Could 6 work better than 8?

[WNY_FOOTBALL_DUDE]

I am still an "Eightist", but I think 6 could work better in this bowl-loving system. Basically here's what I am thinking:

You take the 6 big boy bowl games, and have 4 of them designated for the first and second round of the playoff. The top 4 seeds pick a venue to play in.

If the six team playoff happened this year, then you could have the first round played on December 22nd between #3 and #6 seeds, and #4 and #5 seeds. Basically every team would get at least 21 days off between conference championship weekend and the 1st round of the playoffs.

The second round would get played on New Year's Day. The top two seeds get rewarded with a "bye" and an automatic place in the semi-finals.

Finally the third round or championship round, would get played on January 11th, giving teams plenty of time to game plan, rest, and travel.

This system would be the most bowl-friendly among the bunch, and provide extra rewards for teams ranked in the top 2.

How would it look?

2018 (assuming the favorites win)
Alabama and Clemson would get the top 2 seeds.
#3 Notre Dame vs. #6 Georgia
#4 Oklahoma vs. #5 Ohio State

Michigan vs. Washington, and Penn State vs. UCF for the non-playoff big bowls
You could even add two more BCS bowl games, making it an even 4 bowl rotation

2017
#1 Clemson and #2 Oklahoma would get the top 2 seeds
#3 Georgia vs. #6 Wisconsin
#4 Alabama v. #5 Ohio State

#12 UCF (highest ranked G5 champ) vs. #7 Auburn, and #8 USC vs. #9 Penn State

2016
#1 Alabama and #2 Clemson
#3 Ohio State vs. #6 Michigan
#4 Washington vs. #5 Penn State

#7 Oklahoma vs. #15 Western Michigan, #8 Wisconsin vs. #9 USC

2015
Clemson and Alabama top 2 seeds
#3 Michigan State vs. #6 Stanford
#4 Oklahoma vs. #5 Iowa

#7 Ohio State vs. #18 Houston, #8 Notre Dame vs. #9 Florida State

2014
Alabama and Oregon as the top 2 seeds.
#3 Florida State vs. #6 TCU
#4 Ohio State vs. #5 Baylor

#7 Miss State vs. #20 Boise State, #8 Michigan State vs. #9 Ole Miss

2013
Florida State and Auburn as the top 2 seeds.
#3 Alabama vs. #6 Baylor
#4 Michigan State vs. #5 Stanford

#7 Ohio State vs. #15 UCF, #8 Missouri vs. #9 South Carolina

2012
Notre Dame and Alabama as the top 2 seeds
#3 Florida vs. #6 Stanford
#4 Oregon vs. #5 Kansas State

Georgia #7 vs. Wisconsin, #15 NIU (highest G5 champ) vs. #12 Florida State
*P5 CCs not involved in the playoff would get BCS bowl bids.

2011
LSU and Alabama would get the top 2 seeds
#3 Oklahoma State vs. #6 Arkansas
#4 Stanford vs. #5 Oregon

#7 Boise State vs. #23 West Virginia (highest G5 champ), #10 Wisconsin vs. #15 Clemson

How is this different than 8?

With 8, the top 2 seeds would have to play the third week of December, and all of the power five champs would either get an automatic bid or have to get ranked somewhere in the top 25.

What is the difference between 4 and 6?

With six, the debate between #4 and #5 would be over. In 2017, Bama and Ohio State would get in. In 2016, Washington and Penn State would get in. In 2014, both Ohio State and Baylor would be in. And if everything plays out, like we expect, Oklahoma and Ohio State at 12-1 would be in the playoff.

Now here comes the so-called issue with 6 teams, the debate would shift to between the #6 and #7 team. In 2017, USC, UCF, and Wisky would be angling for that final playoff spot. In 2016, Michigan and Oklahoma would have that debate. In 2015, Ohio State and Stanford would be the great debate. In 2011, Boise State, Arkansas, and Wisky would battle it out for that spot.

You would run into situations where the #3 seed (Think Georgia in 2017, FSU in 2014, and Okie State in 2011) would complain about not getting that 31 day layoff.

To me, it all breaks down to the bowls AND which crop of teams you think deserves a debate on. Would you rather the #5 team complain, #7 team complain, or the #9 team complain? The bowls would be more happy with 6 and the fans, especially ones from G5 schools would prefer 8.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Blah blah blah....No

 

[RobToxin]

Six. Eight. Nope 16.

Fuck it!

Just cancel the regular season. Seed all 124 teams. Then have your playoff and everyone gets a participation trophy!

 

[Voltaire26]

Eight is the perfect number ... every P5 champion gets in and three at large this year would be (providing the favorites win the championship games):

1. Alabama v. 8. Washington
2. Clemson v. 7. Central Florida
3. Notre Dame v. 6. Georgia
4. Oklahoma v. 5. Ohio State

Either way win or STFU

No argument for who gets in the playoffs ... Michigan left their argument in that toilet bowl of a stadium in Columbus.

 

[navamind]

let's just have a cage match with all the coaches to settle it

 

[OUGuy1999]

Personally, i like having the 4, it does keep the regular season a high stakes game as you have to win win win to be in. You start expanding the playoff you start giving the option that it's ok to lose a game and maybe even two and you still get to walk in to the playoffs. However, i personally think 6 would be the max that we could allow while still making the regular season mean something. The reason is that 4 still will leave out a team and maybe 2 or 3 that ultimately could be the best in the league but they dropped a game by some bad luck.

Why 4 still screws teams, look at it this way. Everyone has already said that if Alabama loses to Georgia this weekend, Alabama will stay in over OU and Ohio State. That leaves out two conference champions out (assuming those two win) and kills the point of proving who is best on the field and not just using paper to look at it. I am not saying Alabama isn't the most qualified, but the committee has always stated conference championships matter (see first year of playoff). Now you turn around and dismiss 2 champions just for the fact that Bama has looked like a beast all year and you feel that they just had a bad championship game. Is it right or wrong? Does not matter, championships matter according to the committee. However, if Bama wins everyone has stated that Georgia would be left out. But who is to say that Georgia is actually better than Bama and just had a bad game, people then will say "They already lost to Bama, why should Bama have to play them aagain", and to that i say see the first part of this paragraph, why should Bama get that second shot if Georgia doesn't. There is always some sort of argument each year about this same concept because everyone always places the SEC above the rest of every conference in rankings. And even tho the SEC has had a few really great teams and Bama has pretty much been the team carrying the rest of that conference on their back, most of the SEC is just as average as all other conferences. I think Bama is legit and deserves to be in the playoff win or lose, but i also believe the first two teams left out being conference champs also deserve their shot at the title, because championships matter, and that has always been the case. Either win your conference, or dont go.

There is a lot of room for improving the playoff to make sure the best teams get their shot at the title, but you dont want to water down the regular season so much that regular season games dont matter anymore. 6 would be the perfect number in my view. But thats just my view.

 

[huskers1217]

giving the option that it's ok to lose a game and maybe even two and you still get to walk in to the playoffs.

I believe the SEC already has that. 6 or 8 would just level the playing field for everyone else.

 

[963BUSC]

When we have an undefeated P5 conference winner left out we can talk about adding more, until then four is plenty. Realistically we only have 3 teams this year that "deserve" a shot. I think tOSU & Oklahoma fans both have an argument for the fourth spot, but if they still had the old system and only the top 2 went, neither would be bitching at being left out.

(Notre Dame has no shot but would have a legit bitch if they were left out this year).

 

[rmilia1]

Personally, i like having the 4, it does keep the regular season a high stakes game as you have to win win win to be in. You start expanding the playoff you start giving the option that it's ok to lose a game and maybe even two and you still get to walk in to the playoffs. However, i personally think 6 would be the max that we could allow while still making the regular season mean something. The reason is that 4 still will leave out a team and maybe 2 or 3 that ultimately could be the best in the league but they dropped a game by some bad luck.

Why 4 still screws teams, look at it this way. Everyone has already said that if Alabama loses to Georgia this weekend, Alabama will stay in over OU and Ohio State. That leaves out two conference champions out (assuming those two win) and kills the point of proving who is best on the field and not just using paper to look at it. I am not saying Alabama isn't the most qualified, but the committee has always stated conference championships matter (see first year of playoff). Now you turn around and dismiss 2 champions just for the fact that Bama has looked like a beast all year and you feel that they just had a bad championship game. Is it right or wrong? Does not matter, championships matter according to the committee. However, if Bama wins everyone has stated that Georgia would be left out. But who is to say that Georgia is actually better than Bama and just had a bad game, people then will say "They already lost to Bama, why should Bama have to play them aagain", and to that i say see the first part of this paragraph, why should Bama get that second shot if Georgia doesn't. There is always some sort of argument each year about this same concept because everyone always places the SEC above the rest of every conference in rankings. And even tho the SEC has had a few really great teams and Bama has pretty much been the team carrying the rest of that conference on their back, most of the SEC is just as average as all other conferences. I think Bama is legit and deserves to be in the playoff win or lose, but i also believe the first two teams left out being conference champs also deserve their shot at the title, because championships matter, and that has always been the case. Either win your conference, or dont go.

There is a lot of room for improving the playoff to make sure the best teams get their shot at the title, but you dont want to water down the regular season so much that regular season games dont matter anymore. 6 would be the perfect number in my view. But thats just my view.

I'll say it. If Alabama loses thus week they're definitely not the most qualified and it's not even close . The only reason they get in is "eye test " which has zero to do with actual qualifications .

 

[4down20]

I'll say it. If Alabama loses thus week they're definitely not the most qualified and it's not even close . The only reason they get in is "eye test " which has zero to do with actual qualifications .

Hmmm, let's check the current SoS numbers and see what's up.

BCF Toys - 2018 SOS Ratings

#4 Georgia
#18 Alabama
#37 Ohio State
#52 Oklahoma
#85 Notre Dame
#100 Clemson


So, about that "zero to do with actual qualifications" - are you sure you got the right team?

 

[rmilia1]

Hmmm, let's check the current SoS numbers and see what's up.

BCF Toys - 2018 SOS Ratings

#4 Georgia
#18 Alabama
#37 Ohio State
#52 Oklahoma
#85 Notre Dame
#100 Clemson


So, about that "zero to do with actual qualifications" - are you sure you got the right team?

Considering they wouldn't be a conference champ I'd say yes. Given similar results ( ie 1 loss ) then a league title always trumps SoS as long as there's not a huge difference .

 

[belcherboy]

If they are going to expand it, I'd MUCH rather see 6 teams than 8 teams.

Don't make ANY automatic bids. Playoff selection committee chooses the top 6, and the top two seeds get a first round bye.

 

[4down20]

Considering they wouldn't be a conference champ I'd say yes. Given similar results ( ie 1 loss ) then a league title always trumps SoS as long as there's not a huge difference .

Well you're just wrong, and I have to wonder if you've paid attention to the rankings over the years at all.

 

[SteelersPride]

Did anyone read posts one or six I sure
Didnt

 

[SteelersPride]

Well you're just wrong, and I have to wonder if you've paid attention to the rankings at all.

UCf still #1 right

 

[4down20]

Did anyone read posts one or six I sure
Didnt

Hell no, I only even opened it to give a bullshit rating as I do them all.

 

[SteelersPride]

Hell no, I only even opened it to give a bullshit rating as I do them all.

16??

 

[fishinabarrel]

Could 4 be better than them both?

 

[WNY_FOOTBALL_DUDE]

There is a lot of room for improving the playoff to make sure the best teams get their shot at the title, but you dont want to water down the regular season so much that regular season games dont matter anymore. 6 would be the perfect number in my view. But thats just my view.

8 teams is only 6% of the college football population. You still have to win at least 10 games and cannot suffer more than 2 losses, generally speaking. Any teams which finishes somewhere in the top 10 is elite.

Because each team plays a different set of opponents and possesses different degrees of SOS, it's unfair/illogical to assume that a 1-loss team playing a good/solid schedule is better than a 2-loss team playing an elite/great schedule. That's the main issue. In other words, the current system leans toward power conferences playing easier schedules than teams that challenge themselves.

6 would work best for the bowl system. The schools however would benefit from 8 teams.

 

[SteelersPride]

8 teams is only 6% of the college football population. You still have to win at least 10 games and cannot suffer more than 2 losses, generally speaking. Any teams which finishes somewhere in the top 10 is elite.

Because each team plays a different set of opponents and possesses different degrees of SOS, it's unfair/illogical to assume that a 1-loss team playing a good/solid schedule is better than a 2-loss team playing an elite/great schedule. That's the main issue. In other words, the current system leans toward power conferences playing easier schedules than teams that challenge themselves.

6 would work best for the bowl system. The schools however would benefit from 8 teams.

how about 4