It will never happen because there is too much "drama" involved but I want to see the following changed for 2021 and I'll prove why we know it will work.
1. No team can be eligible to be ranked unless and until they have played 4 games with at least 2 genuine away games against P6 teams, and
2. Every voter who ranked the top 25 for 2020 needs to be judged on how well they did. For example, people who ranked PSU and Michigan anywhere near the top 15 need to be put on a year's probation. Then they vote in a ghost poll for the following year and their efforts are judged against actual results. If they don't rise to the top 25% of their voting peers they are out for the following year and must vote in a ghost poll for two years and achieve some high mark to be restored to good graces.
Here is why it matters:
1. Money. Pre-season rankings are pole positions for cfb and cfb is all about money. If it were not about money then PSU could play Pitt, the P5 would be the P6 and games would be shown on PBS.
2. Covid has exposed the home field advantage as being worth quite a bit. Absent the persuasive chant of 100,000 Ohio State looked to be vulnerable against an under rated IU team ( I love their HC and their QB and WR Fryfogle are NFL talents), PSU has been exposed (pun intended) as a fraud and even the Florida Gators lose points. The NFL is a tougher league in part because there aren't any favored few who get to play games at home virtually every week.
3. CFB is going broke and Dabo Sweeney took a much needed shot at FSU this week for costing his program tons of money. Put aside Dabo's compensation package for a moment and he is right. Would FSU have balked if they had flown, fed, watered and hosteled their team instead of sitting at home? Me thinks "not". I think teams like UMASS will fold their tents and like it or not, the UMASS's of the world are needed.
4. UC now, UCF recently and soon to be others are showing that the talent gap between teams 5 on down is not that wide. Passing off a team as being unworthy because of their conference affiliation is how lazy sports writers work. Coastal Carolina is no fluke and if you look at the NFL rosters you might wonder why the Big Ten is enjoys its status. Take Ohio State out of the equation for a moment and see how "elite" that conference really isn't.
One gripe against CFB has been the absence of a true national champion. The 4 team playoff is a baby step toward legitimizing the charade the P5 teams hold over cfb. Perception does not meet reality and if you want the Ron Cook's of the world leading that parade, then you'll get what you ask for. Just ask Larry Fitz.
1. No team can be eligible to be ranked unless and until they have played 4 games with at least 2 genuine away games against P6 teams, and
2. Every voter who ranked the top 25 for 2020 needs to be judged on how well they did. For example, people who ranked PSU and Michigan anywhere near the top 15 need to be put on a year's probation. Then they vote in a ghost poll for the following year and their efforts are judged against actual results. If they don't rise to the top 25% of their voting peers they are out for the following year and must vote in a ghost poll for two years and achieve some high mark to be restored to good graces.
Here is why it matters:
1. Money. Pre-season rankings are pole positions for cfb and cfb is all about money. If it were not about money then PSU could play Pitt, the P5 would be the P6 and games would be shown on PBS.
2. Covid has exposed the home field advantage as being worth quite a bit. Absent the persuasive chant of 100,000 Ohio State looked to be vulnerable against an under rated IU team ( I love their HC and their QB and WR Fryfogle are NFL talents), PSU has been exposed (pun intended) as a fraud and even the Florida Gators lose points. The NFL is a tougher league in part because there aren't any favored few who get to play games at home virtually every week.
3. CFB is going broke and Dabo Sweeney took a much needed shot at FSU this week for costing his program tons of money. Put aside Dabo's compensation package for a moment and he is right. Would FSU have balked if they had flown, fed, watered and hosteled their team instead of sitting at home? Me thinks "not". I think teams like UMASS will fold their tents and like it or not, the UMASS's of the world are needed.
4. UC now, UCF recently and soon to be others are showing that the talent gap between teams 5 on down is not that wide. Passing off a team as being unworthy because of their conference affiliation is how lazy sports writers work. Coastal Carolina is no fluke and if you look at the NFL rosters you might wonder why the Big Ten is enjoys its status. Take Ohio State out of the equation for a moment and see how "elite" that conference really isn't.
One gripe against CFB has been the absence of a true national champion. The 4 team playoff is a baby step toward legitimizing the charade the P5 teams hold over cfb. Perception does not meet reality and if you want the Ron Cook's of the world leading that parade, then you'll get what you ask for. Just ask Larry Fitz.
