What is your ideal way to create a playoff system?

[wvu_man]

I've been reading the "SEC Bias" thread that was started a few days ago and have found it to be very interesting and entertaining. I started this thread for everyone to lay out what their idea of the perfect playoff system would be.

Personally, I think the only fair way to get a true National Champion is to include the champion from every FBS conference by taking polls and human opinions out of the equation. I'm the first to admit that I don't know how to make it work. There are 10 FBS conferences plus 4 Independents (ND,BYU, Navy,Army). How would this effect the regular season? Would you shorten the season and only play your conference schedule to allow for the playoff games? After the playoff teams were decided, how would you include the other teams in consolation bowl games? I agree with some of the other posters that the idea of a underdog/cinderella team is very exciting. That is why everyone loves March Madness. Any team could get hot and upset the big dogs! I hope this thread takes off because I would love to see everyone's opinions and thoughts!

 

[Anotherwvufan]

If we only have a 4 team playoff; Take the P5 conference champions and have a committee exclude the team from the weakest conference or the lowest ranked Conf Champ.

For an 8 team playoff, every one of the P5 champs is in with 3 wildcards with preference being given to undefeated non P5 conf champs.

Or we could take the P5 less the SEC have them in a playoff with the winner to play the SEC champ.

 

[bbwvfan]

For years, I have been an advocate of an 8 team playoff. I believe it is too difficult to assess the strength of one team… or one conference by simply looking at the resume.

I do not believe that every conference is equal. Therefore, I see no reason for champions of the Sun Belt, MAC, and others to earn an automatic bid.

I believe the champions of the Power 5 and three at-large bids would work best.

The regular season needs to be shortened. One of the reasons the NCAA permitted leagues/teams to go to 12 games was to permit the extra revenue generated to help offset the cost of running football programs. With the money available due to new TV contracts to conferences… and the big money available from the playoff package… the revenue stream has never been better. An expanded 8 team playoff will certainly provide schools more money than what they currently earn by hosting an additional home game.

The difficulty in expansion of the playoff comes with fans being able to afford travel to host cities. I am in favor of an NFL format. Have the NC game at a great destination for the teams and their fans. The quarter finals and semi-finals should be held at the home of the higher seeded team. This will create a great reward for the fans and teams who earned the higher seed… guarantee nice crowds…

 

[DBAR4WVU]

Bottom line - there is no perfect system. Everyone touts the NCAA Basketball, but there is always the 14-11 or even under .500 team that wins their tourney and get a slot. So you always have that risk. Hell, the NFL sends some teams to the playoffs that 8-8 or 9-7 and some 12-4 or 11-5 team does not make it.

But unlike Basketball, you can't play 2 FB games in 3 or 4 days. Any more than 8 teams and it simply takes too long, even with buys and play-in games.

The P5 conference champs + 3 at large. You can say it will include the conference champs in the mix, but we all know the runner ups from the P5 will be the 3 AL teams.

 

[wvu_man]

I do not believe that every conference is equal. Therefore, I see no reason for champions of the Sun Belt, MAC, and others to earn an automatic bid.

I agree that in most cases they're not equal but still would find it interesting to include them. Would you say that Florida Golf Coast, George Mason, VCU, Wichita State, etc are equal to Syracuse, Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky? I know I'm comparing two different sports but the logic is the same. Smaller schools aren't good enough to compete with the power conference schools. I just think it would be exciting to have an upset like Appy State over Michigan, JMU over VT in a playoff system.

 

[wvu_man]

Hell, the NFL sends some teams to the playoffs that 8-8 or 9-7 and some 12-4 or 11-5 team does not make it.

Hell, even worse, the 2010 Seahawks that went 7-9 and won their division. BUT...they went on to beat the high powered Saints in the next round.

 

[bbwvfan]

I agree that in most cases they're not equal but still would find it interesting to include them. Would you say that Florida Golf Coast, George Mason, VCU, Wichita State, etc are equal to Syracuse, Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky? I know I'm comparing two different sports but the logic is the same. Smaller schools aren't good enough to compete with the power conference schools. I just think it would be exciting to have an upset like Appy State over Michigan, JMU over VT in a playoff system.

I understand the magic of Cinderella. While I am not going to say an upset couldn't happen, I simply don't think it would happen enough to generate much interest in a 1 vs 16 or 2 vs 15 game. The point spread could easily be in the 20+ point range, and I don't think many fans would watch. I know I rarely watch those match-ups in the NCAA tourney…

As for the sake of the regular season, how or why would any Power 5 conference school beef up their OOC schedule if one of the lesser conference teams were to receive an automatic bid?

I want to see the regular season enhanced…

 

[WVUDAD]

I understand the magic of Cinderella. While I am not going to say an upset couldn't happen, I simply don't think it would happen enough to generate much interest in a 1 vs 16 or 2 vs 15 game. The point spread could easily be in the 20+ point range, and I don't think many fans would watch. I know I rarely watch those match-ups in the NCAA tourney…

As for the sake of the regular season, how or why would any Power 5 conference school beef up their OOC schedule if one of the lesser conference teams were to receive an automatic bid?

I want to see the regular season enhanced…

I don't think anything would cheapen the regular season, except the rematch scenarios. I see nothing that could be done post season to make it to where OSU-UM or Auburn-Bama means less, and truthfully, just how meaningful are most OOC games today? My ideal championship would involve a LOT of change from where the sport is headed today, but I can dream, right? IDEALLY, IMO, we would have 12 leagues of 10 teams each, every league would play all nine other teams. There would be two OOC games each year for an 11 game schedule. Each league champion would receive an invite to a seeded 16 team playoff, the four "wild card" slots would be there for teams who had great seasons, but missed winning their league due to injury, or something beyond their control. The divs 1AA, 2, and 3 have had a 16 team playoff for years, using this exact model. I think there would be a GREAT deal of interest from casual fans plus the hardcore fans that the money brought in would dwarf anything seen to this point.

 

[Mike]

Bottom line - there is no perfect system. Everyone touts the NCAA Basketball, but there is always the 14-11 or even under .500 team that wins their tourney and get a slot. So you always have that risk. Hell, the NFL sends some teams to the playoffs that 8-8 or 9-7 and some 12-4 or 11-5 team does not make it.

But unlike Basketball, you can't play 2 FB games in 3 or 4 days. Any more than 8 teams and it simply takes too long, even with buys and play-in games.

The P5 conference champs + 3 at large. You can say it will include the conference champs in the mix, but we all know the runner ups from the P5 will be the 3 AL teams.

Wasn't it an 8-8 Giant team that won the Super Bowl a few years back?

 

[wvu_man]

I simply don't think it would happen enough to generate much interest in a 1 vs 16 or 2 vs 15 game.

Sure it would generate interest...The SEC teams have at least three 16 seed quality teams on their schedules every year!

 

[Slaton10]

For years, I have been an advocate of an 8 team playoff. I believe it is too difficult to assess the strength of one team… or one conference by simply looking at the resume.

I do not believe that every conference is equal. Therefore, I see no reason for champions of the Sun Belt, MAC, and others to earn an automatic bid.

I believe the champions of the Power 5 and three at-large bids would work best.

The regular season needs to be shortened. One of the reasons the NCAA permitted leagues/teams to go to 12 games was to permit the extra revenue generated to help offset the cost of running football programs. With the money available due to new TV contracts to conferences… and the big money available from the playoff package… the revenue stream has never been better. An expanded 8 team playoff will certainly provide schools more money than what they currently earn by hosting an additional home game.

The difficulty in expansion of the playoff comes with fans being able to afford travel to host cities. I am in favor of an NFL format. Have the NC game at a great destination for the teams and their fans. The quarter finals and semi-finals should be held at the home of the higher seeded team. This will create a great reward for the fans and teams who earned the higher seed… guarantee nice crowds…

I'm somewhere in the middle here...I am going to wait and see how the first year of this model works out before I comment.......

 

[CoolBeans]

Honestly, I'd like to see something like the Old Big East Basketball Tournament, with a Double- bye, and a bye in play. The Top 4 get a double bye, the next four get a single bye, and 8 teams would play first round. Then guarantee The Big 5 Conference champions plus one "other" conference champion in the playoff. Yes you'll have seasons like this one, where an ECU or Marshall would get in without a Top 16 seed, but honestly, that would add to the intrigue. It would keep the integrity of the season, and give all teams something to play for.