College Football Playoff Looking At Expanded Field Options

[freescooter]

It’s not like the top 4 have resulted in many great semi final games. Most have been unwatchable blowouts. And you guys want to tell me Cincinatti couldn’t have put up a better fight than the teams in there this season? Nonsense. This is a made for TV movie that has run its course. Some changes need to be made before it becomes a nothing burger.

 

[freescooter]

Really...an Alabama, who you blithely say ""didn't win their league"...although it had a one loss record in the SEC, wasn't one of the top teams? They were selected because they were good...and beat two of the other top four to solidify that thought and win the NC....good grief.

8 team playoff they would be in no question. But 4? I don’t really remember who was #5 that year but hey the Tide lost a critical game. It wouldn’t have mattered though. ESPN wanted them they were going even if they lost the championship game had they made it.

 

[billybud]

Scooter...the Final CFP Rankings...were:

1..Clemson
2..Oklahoma
3..Georgia
4..Alabama

5..Ohio State

Ohio State was a conference champ...but had a beat down, 24-55, against Iowa and lost 16-31 at home to Oklahoma...

Alabama lost to Auburn....but went on to beat Georgia and Clemson in the CFP playoff....

 

[uconntailgater]

I think an eight team playoff would be best. First round games on campus then rotate the semi final and championship games among the existing bowl games utilized now. It would reward teams willing to take a chance and play marquee match-ups during the regular season as they would still have a chance at the playoffs with one or two losses depending on their schedules. It would give a reasonable shot to a G5 program that's having a great season. The on-site campus quarterfinal games would add to the college football pageantry. Northern teams hosting teams from down south in mid-December could have an impact weather wise? It would be great if the quarterfinal games were on network television.

 

[Hogoff]

The best teams are the best teams year in and out because they run the best programs and attract top athletes....Alabama is like the UConn Women...and Saban is like Auriemma.


But programs cycle...Miami won three NC's in seven years...Nebraska was a power in the 90's, FSU as well.

Can Ball State win it all ?...

Ball State would have to have a miraculous rise...they did finally win a bowl last year against San Jose State (before, they were one of eight FBS teams that had not won a bowl).

Diversity, diversity....Oh. I get the trend to want different faces...so did the Oscars...but I still like football championships to be decided by merit...the best should play the best.

Are you in love with Ball State? If you are using them as a representative of all G5 programs, they are a bad one. Cincinnati last year deserved a playoff. UCF two years ago deserved a playoff. People would have watched those games. 2015 Houston if they had won out would have deserved a playoff. If the same 4 teams compete year in and year out for a national championship it will water down the rest of college football. Just my opinion.

 

[billybud]

Are you in love with Ball State? If you are using them as a representative of all G5 programs, they are a bad one. Cincinnati last year deserved a playoff. UCF two years ago deserved a playoff. People would have watched those games. 2015 Houston if they had won out would have deserved a playoff. If the same 4 teams compete year in and year out for a national championship it will water down the rest of college football. Just my opinion.

Nope...I didn't bring Ball State up...that was the example of a playoff posted on page one....I think Ball State is Ball State.

6. Oklahoma v 11. Ball State (Norman, OK) —> winner to play 3. Ohio State in Columbus, OH

 

[Hogoff]

Nope...I didn't bring Ball State up...that was the example of a playoff posted on page one....I think Ball State is Ball State.

6. Oklahoma v 11. Ball State (Norman, OK) —> winner to play 3. Ohio State in Columbus, OH

I stand corrected.

 

[billybud]

If Cincinnati deserved to be in the playoff....than certainly Georgia, who beat them in the bowl, deserved to be in...

I would be more convinced about a UCF or Cincinnati if they would have won their bowl games against their opponent those years.

Cincinnati was a Top 25 team...who played a good game....and yeah, were undefeated against a schedule ranked # 82.

In a 8 team format, Cincinnati would have been last team in at #8.....and Georgia was #9....so Cincinnati did get their chance against #9.

Against the 10 and 11 game winners that were in, one could quibble over the inclusion of 6-0 Ohio State.

 

[UCFBfan]

If Cincinnati deserved to be in the playoff....than certainly Georgia, who beat them in the bowl, deserved to be in...

I would be more convinced about a UCF or Cincinnati if they would have won their bowl games against their opponent those years.

Cincinnati was a Top 25 team...who played a good game....and yeah, were undefeated against a schedule ranked # 82.

In a 8 team format, Cincinnati would have been last team in at #8.....and Georgia was #9....so Cincinnati did get their chance against #9.

Against the 10 and 11 game winners that were in, one could quibble over the inclusion of 6-0 Ohio State.

This I agree with. I think UCF deserved a shot because of who they beat that year but Cincy I was ok with being left out. I did have an issue with Ohio State being included over some other teams.

 

[DoctorWho85]

If Cincinnati deserved to be in the playoff....than certainly Georgia, who beat them in the bowl, deserved to be in...

I would be more convinced about a UCF or Cincinnati if they would have won their bowl games against their opponent those years.

Cincinnati was a Top 25 team...who played a good game....and yeah, were undefeated against a schedule ranked # 82.

In a 8 team format, Cincinnati would have been last team in at #8.....and Georgia was #9....so Cincinnati did get their chance against #9.

Against the 10 and 11 game winners that were in, one could quibble over the inclusion of 6-0 Ohio State.

UCF did win their bowl game against Auburn in the Peach bowl though.

 

[Exit 4]

The format I still would like to see is:
5 P5 conf champions and the conf can decide if they want their champ to be the winner in a champ game or highest in the poll if for some reason the champ game isn't played.
3 At large with a bunch of stipulations:
A) must include at least one non P5 program
B) for P5 and independent at large bids which are not conf champs, the selection committee may only consider teams ranked inside the top 12 (see C below for why this is top 12 and not top 8).
C) no more than two schools per conf in the eight team playoff.

G5/Independent auto bid rules:
least two non P5 programs if) one auto bid for any G5 or Independent that is undefeated with at least 11 FBS wins including at least 2 P5 win regardless of ranking; ii) a second auto bid for the G5 for any school ranked in the top 12 with no more than 1 loss with at least 2 P5 wins and at least 10 FBS wins and iii) the selection committee must take a second G5 if two finish inside the top 10 in the rankings regardless of the number of losses.

As for the bowls, assign the major bowls to each of these playoff games. Have it rotate on a fixed schedule.

As for the lesser bowls, game on - business as usual.

Timeline,
Round 1 - maybe one game New Years eve and three games New Year day.
Round 2 - two games the following saturday / saturday evening, min 7 days between Round 1 and 2.
Champ Game - the following saturday night.

Will an expanded playoff happen? Yeah, I think so.
Will it include anything to help the G5/independents? No - it wont because ESPN and the P5 are not going to give the G5 anything at all. Nothing. The G5 will only get in if they are undefeated and inside the top 8. Yes, I tried to codify some scenarios to help the G5 above, but it wont happen - its fantasy.

 

[billybud]

UCF did win their bowl game against Auburn in the Peach bowl though.

True...but Clemson had already beaten Auburn....as had Georgia and LSU....

In a four team format, UCF was handicapped by not playing a P5 during the season so comparisons were difficult to make.

 

[billybud]

You really should have shown a "body of work" among the best in the country to play for a national championship...

And that is difficult for a G5....for instance, last season, Cincinnati's big win was against Tulsa.

Undefeated UCF in 2017 did not play a P5 team in regular season and that hurt them...

It is like when teams only play within conference...it becomes difficult to tell how good a team is just from the record.

Like Fairfield right now in baseball....superlative record...but are they better than Texas, Tennessee, Vandy, etc.? Because of baseball's larger playoff format, we may get to find out.

 

[huskysupporter]

Forget 8 teams -should be 16. That will ensure 1 or 2 non P5 teams get in and makes it more exciting.

Reduce number of non-conference games played.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Forget 8 teams -should be 16. That will ensure 1 or 2 non P5 teams get in and makes it more exciting.

Reduce number of non-conference games played.

Like I said before 16 teams, conference champs are auto bid, then the 6 highest ranked non conference chanmps gets in. This appeases the SEC's greed by getting at least 2 (probably more like 4) into the playoffs and appeases the G5/independants as they all have an equal chance to get in.

 

[huskymedic]

->Concerned that their four-team product has been harmed by the dominance of a select few teams from the same region, FBS commissioners are seriously considering expanding the College Football Playoff. And while it’s long been assumed that any change to the format would be modest, several influential decision-makers are suddenly open to a playoff system that skips past eight teams and into the double digits. “I sense 12 teams is building support,” one Power 5 athletic director said. <-

-> “There are two unintended consequences people didn’t see when they created the Playoff,” said a college administrator familiar with the discussions. “One, seeing the same teams over and over from one part of the country. It’s impairing the product, because there’s boredom. … There’s risk to not enough (geographic) spread. Secondly, the brand damage to a conference that doesn’t get in it.” <-

-> Of the 28 available spots in the Playoff so far, Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma have filled 20. The fear of fatigue from a significant portion of the college-football watching public is real. With no salary cap and no draft to even out the talent levels among the teams, college football can’t rely on rapid changes in teams’ fortunes to keep things fresh. That means there is no telling when a new set of teams might cycle up to take the place of some of the current dominant teams. <-

-> Another major factor is that interest in the bowls beneath the Playoff has waned for fans and for players. Opt-outs have become more common as draft-eligible players choose not to risk injury in games that have no stakes attached. For example, the Florida team that lost by six points to eventual national champ Alabama in the SEC Championship played in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma without its best player (tight end Kyle Pitts) and three other starters. The result was a lopsided Oklahoma win in a matchup that didn’t resemble what organizers hoped they’d get when the game was set. One reason commissioners opted for a four-team Playoff after scrapping the BCS was in an effort to protect the bowl system. Multiple sources indicated they don’t expect the commissioners to fight so hard for the bowls this time. <-

-> Another key factor is whether ESPN would be willing to rip up the current deal and pay more for an expanded playoff. A former television network executive believes ESPN would be willing to play ball: “There are only so many platinum properties.” In the last non-pandemic season, the CFP semifinal games averaged 17.2 million and 21.2 million viewers, respectively. The national title game between LSU and Clemson averaged 25.6 million viewers. All those games aired on ESPN. The last non-pandemic NBA Finals — which aired on free-over-the-air ABC — averaged 15.1 million viewers per game. <-

->Renegotiating the deal now also provides another advantage to ESPN — keeping the Playoff from hitting the open market. If the leagues want to expand the Playoff before 2026, they have to do it with ESPN. <-

 

[Drew]

This is really trending towards happening. I can’t believe it.

 

[CL82]

The best teams are the best teams year in and out because they run the best programs and attract top athletes....Alabama is like the UConn Women...and Saban is like Auriemma

But football isn’t like basketball, or is it? So confusing.

 

[huskysupporter]

love it. 16 is ideal but 12 is a great start.

 

[billybud]

But football isn’t like basketball, or is it? So confusing.

No...football isn't basketball....in basketball, if you catch a couple of elite players and have serviceable support...you can be a NC contender....

Not so in football.......

And, in football, with only 12 games in regular season...the regular season is part of the playoff....

And, in the basketball tourney, fully half of the seeds have never, ever, won an NC...seeds 9-16 are just there to cheer Cinderella's but have no chance to win the tournament...and they have not.

We don't whine that seeds #1-3 have won 87% of the tournaments...because we actually think that seeds #9-16 could...despite the history...magical thinking at its best.

 

[billybud]

But UConn women aren't different than Alabama....recruiting elite talent, coaching...equals NC contenders.

And, like Alabama has been, boringly consistent as top contenders for a NC.

 

[chalk1]

An expanded field creates interest in other areas of the country rather than the same SEC/Clemson/Ohio State teams. They will probably still be rated as the top teams, but adding 4 or more teams adds interest from other markets and more eye balls. Also you are not considering that outside of their conference they will not play teams that may challenge them and schedule only very beatable teams. So how do you know your the best unless you are tested outside the friendly confines. Look what happened to the Big 10 in basketball this year. Said to be the best conference by far and washed out quickly. Time to make D1 the same as D1A/ D2/D3 with expanded playoffs.

 

[Husky25]

I love the multiple references to equity and being fair to Indys ND and G5 while still including anyone's idea of the best teams on an annual basis. The COVID season made the CFP finally realize they are leaving money on the table. That is all that there is to it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Everything else is just conversation.

That said, and without think too much more about it (though truth be told, I've laid it out before):

CCGs after an 11 game regular season

Field: 10-12 teams
Contenders: 5 P-5 champions, 2-3 Highest ranked G-5, 2-4 Wild Card. Notre Dame must earn a wild card position, which basically means be in the top 10 by computer rankings.
Format: Single elimination.
Broad strokes:
-Wildcards are determined primarily by computer rankings.
-Top 4 teams get a 1st round bye. (If 10 teams, then two play-in games between 7-10 and 8-9...and THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE CALLED).
-First round will be played on a 5/12, 6/11, 7/10, 8/9 basis at the home field of the lower seed.
-Teams are reseeded after each round. So if a 12 seed happens to beat a 5, they play the 1, not the 4 seed.
-Top two seeds before any round do not meet before the NCG.
-Second Round will be played at the field of lower seed.
-Semi-Final = 2 of 6 New Years Day Bowls.
-Final = NC Game one week later.

 

[billybud]

I think they should forget AQ's all together....

If you want to expand...go with the best teams...if you have to use a computer rather than a committee, just do it....

Last year...If they had gone with the Massey Composite,,,Dec 19, 2020

1,,,Alabama
2...Clemson
3...Ohio State
4...Notre Dame
5...Cincinnati
6...Texas A&M
7...Oklahoma
8...Georgia
9....BYU
10...Indiana
11...Florida
12...Iowa State

 

[CL82]

But UConn women aren't different than Alabama....recruiting elite talent, coaching...equals NC contenders.

And, like Alabama has been, boringly consistent as top contenders for a NC.

The difference is that UConn manages to do it in field of 64. I mean Alabama could do in a field of 8 or 12, right?

 

[billybud]

But putting Ball State in because the

The difference is that UConn manages to do it in field of 64. I mean Alabama could do in a field of 8 or 12, right?

The difference is football and basketball...UConn football could do it 8 or 12, right?

It takes a lot to have 13 straight double digit win seasons in the SEC....and play through to the Final Championship game in 4 of the last five seasons. I give Bama credit...as I gave UConn Women credit...don't understand your point.

 

[Drew]

 

[CL82]

But putting Ball State in because the


The difference is football and basketball...UConn football could do it 8 or 12, right?

It takes a lot to have 13 straight double digit win seasons in the SEC....and play through to the Final Championship game in 4 of the last five seasons. I give Bama credit...as I gave UConn Women credit...don't understand your point.

I guess I don’t understand your point. You seem to be saying that if the playoffs get expanded than the best teams won’t participate. That seems a logical fallacy. The cream will rise to the top.

 

[shizzle787]

I think they should forget AQ's all together....

If you want to expand...go with the best teams...if you have to use a computer rather than a committee, just do it....

Last year...If they had gone with the Massey Composite,,,Dec 19, 2020

1,,,Alabama
2...Clemson
3...Ohio State
4...Notre Dame
5...Cincinnati
6...Texas A&M
7...Oklahoma
8...Georgia
9....BYU
10...Indiana
11...Florida
12...Iowa State

I agree on no AQs. A one-loss G5 school has no business in a 12-team playoff (I see BYU there, but it should be ranked by the committee as BYU lost to Coastal Carolina, another G5 team) and a three-loss Pac-12 team doesn't either.

 

[billybud]

I guess I don’t understand your point. You seem to be saying that if the playoffs get expanded than the best teams won’t participate. That seems a logical fallacy. The cream will rise to the top.

Not saying that...just saying that using a basketball format and playing a #1 seed Alabama against the MAC Champ is a waste of time....or an Ohio State against the MAC (OSU has played 25 games against the MAC and has never lost).

In a 64 team basketball tourney, let them loose and talk for years about the once upon a time upset...but seeds #9-16 really are a waste of time in terms of a national championship since they have never won one...And, yes, even in basketball, the cream will rise...87% of all champions have been a seed #1-#3...the rest is just pageantry.

In football, no matter how you stage it...the same teams will end up near the top,.

In a full tournament FCS...don't you tire of North Dakota State winning 8 of the last nine championships....regardless of the number in the playoff field?