How I would format an 8-team playoff schedule

[Kaplony]

It's broken because there's already been a couple of years where the difference between #4 and #5 is non-existent, more than 4 teams could legitimately win it all and you let a group of guys vote on it. Basically even resumes, and it's not even decided on a football field. If you're the 70th best team in the country in college basketball, that's one thing. However, when you're 11-1 or 12-1. You won your conference, and are one of the best in the country. Give me a break.

By letting in 8, maybe you get a 3 loss team here and there. However, all legitimate contenders get to play it out and decide their own fate.

I guess I don't understand what it hurts.

Which years has there been no fundamental difference between #4 and #5?

 

[WNY_FOOTBALL_DUDE]

Which years has there been no fundamental difference between #4 and #5?

2017 and 2016 comes to mind big time.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Why is it stupid that a 3 loss team gets in? I think you have to open it up, it will also give smaller schools some opportunity.

Teams with less than pristine records make the post-season in every other sport, at every other level of team sports. Except for college football. Where for some reason... you have to be unquestionably "elite" and near perfect to get in.

There's a team or two EVERY year. That would have a legit title shot kept out of the playoff on an annual basis. That's bull shit. If a team or two per year also get in, who don't have a shot. If that's true, they'll be ousted. Just like in every other college sport, and in all professional sports.

No.

Smaller schools should be competing for a different national title. There should be a P5 national title, and then a national title for all other schools. They have no shot, even with an 8 team playoff. UCF still wouldn't have been included in that. Diluting the regular season just so we can watch UCF lose to Bama in the 2nd round of the playoff is stupid.

 

[Kaplony]

2017 and 2016 comes to mind big time.

How so?

 

[fishinabarrel]

I'd be cool with an 8 team playoff. However, let's not act like there still wouldn't be people bitching. The 4 team playoff is barely out of its infancy and for the most part has worked and been exciting. I'm for staying the course for now And re-examining after more time has passed.

 

[fishinabarrel]

Which years has there been no fundamental difference between #4 and #5?

It's kind of funny. IMO, the two year with the most controversy between 4 and 5 (this year and 2014) the 4 seed ended up taking home the hardware.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

I'd be cool with an 8 team playoff. However, let's not act like there still wouldn't be people bitching. The 4 team playoff is barely out of its infancy and for the most part has worked and been exciting. I'm for staying the course for now And re-examining after more time has passed.

Exactly. It dilutes the regular season, and all we'd have is teams in the 6-12 region bitching about positioning; especially if non conference champs are still considered.

 

[Rolltide94]

Lol... Yes, SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12... etc... teams dropping down to the FCS.

NO P5 team is eliminated from the playoffs on Day 1. Oregon St who went 1-11 this year and barely beat a winless FCS team for their 1 win, would make the playoffs with a 12-0 season next year.

But then again, they are not pretending that beating USF on the road is the same as beating USC on the road.

 

[Rolltide94]

It's broken because there's already been a couple of years where the difference between #4 and #5 is non-existent, more than 4 teams could legitimately win it all and you let a group of guys vote on it. Basically even resumes, and it's not even decided on a football field. If you're the 70th best team in the country in college basketball, that's one thing. However, when you're 11-1 or 12-1. You won your conference, and are one of the best in the country. Give me a break.

By letting in 8, maybe you get a 3 loss team here and there. However, all legitimate contenders get to play it out and decide their own fate.

I guess I don't understand what it hurts.

8 hurts ESPN, and since they are the ones paying for all this shit, I'm guessing they don't care what you or I think. I can't see ESPN paying more for 8 when it will dilute all the existing bowls, and I can't see the P5 playing 4 more games for the same money.

Besides, every legitimate contender got a shot this year. You can argue UCF if you want, but they knew what level they were shooting for when they made their schedule...if they wanted to make the playoffs, FIU, GT, Maryland and Maine wasn't going to get them there, even if they played them all. Every other contender had their shot on the field.

What didn't happen was every legitimate contender that fucked up their shot didn't get a do-over. So what you are really arguing for is more mulligans. Does more mulligans make the playoffs better?

 

[fishinabarrel]

Exactly. It dilutes the regular season, and all we'd have is teams in the 6-12 region bitching about positioning; especially if non conference champs are still considered.

The regular season and college football will be just fine if it goes to 8 as well. We heard the same thing about the current playoff from the BCS how it was going to ruin the regular season.

Like I said, I'm happy with the current system and don't think a change is needed, but as soon as the governing bodies figure out a way to make the most money from an 8 team playoff, we will get one, and it will be ok

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

The regular season and college football will be just fine if it goes to 8 as well. We heard the same thing about the current playoff from the BCS how it was going to ruin the regular season.

Like I said, I'm happy with the current system and don't think a change is needed, but as soon as the governing bodies figure out a way to make the most money from an 8 team playoff, we will get one, and it will be ok

An 8 team is way too far. Conferences will be getting 3 teams in with regularity. Conference championships all of a sudden mean very little. In 2016, the B10 would have had FOUR playoff teams. That's just dumb. You can't tell me the regular season isn't diminished when the outcomes of the B10 title game, the Mich vs. OSU game and regular season match ups between those top 4 teams mean almost nothing.

 

[fishinabarrel]

An 8 team is way too far. Conferences will be getting 3 teams in with regularity. Conference championships all of a sudden mean very little. In 2016, the B10 would have had FOUR playoff teams. That's just dumb. You can't tell me the regular season isn't diminished when the outcomes of the B10 title game, the Mich vs. OSU game and regular season match ups between those top 4 teams mean almost nothing.

That's where seeding and stipulations come into play. The OP suggested playing on campuses. The chance to play at your home turf would certainly make the regular season matter. They could cap the number of teams from one conference like the BCS did with the bigger bowls. If and when they do decide to change, hopefully they listen to inputs from both sides and take measures to make it more of a positive than a negative

 

[Deep Creek]

Every game is like a playoff game in the regular season

In no fuckin' way did the game on 9/2/2017 between OU and my Miners resemble a playoff game. Not in any way, shape or form. Not even in warm up did it resemble a playoff game.

A better analogy would be throwing the Christians to the lions than comparing that regular season game to a playoff game.

The dirt burglers were kind enough to write us a big check though.

 

[Deep Creek]

Does more mulligans make the playoffs better?

It damn sure make my 18 hole score better!

 

[4down20]

In no fuckin' way did the game on 9/2/2017 between OU and my Miners resemble a playoff game. Not in any way, shape or form. Not even in warm up did it resemble a playoff game.

A better analogy would be throwing the Christians to the lions than comparing that regular season game to a playoff game.

The dirt burglers were kind enough to write us a big check though.

Every game matters for those who are still in it is what I mean. If you lose a few times, you are out of the picture, same as an elimination in a playoff game.

 

[Deep Creek]

Every game matters for those who are still in it is what I mean. If you lose a few times, you are out of the picture, same as an elimination in a playoff game.

Now I'll buy this 100%. That is a whole lot different than every regular season game is like a playoff game. Too many examples of "pigs in a poke" to buy that one.

And realistically "those who are still in it" are really only about 15-20 teams...even at the beginning of the year. No way the perennial bottom dwellers in the P5s are ever "in it."

And of those 15-20 teams, 11-16 of them tend to play their way out of it with crappy performances as much as the others play their way into it with good performances..

 

[Codaxx]

I would go farther. Keep in mind I think Bowls have pretty much run their course. I am going to 11 teams.

5 conference champs of the P5
6 at large

Round 1, starts 2 week after the champ games, the 6 at large play each other. Conference champs get 2 week off

Round 2: 8 teams
Round 3: 4 teams
Round 4: 2 teams

 

[xpuctaqpGT]

At this point I'd like to see 8 teams.

The 5 P5 Champions. The top rated G5 champion. And then 2 at large bids.

Let a committee select the 2 at large bids and also seed the whole thing.

This year it would have been Clemson, UGA, Oklahoma, BAMA, Ohio State, USC, Wisconsin, and UCF.

Make the payout similar to the NCAA men's tournament. The more your team wins, the more your conference earns, and the games later on are worth more than earlier games.

 

[4down20]

Because you are giving the spots to teams who are less deserving.

Less deserving of what? This line makes no sense. Technically, the team you vote in as the #2 seed, is less deserving than the #1. So... you must specify further.

Less deserving means team that would be ranked in the #8-#12 range making the playoffs over teams that have played better over the year.

And with conference champions, it can go even further than that because OOC games do not matter at all. You could be leaving out a higher ranked team that beat the conference champion of another conference and yet because that conference champion beats other teams, they are somehow more deserving of a spot than another?

Every game is like a playoff game in the regular season and any single loss can be the loss that eliminates you from the national championship picture. AND IT'S AWESOME THAT WAY.

Yes, let's make sure that somewhere around 90% of teams in our sport are playing meaningless football the last few weeks of the season. Probably half of them or more for the majority of it. How phenomenally entertaining. (I like college football, but this aspect of it is very silly)

Teams who could possibly be the best team in the country. Could win the national title. "Oh well... we'll never find out, I guess." DISGUSTING. You're making it sound like people want to open it up in some huge way. They just want that aspect of it to stop. You'll get an 8th seed every once in a while with very little shot against the #1, but if it lets the dangerous and deserving #5 and #6 team in. It's more than worth it.

Just because the games are meaningless to you doesn't mean it's meaningless to those who play and/or the fans of those teams. Especially late in the season when all the rival games get played. So if your team is in meaningless games at the end of the season, then it's a YOU thing. Because while a National Championship is the ultimate goal every year, there are still tons of other things left to play for in the season.

This is nothing more than you being over dramatic and basically making things up. Hell, even if you did change the format, NOTHING in your complaints here actually changes.

College football has somehow managed to get by and become a billion dollar industry with less.

And look at what the NFL has had to do with putting division games in the final weeks just to add meaning to those games because everyone was taking those weeks off.

It's only for Week 17. That also was not the reason.

They wanted a higher chance of a winner-take all divisional games in the final week. The couple of years prior to putting that rule in, there had been a few that came about due to happenstance. They were hugely successful games from an interest and ratings standpoint. They wanted more of it.

So they moved them in order to add meaning like I said.

We don't want that shit in college football.

Who is "we"??? I am speaking as a fan as well.

The overwhelming majority of college football fans, those in the know and those who have voices that influence and affect these things.

Hell, it's not even up for debate until 2026, and everyone overall is extremely pleased with the format. All the conferences get paid no matter who makes the playoffs. SEC got about 50 million this year from the playoff and the Pac12 and Big10 got that same 50 million. The G5 teams get less, but they also all get money from the playoffs. And they all still get bowl money on top of it as usual.

Nobody with any true credibility believes a team like UCF or anyone else got screwed over. You just don't see it because most people don't even think it's worth the time to address those who don't understand.

No, there really isn't. Once again, 130 FBS teams. You are talking about teams who mostly play the bottom tier of teams all year long and put up good records.

Wrong.

I am talking about major conference schools. The OSU's from this year. TCU from 2015. Those kind of teams.

What about Ohio St? They didn't deserve to go over Alabama and even the majority of their fans say the exact same thing. They got blown out by Iowa.

Cry more, seriously.

they are not victims.

Straw-man. I never said that.

I am becoming offended by how poor your counter-argument is. You have done a horrific job of addressing my points.

When you claim people are being screwed over, you are claiming they are victims. And thanks for the report card...it means a lot coming from some guy I don't even know who the fuck is.

They can all drop down to FCS level and get in that playoff if they want.

Lol... Yes, SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12... etc... teams dropping down to the FCS.

Again. You have done a fine job here of addressing nothing. No one is calling them victims. No one is saying schools are getting "screwed". We're talking about what might be best for college football, as fans.

Stop using "we" when you reply, if I may make a request. You're not apart of the NCAA. You're another dumb fan, like myself.

Well if nobody is getting screwed and are victims of the system, then I guess you should just shut the fuck up and enjoy.

I'm not part of the NCAA, but then - the playoffs aren't either and I've had no trouble correctly picking the top4 rankings week after week before they come out. Maybe there is a reason for it.

 

[Deep Creek]

I would go farther. Keep in mind I think Bowls have pretty much run their course. I am going to 11 teams.

5 conference champs of the P5
6 at large

Round 1, starts 2 week after the champ games, the 6 at large play each other. Conference champs get 2 week off

Round 2: 8 teams
Round 3: 4 teams
Round 4: 2 teams

That is a rather unique idea. I kind of like it. Would the first two rounds be played on campus?

I think I might prefer just having the "top five" get byes for Round 1 in case some conference had a brain fart and a 7-5 team ended up winning it. Make 'em play in the first round and prove their legitimacy.