College Football better with 4 team playoff, but still BS...

[Pitt79]

This is part of the FAKENESS of College Football, since the entrance requirements to the playoffs are totally subjective, the powers that be can manipulate the results to try to push the TV ratings leaders into the playoffs, like ND, the SEC, tOSU, etc. Look at how ND always starts the season ranked in the Top 10? Some of those years they ended up with losing records, the point of putting them there though is that the TV networks want them positioned for any big TV games if they happen to win 10-11 games. College Football touts that the whole season is a playoff, but in the end, when a "committee" picks the playoff teams, it's about as real as Vince McMahon and the WWE. Look at how there are already comments that a 13-0 Iowa team should not get in over a one loss Notre Dame, considering that they are considered EQUALS, both D1-A programs, total BS. I'll never believe it's a legit playoff until they have some system that forces ND to join a conference and at least the 5 Power Conference Champs are guaranteed playoff spots.

 

[Pittx9]

Look at how there are already comments that a 13-0 Iowa team should not get in over a one loss Notre Dame,

I think Notre Dame is good enough to go if they make it, but if that happens the NCAA headquarters would burn down. That is such a ridiculous thing to even consider possible. Ohio State got in as the Big Ten Champ last year with a really bad loss in Sept. Iowa would probably have to beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game this year. If they do that and are undefeated, no-brainer they are in the playoffs. Although all the mistakes that are made every year, would not be surprised to see someone screwed over terribly.

 

[Pitt79]

would not be surprised to see someone screwed over terribly.

It will always happen to get a TV ratings darling into the picture as long as the selection process remains subjective enough to manipulate.

 

[paulbl99]

This is part of the FAKENESS of College Football, since the entrance requirements to the playoffs are totally subjective, the powers that be can manipulate the results to try to push the TV ratings leaders into the playoffs, like ND, the SEC, tOSU, etc. Look at how ND always starts the season ranked in the Top 10? Some of those years they ended up with losing records, the point of putting them there though is that the TV networks want them positioned for any big TV games if they happen to win 10-11 games. College Football touts that the whole season is a playoff, but in the end, when a "committee" picks the playoff teams, it's about as real as Vince McMahon and the WWE. Look at how there are already comments that a 13-0 Iowa team should not get in over a one loss Notre Dame, considering that they are considered EQUALS, both D1-A programs, total BS. I'll never believe it's a legit playoff until they have some system that forces ND to join a conference and at least the 5 Power Conference Champs are guaranteed playoff spots.

Every November beginning has talk and hand wringing over the number of undefeated teams. Wait for 3 or 4 weeks

Iowa will not finish 13 and oh.

You could stretch this thing out for a month ( not ever gonna happen) and teams 17 and 18 would be crying the blues

But agree. If ND wants to play the game they can't make the rules.
Conference affiliation or you don't get in...no more cherry picking half the schedule to suit their goals and wallet.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

This is part of the FAKENESS of College Football, since the entrance requirements to the playoffs are totally subjective, the powers that be can manipulate the results to try to push the TV ratings leaders into the playoffs, like ND, the SEC, tOSU, etc. Look at how ND always starts the season ranked in the Top 10? Some of those years they ended up with losing records, the point of putting them there though is that the TV networks want them positioned for any big TV games if they happen to win 10-11 games. College Football touts that the whole season is a playoff, but in the end, when a "committee" picks the playoff teams, it's about as real as Vince McMahon and the WWE. Look at how there are already comments that a 13-0 Iowa team should not get in over a one loss Notre Dame, considering that they are considered EQUALS, both D1-A programs, total BS. I'll never believe it's a legit playoff until they have some system that forces ND to join a conference and at least the 5 Power Conference Champs are guaranteed playoff spots.

Good post along with other responses, Although I would like Notre Dame, Clemson, and Iowa or MSU to both make the CFB Playoffs more than any other teams, I know it would be better for the ACC if ND misses making the cut.

I see ND as the same problem as TCU & Baylor had last year, losing only one game, but did not play an additional game because lacking a Conference Champioship 13th Game for CFB Qualifiers! It is not fair for such CFB Playoff Contenders get into the Playoffs with less games with one loss?

If ND would be part of being allowed to play in the ACC Conference Championship Game that would be good for the ACC and CFB Playoffs too.

OR

CFB Playoffs moves to 8 teams Playoff with each power Conference having 1 Guaranteed Seat in the CFB Playoffs regardless of records!

OR

Notre Dame joins the ACC in all Sports including Football & Hockey. Once Notre Dame joined the ACC it would be put in the ACC Mason North Division that would include:
BC
CUSE
ND
PITT
ULOU
VT
UVA
ANOTHER PROGRAM ADDED POSSIBLE TEXAS, UCINCY, HOUSTON, TEMPLE, UCONN, WVU, VANDERBILT, PENN STATE!

ACC Dixon South Division:

CLEMSON
DUKE
FSU
GT
MIAMI
UNC
NCS
WAKE

This is just my opinion and having ND, along with Texas would add to the ACC Footprint, TV Viewership, Recruiting Grounds, and Attendance, on the level of of SEC & B1G & Money Making?

If they went to 18 Teams and added WVU & Penn State then that would be just perfect for Pitt Football Program playing all 3 every year again.

If not, UCincy adds Ohio to the North with ND and in that way ND would be playing for ACC Championship Seat in the CFB Playoffs almost every year and why they would then join, because that is their goal every year.!

 

[Pitt79]

Even a 6 team tournament would be good, the 5 Power Conference champs, no matter what their record is and 1 wild card, determined by some process like they have now. Then I would believe it's actually on the level and that almost anybody had a reasonable chance to make it. The 2 #1 seeds could have a bye. To me, unlike to most, I'd respect the system more if say Pitt could finish 8-4 and then squeak into the ACC Title game and then EARN a NC Playoff spot with a 9-4 record by upsetting a 12-0 Clemson team, at that point I'd believe that the whole thing might be on the level.

I actually would prefer 8 teams though, the 5 power conference champs, 2 wild cards from power conferences and one team judged the best of the non-power conference teams. You see, I'm not obsessed with the "8 best" teams making the playoffs, I'm more into the idea that it's all D1-A so there should be some path for anyone of the 120 teams to make their way in and it not be ND, tOSU, any SEC Team, Oregon, Florida State or 'Bama 19 out of every 20 years. It would make it way more interesting and kill a lot of the subjectivity we have now.

 

[pittdan77]

I prefer eight teams too. It's tough to argue for anyone below eight as a legitimate contender. I look for it to happen sooner than later.

 

[OmarLittle]

8 makes the most sense. give each of the power 5 an auto spot, highest ranked 'group of 5' a spot, and 2 wildcards.

Seems so simple, if you don't win your conference and you aren't one of the 2 best non-winners you have no claim.

right now, all 5 power 5 teams have a claim and i simply hate seeing a team go undefeated and end up in an also ran bowl like Houston is probably going to.
They didn't play the best schedule of course but they beat an ACC team, they beat an SEC team..
Yes it was Vandy but , florida beat vandy 9-7. mississippi beat them 27-16. Houston beat them 34-0.
They still have to go through Memphis, Navy, and Temple as well which isn't the SEC but its not walkovers.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Look at how ND always starts the season ranked in the Top 10?

Yeah, every single year!

Well, OK, this year they actually started 11th. But close enough. And last year they started 17th. But who's counting? And the year before they started 14th. And the year before that they weren't in the preseason top 25. And the year before that they were 16th. And the year before that they weren't in the preseason top 25. And the year before that they started 23rd. And the year before that they weren't in the preseason top 25. But hey, lookey there, back in 2006 they started the year 2nd. That's got to be some sort of proof.

Of course then there was 2005, when they started 20th. And 2004 , when they weren't in the top 25. And 2003 when they started 20th. And 2002 when they weren't in the top 25. And 2001 when they were 18th. And 2000 when they weren't in the top 25. And 1999 when they started 18th, or 1998 when they started 22nd, or 1997 when they started 11th.

Do you realize that what all that means is that a team that ALWAYS starts the season in the top 10 has actually started the season in the top ten exactly ONE TIME in the last 16 season? I haven't really taken a stats class in a long time, but I think that I remember that something that happens 6% of the time can't really be said to always happen.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

By the way, as a point of comparison Pitt has also started the season in the top 10 one time in the last 16 seasons. Does that mean that much like Notre Dame, Pitt always starts the season in the top 10?

 

[dbricker]

why only 4 teams? The other CFB levels have more of a proper playoff plan, so why not have e.g. 8 teams? Yes, I know you would still have ND or whoever arguments, but even the NFL forces the best teams to prove it, sometimes on the road. Pitt79 is on the money; how can coaches or writers vote a. for/against teams they have not seen/played against, b. against their own conference? Why should LSU be ranked lower than ND, when their loss was simply to Alabama? I don't mind, in a way, if ND gets into a big bowl, as long as they get creamed by a top team again and again. Just as CBS is the SEC's lap dog, ND is the pimp for a rating spike.

 

[Pitt79]

Yeah, every single year!

Well, OK, this year they actually started 11th. But close enough. And last year they started 17th. But who's counting? And the year before they started 14th. And the year before that they weren't in the preseason top 25. And the year before that they were 16th. And the year before that they weren't in the preseason top 25. And the year before that they started 23rd. And the year before that they weren't in the preseason top 25. But hey, lookey there, back in 2006 they started the year 2nd. That's got to be some sort of proof.

Of course then there was 2005, when they started 20th. And 2004 , when they weren't in the top 25. And 2003 when they started 20th. And 2002 when they weren't in the top 25. And 2001 when they were 18th. And 2000 when they weren't in the top 25. And 1999 when they started 18th, or 1998 when they started 22nd, or 1997 when they started 11th.

Do you realize that what all that means is that a team that ALWAYS starts the season in the top 10 has actually started the season in the top ten exactly ONE TIME in the last 16 season? I haven't really taken a stats class in a long time, but I think that I remember that something that happens 6% of the time can't really be said to always happen.

The point is they are always OVER ranked and that is true. Maybe I should have said top 25, but honestly, they do get ranked anytime the voters have even the tiniest excuse to rank them.

 

[pittzap]

Every November beginning has talk and hand wringing over the number of undefeated teams. Wait for 3 or 4 weeks

Iowa will not finish 13 and oh.

You could stretch this thing out for a month ( not ever gonna happen) and teams 17 and 18 would be crying the blues

But agree. If ND wants to play the game they can't make the rules.
Conference affiliation or you don't get in...no more cherry picking half the schedule to suit their goals and wallet.

But I would rather have 8 teams in the playoff, so 9 and 10 would cry vs. 4 teams and 5 and 6 cry.

 

[pittzap]

How about conference champions only make the playoffs? The NCAA tourney used to be like that before it expanded. Look, it is not like the NFL where divisions play similar schedules. Teams control their out-of-conference schedule, and some pad the hell out of them to rack up wins outside of their conference and work their way up the rankings. Other teams get a head start and begin the year ranked highly.

You could play better teams out-of-conference and not worry about losing a game and ending your season (for most teams, unless you are an SEC team....they'll find a way to get you in). People complain about conferences being more difficult than others, well, that's the price you pay by being in a tough conference. You take advantage of payouts by being in the conference. If there is that much of a complaint, then have a wild card or two (for Alabama or LSU - whichever one does not win the SEC).

So have an 8 team playoff - the Champions of the P5 conferences, one outside the P5 and two wild cards that can come from any conference.

 

[Pitt79]

So have an 8 team playoff - the Champions of the P5 conferences, one outside the P5 and two wild cards that can come from any conference.

That would be the best and most reasonable, with that you could honestly argue that everyone labeled as "D1" actually has a realistic chance to get in. With that, I could actually believe that Pitt had a real chance. I don't now. I could just see Pitt going 13-0 and talking heads staying up late at night explaining why One loss Alabama or one loss tOSU deserves it more and screaming "Please don't select Pitt!" It was like that in 2004, entire segments of shows where they'd argue that Pitt shouldn't play in a BCS game, and it wasn't even the damn championship, just a glorified exhibition game that they qualified for based on the rules.

 

[pittzap]

That would be the best and most reasonable, with that you could honestly argue that everyone labeled as "D1" actually has a realistic chance to get in. With that, I could actually believe that Pitt had a real chance. I don't now. I could just see Pitt going 13-0 and talking heads staying up late at night explaining why One loss Alabama or one loss tOSU deserves it more and screaming "Please don't select Pitt!" It was like that in 2004, entire segments of shows where they'd argue that Pitt shouldn't play in a BCS game, and it wasn't even the damn championship, just a glorified exhibition game that they qualified for based on the rules.

Exactly, which is why you should be a conference champion. If Pitt was 13-0, that means we would have won our conference and at least one playoff game. With a playoff system, you have to earn it on the field. If you are not a very deserving team, it will get you.

If you really want to get specific, cancel the 12th game, since they are mostly D1AA teams or awful D1 teams. Give the top 4 an additional home game for the first round (they earned it), then have the four remaining teams do the playoff in its current structure.

I remember in 2001 when Nebraska was ranked number 2 in the country. They lost the Big 12 Championship (they actually got drilled) and STILL played for the national championship. The talking heads used every excuse in the book to justify it, like, "the B12 Championship game wasn't important", "they are being rewarded for the whole season, not punished for just one bad game". The question was asked why do they play a conference championship game? Crickets....they went on to get crushed by Miami in the Rose Bowl (the National Championship game).

I have a hard time allowing a team to play for a championship when they don't win their own conference. The NCAA Basketball Tourney is different, as you have several games to play in order to win it. You are not placed in the championship game like you used to be in college football.

Win your conference, you are in; two wild cards. That way, teams can play better out-of-conference games and still have a chance at the playoffs.

 

[Pitt79]

Win your conference, you are in; two wild cards. That way, teams can play better out-of-conference games and still have a chance at the playoffs.

It makes too much sense! Then you can add 2 more wild cards for the fans that feel bad that some championship game LOSERS or a "too good to play in a championship game" Notre Dame team gets left out. and I like the idea of the 8th team being the highest ranked non-power conference team too, who cares if they aren't "the best", it means that all 120 or so D1 teams have a shot, no matter how tiny and it really makes it interesting and this system wouldn't diminish the regular season one bit.

 

[Pittx9]

I'd honestly have to say from a business standpoint (which is the only way the NCAA looks at things anymore), they are completely moronic for not allowing all P5 conference champions into the playoffs. IMO that would make better regular season OOC matchups, which means more money eventually. There would be absolutely no downfall of scheduling a top 5 team every year. Also there would be no reason to schedule cupcakes, other than maybe still opening the year with one because of no exhibition games.

Any team with any reasonable chance at having even a winning season would probably schedule as many tough OOC games as possible. It'd be more money for the schools to when they play bigger name opponents. Some might think this would make the regular season less enticing, because you could lose 3 games OOC and make the playoffs still. But the way I see it, you swap out 4 weeks of games that you can't afford to lose (which are usually cupcake opponent's anyways) for 4 weeks of games that are big-time matchups and better games.

 

[yc_ballcat]

I remember in 2001 when Nebraska was ranked number 2 in the country. They lost the Big 12 Championship (they actually got drilled) and STILL played for the national championship. The talking heads used every excuse in the book to justify it, like, "the B12 Championship game wasn't important", "they are being rewarded for the whole season, not punished for just one bad game". The question was asked why do they play a conference championship game? Crickets....they went on to get crushed by Miami in the Rose Bowl (the National Championship game).

Actually Nebraska lost to Colorado in the final 2001 regular season game (an epic defeat, known by its score, from which they've never recovered); they didn't even make the Big 12 CG. Nebraska made the BCS CG that year in part because the SEC had two 1-loss teams, both ranked #2, lose back to back in the 2 weeks following 62-36, leaving a 3-loss SEC champ. Colorado had 2 losses. Oregon rolled Colorado in the Rose Bowl, had only 1 loss (49-42 to a 9-3 Stanford) but were also passed over.

You might also have 2003 in mind. Oklahoma got destroyed 35-7 by K-State in the Big 12 CG but still got the nod for the BCS CG. The big debate that year was USC, who lost by 3 on the road to an 8-5 Cal. That loss was deemed more egregious than both LSU's 12 point loss at home to an 8-5 Florida and the OU debacle.

In truth there probably was no good answer either year except some kind of playoff.

 

[TD_6082]

Then in 2004, Auburn was undefeated and left out.

 

[pittzap]

Actually Nebraska lost to Colorado in the final 2001 regular season game (an epic defeat, known by its score, from which they've never recovered); they didn't even make the Big 12 CG. Nebraska made the BCS CG that year in part because the SEC had two 1-loss teams, both ranked #2, lose back to back in the 2 weeks following 62-36, leaving a 3-loss SEC champ. Colorado had 2 losses. Oregon rolled Colorado in the Rose Bowl, had only 1 loss (49-42 to a 9-3 Stanford) but were also passed over.

You might also have 2003 in mind. Oklahoma got destroyed 35-7 by K-State in the Big 12 CG but still got the nod for the BCS CG. The big debate that year was USC, who lost by 3 on the road to an 8-5 Cal. That loss was deemed more egregious than both LSU's 12 point loss at home to an 8-5 Florida and the OU debacle.

In truth there probably was no good answer either year except some kind of playoff.

I have always been in favor of a playoff and those years really highlighted why one was needed.

 

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

This is part of the FAKENESS of College Football, since the entrance requirements to the playoffs are totally subjective, the powers that be can manipulate the results to try to push the TV ratings leaders into the playoffs, like ND, the SEC, tOSU, etc. Look at how ND always starts the season ranked in the Top 10? Some of those years they ended up with losing records, the point of putting them there though is that the TV networks want them positioned for any big TV games if they happen to win 10-11 games. College Football touts that the whole season is a playoff, but in the end, when a "committee" picks the playoff teams, it's about as real as Vince McMahon and the WWE. Look at how there are already comments that a 13-0 Iowa team should not get in over a one loss Notre Dame, considering that they are considered EQUALS, both D1-A programs, total BS. I'll never believe it's a legit playoff until they have some system that forces ND to join a conference and at least the 5 Power Conference Champs are guaranteed playoff spots.

Why sweat over the rankings in its second week....

Quite frankly the four best teams are 1-4 there is no other argument.....Iowa, Baylor, Okie St, will all get their chance in the end

 

[Pitt79]

Why sweat over the rankings in its second week....

Quite frankly the four best teams are 1-4 there is no other argument.....Iowa, Baylor, Okie St, will all get their chance in the end

I'm not "sweating the rankings", I hate the rankings,I just want there to be an OBJECTIVE system to pick the teams, not a "committee", I'd like there to be OBJECTIVE ways for teams to get into the playoff, like EASY ..... WIN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME=IN THE PLAYOFF, then a few subjectively selected wild card teams would be OK, to get to a nice round number 8. And oh yeah, I don't care that it be the subjectively judged "8 best teams". Like if Pitt wins the ACC with an 8-5 record because they won a weak division and pulled an upset in the ACC Championship Game, I won't feel bad for the 11-1 SEC 3rd place team that was left out. I'd rather see more teams have "win this game and against all odds you are in the tourney" opportunities, lot's of entertainment and drama there, more interesting than tuning in for the "Selection Show".