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My (unorthodox) playoff expansion idea

HailToPitt725

Head Coach
May 16, 2016
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With the news that the CFP is expanding to 12 beginning in 2024, thought I would share my own expansion idea that expands the playoff while keeping some traditions intact, hear me out: eight-team playoff, every P5 champion and the highest rated at-large teams. However, keep traditional bowl tie-ins so it’d look like this:

- Cotton Bowl: Big 12 champ vs at-large
- Orange Bowl: ACC champ vs at-large
- Rose Bowl: B1G champ vs PAC champ
- Sugar Bowl: SEC champ vs at-large

The highest-ranked conference champion from the ACC, Big 12, and PAC would play the lowest-ranked at-large, and so on. This would help to at least try to balance the matchups. For 2022, assuming all favorites win this weekend, it would look something like this:

- Cotton Bowl: #3 TCU vs #6 Alabama
- Orange Bowl: #9 Clemson vs #5 Ohio State
- Rose Bowl: #2 Michigan vs #4 USC
- Sugar Bowl: #1 Georgia vs #7 Tennessee

Note: all of these games would be played on New Year’s Day like they ought to be. From here, the highest-ranked remaining team would play the lowest-ranked remaining team, and the second-and-third-ranked teams would play. The higher-ranked team would host the semifinal. Finally, the two remaining teams would play at a neutral site for the national championship.

Is it a little bit goofy? Would, say, Michigan and USC get shafted having to play each other? Perhaps, but IMO college football is supposed to be a little goofy.
 
Also, here’s what it would’ve looked like the past three seasons not counting 2020:

2021
- Cotton Bowl: #7 Baylor vs #4 Cincinnati
- Orange Bowl: #12 Pitt vs #3 Georgia
- Rose Bowl: #2 Michigan vs #11 Utah
- Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama vs #5 Notre Dame

2019
- Cotton Bowl: #4 Oklahoma vs #5 Georgia
- Orange Bowl: #3 Clemson vs #7 Baylor
- Rose Bowl: #2 Ohio State vs #6 Oregon
- Sugar Bowl: #1 LSU vs #8 Wisconsin

2018
- Cotton Bowl: #4 Oklahoma vs #3 Notre Dame
- Orange Bowl: #2 Clemson vs #5 Georgia
- Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State vs #9 Washington
- Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama vs #7 Michigan
 
Then what do you propose for the next round? Where will they play those two games?

From the original post:
From here, the highest-ranked remaining team would play the lowest-ranked remaining team, and the second-and-third-ranked teams would play. The higher-ranked team would host the semifinal. Finally, the two remaining teams would play at a neutral site for the national championship.
 
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