than the classroom.  This is akin to the NFL wanting to add two extra games because they can. First, I'd want to know if the number of concussions is declining because of the action taken by the schools, conferences and NCAA.  Let's make sure our college students are better protected before putting them at more risk.  JMO.

 

 

Just guessing but I would guess that a large number of the players would be OK with this but I could be wrong.

 

I think the issue of physical wear / tear along with concussions could be a legitimate issue and only thing to hold it back but the flip side is that the other levels of football already have playoffs.  I would like to see the numbers of injuries / concussions between the two styles if there would be an increase.

 

As for the academic issue IMO this is the most blown out of the water arguement against playoff I've seen.  First they have been on this schedule for 11 weeks of missing class to travel.  Another couple of weeks won't hurt anything because it's what they are used to already.  Second we live in the 21st century and their phones have the world's knowledge in their hands.  Technology has never provided a better opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.  I know when I was finishing my masters degree colleges were starting to use Blackboard for online class, assignments, staying up to date, etc...  At the high school level I use Edmodo to be able to extend the classroom outside of normal school setting.  Third most of this playoff system will take place over Christmas break.  They won't miss class.  Fourth they chose this life to be a student and an athlete.  With that comes the responsibility of staying on top of their studies regardless of what type of schedule they have.  Plus football probably misses the least amount of class than all the other sports.  I would bet that if they needed extra help the coaches / school would make sure they get it.

Miss what school?  This has always been the craziest argument for not having football playoffs.  It takes about two weeks to play three rounds of playoffs.  Games could start on Dec. 17 and be over on Jan.4.  Will not interfere with finals and if they miss any classes for spring it will be the first few days at most.  At Alabama for example finals conclude on Dec.12 and classes begin January 7. 

 

Imagine a prime time game on Wed, Thurs, Friday and Sat in the first week. Then come back the 2nd week on Fri and Sat again and the final on Sat.  Pretty much stays out of the NFL's way and 7 primetime playoff games.  The money will be through the roof.   

 

And yes - pay them. 

Oh and be careful what you wish for.  The College Football Regular season is the best regular season in sports because almost every game is a playoff game. 

 

That will be lost for good with 8 teams and you open it up to 3 loss teams if you got to 16 which is currently UCLA.  My prediction is that is where they go.  And the Football Regular season becomes much more like the basketball regular season - almost a worthless watch since no matter what happens you get the same 10 teams most years and a rotation of 25 others to round out the field. 

 

On the plus side it will finally kill the bowls.

 

 

Missing class for potential playoff games is a problem?  Let's remember the tweet of now-starting QB for The Ohio State University, Cardale Jones:

 

"Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS."

 

Something tells me none of the athlete-students that play at a "Power 5" school care if they miss a few more classes...

I love the bowl games.