SMF's Brilliant Idea for college football

[Sean Miller Fan]

Week 0

- Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend. The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

- ESPN and FS1 could start printing money with 7 straight days of OU/Neb, Tex/A&M, Pitt/PSU, Fla/Miami, Clemson/Georgia, and others.

College football is about making money. I can't believe I have to be the one to come up with these ideas.

 

[jason21psu]

Week 0

- Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend. The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

- ESPN and FS1 could start printing money with 7 straight days of OU/Neb, Tex/A&M, Pitt/PSU, Fla/Miami, Clemson/Georgia, and others.

College football is about making money. I can't believe I have to be the one to come up with these ideas.

I had this idea 3 years ago. There’s already an exemption for playing in Hawaii this would just be an extension of that.

I’m pretty sure I even posted it on this board because my idea was you had to have at least a 50 year history to qualify for the exception and I posed the question who would y’all prefer to use the exception on. Us or WVU?

EDIT: since I only have ~30 posts here it was easy to go back and check and we’ve had this conversation in 2015 and again last year. Is this an annual post for you?

 

[jason21psu]

BTW my other brilliant idea is to make the spring games the FCS game where the FBS team can only play RS Sophs and younger. This would generally prevent starters from getting hurt and allow the FBS team to get their young guys more experience.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Week 0

- Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend. The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

- ESPN and FS1 could start printing money with 7 straight days of OU/Neb, Tex/A&M, Pitt/PSU, Fla/Miami, Clemson/Georgia, and others.

College football is about making money. I can't believe I have to be the one to come up with these ideas.

I had this idea 3 years ago. There’s already an exemption for playing in Hawaii this would just be an extension of that.

I’m pretty sure I even posted it on this board because my idea was you had to have at least a 50 year history to qualify for the exception and I posed the question who would y’all prefer to use the exception on. Us or WVU?

EDIT: since I only have ~30 posts here it was easy to go back and check and we’ve had this conversation in 2015 and again last year. Is this an annual post for you?

Not annual, but I did change it up a bit, adding in that there would be 7 straight nights of rivalry games. Basically, like a "bowl week" before the season during a slow time in the sports calendar.

 

[Burgh15]

That'd make for a sweet season kickoff, but let's do it Week 3 after all the good teams play two cupcake opponents as the "preseason."

 

[HailToPitt725]

Kinda like what the WPIAL does with their Week 0 games where you see a lot of big time games happen. I like it.

 

[Mikefln]

Wow I actually like this idea. Surprised you had it.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Problem is that most regional rivalries are already played. The other problem is that PSU would just schedule home games with Temple, Delaware, Cincinnati, etc.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Problem is that most regional rivalries are already played. The other problem is that PSU would just schedule home games with Temple, Delaware, Cincinnati, etc.

Right but if teams wanted the benefit of a 13th game, they could move to Week 0 for the exemption. For example, Clemson/South Carolina, UGa/GT, etc would move to week 0 to give them more scheduling flexibility throughout the year.

As for Penn State, they probably could schedule Temple or Syracuse based on certain criteria. But, they'd be limited, pretty much to those 2, Pitt, and WVU.

And here's the other thing. If you dont want a 13th game and the revenue that comes with it, don't play it.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That'd make for a sweet season kickoff, but let's do it Week 3 after all the good teams play two cupcake opponents as the "preseason."

The point of it would be as a grand kickoff to the season spread out over 7 days. Games Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You cant do that during the season.

 

[upj87]

Week 0

- Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend. The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

- ESPN and FS1 could start printing money with 7 straight days of OU/Neb, Tex/A&M, Pitt/PSU, Fla/Miami, Clemson/Georgia, and others.

College football is about making money. I can't believe I have to be the one to come up with these ideas.

Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend
The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

....No such thing as a game that does not count as you still have a subjective selection process at the end of the year...Until you come up with a Men in Black memory eraser device so that an eventual one loss Florida losing to an eventual one loss Florida State in this "meaningless" game will not play into the minds of the selection folks..

back tho lab and keep working on it..

 

[Swervin27]

BTW my other brilliant idea is to make the spring games the FCS game where the FBS team can only play RS Sophs and younger. This would generally prevent starters from getting hurt and allow the FBS team to get their young guys more experience.

Could you field a team with soph or younger? I think fcs teams would beat up P5 teams who had this restriction.

Take away the age restriction and just do fcs scrimmages in lieu of the spring game.

 

[jason21psu]

Could you field a team with soph or younger? I think fcs teams would beat up P5 teams who had this restriction.

Take away the age restriction and just do fcs scrimmages in lieu of the spring game.

With FCS schools only having 65 scholarship players I think a P5 them could field a team with RS sophs and younger. This would include non-scholarship players as well. However, point taken that the age restriction is not needed. The P5 schools would sit whoever they deemed necessary.

 

[Jpripper88]

Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend
The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

....No such thing as a game that does not count as you still have a subjective selection process at the end of the year...Until you come up with a Men in Black memory eraser device so that an eventual one loss Florida losing to an eventual one loss Florida State in this "meaningless" game will not play into the minds of the selection folks..

back tho lab and keep working on it..

Nailed it.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Each team can play a game which wouldn't count towards its 12 game max schedule if played from the Thursday through Wednesday (Aug 23-29 using this year as an example) before Labor Day Weekend
The stipulation would be that each team would have to play a regional rival which would meet certain criteria.

....No such thing as a game that does not count as you still have a subjective selection process at the end of the year...Until you come up with a Men in Black memory eraser device so that an eventual one loss Florida losing to an eventual one loss Florida State in this "meaningless" game will not play into the minds of the selection folks..

back tho lab and keep working on it..

Nailed it.

The game would COUNT. It would not be an exhibition game. I was saying that you could play 12 other games without counting this as one of the 12, an "exempt game" like in college basketball

 

[pitt2533]

Would be great TV. I know I would watch.

Is 14 games in a season too many though for these teams? With Conference Championship and Bowl Games a few teams will be at 14.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Would be great TV. I know I would watch.

Is 14 games in a season too many though for these teams? With Conference Championship and Bowl Games a few teams will be at 14.

FCS Championship game participants play 15 or 16 (depending on whether or not they got a 1st Round Bye). They also play during Finals Weeks. Nobody cares about the players.

 

[pitt2533]

FCS Championship game participants play 15 or 16 (depending on whether or not they got a 1st Round Bye). They also play during Finals Weeks. Nobody cares about the players.

Yeah good point.

 

[PittFanDan17]

I would love this idea, only for rivals tho. The record doesn't even have to count, it could be for "bragging rights" only and would make a crap load of money.

 

[pittdan77]

It's not a terrible idea but I'd rather see more games on the backside of the season that mattered. Give me a better playoff format. Nobody gets all that excited for or cares about Pitt basketball playing UPJ or having a nice matchup in some pre-season tournament. The real excitement is in March if/when Pitt makes the tournament.

 

[Swervin27]

It's not a terrible idea but I'd rather see more games on the backside of the season that mattered. Give me a better playoff format. Nobody gets all that excited for or cares about Pitt basketball playing UPJ or having a nice matchup in some pre-season tournament. The real excitement is in March if/when Pitt makes the tournament.

college basketball seems to be making a very conscious effort to improve their "pre-season" of nov/dec by playing in-conference games before January. Not sure if it happens or not but definitely a plan to look into it.

College basketball games that mean something in Nov and dec might make my head explode..

 

[pittdan77]

college basketball seems to be making a very conscious effort to improve their "pre-season" of nov/dec by playing in-conference games before January. Not sure if it happens or not but definitely a plan to look into it.

College basketball games that mean something in Nov and dec might make my head explode..

But March is so cool. That's why I don't understand why CFB doesn't try to make a real post-season.

 

[Swervin27]

But March is so cool. That's why I don't understand why CFB doesn't try to make a real post-season.

a tournament? 16 teams? 32? 32 is too much, maybe get away with 16. so what do you do with the rest, scrap the whole bowl system? farm out the rest to remaining bowls?

I don't know, it could work. it's not like this option hasn't been discussed. I predict, based on nothing at all really, that the playoff format goes to 8 within the next 10 years. Of course most of my predictions never come true.

My point was just to state that I read a recent article, on the hoops forum on this site, about a plan to start playing conference games in nov/dec.

 

[pittdan77]

a tournament? 16 teams? 32? 32 is too much, maybe get away with 16. so what do you do with the rest, scrap the whole bowl system? farm out the rest to remaining bowls?

I don't know, it could work. it's not like this option hasn't been discussed. I predict, based on nothing at all really, that the playoff format goes to 8 within the next 10 years. Of course most of my predictions never come true.

My point was just to state that I read a recent article, on the hoops forum on this site, about a plan to start playing conference games in nov/dec.

No, I got your point. I think the TV people are trying to fill the void until bowl season starts with better basketball.

I have no idea what a playoff format would look like. The argument holding it back is "too many games" and I have to agree with that. At some point, the money will move the needle and it will happen.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

But March is so cool. That's why I don't understand why CFB doesn't try to make a real post-season.

a tournament? 16 teams? 32? 32 is too much, maybe get away with 16. so what do you do with the rest, scrap the whole bowl system? farm out the rest to remaining bowls?

I don't know, it could work. it's not like this option hasn't been discussed. I predict, based on nothing at all really, that the playoff format goes to 8 within the next 10 years. Of course most of my predictions never come true.

My point was just to state that I read a recent article, on the hoops forum on this site, about a plan to start playing conference games in nov/dec.

There has to be more college football spread out during low TV times. Whether or not they do a Week 0, I think FBS should start 2 weeks before the NFL. That's just more money. I also think FCS should play in the spring. Like it or not, more people will watch Sam Houston State vs Stephen F Austin on ESPN2 on April 18 than Duke/ND lacrosse.

 

[Swervin27]

There has to be more college football spread out during low TV times. Whether or not they do a Week 0, I think FBS should start 2 weeks before the NFL. That's just more money. I also think FCS should play in the spring. Like it or not, more people will watch Sam Houston State vs Stephen F Austin on ESPN2 on April 18 than Duke/ND lacrosse.

I agree with all of this. I don’t even think it has to be this dramatic. Take advantage of Labor Day weekend. Nfl gave it to you, zero competition. Most programs use this for their pre season fcs scrimmage. Be more aggressive with scheduling.

You have a football crazed nation at home, waiting for football with no nfl and most P5 programs are playing warm up games.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There has to be more college football spread out during low TV times. Whether or not they do a Week 0, I think FBS should start 2 weeks before the NFL. That's just more money. I also think FCS should play in the spring. Like it or not, more people will watch Sam Houston State vs Stephen F Austin on ESPN2 on April 18 than Duke/ND lacrosse.

I agree with all of this.

While I'm at it, I'm still advocating for the 9AM Breakfast in the MAC ESPN2 Game of the Week. Basically, I think TV needs to get really creative. I'd even test out doing an NHL game in mid to late afternoon on a weekday. The EPL gets great TV ratings at those times with no other live sports competition, maybe Pens vs Capitals at 3:00 on a random Wednesday would draw more eyeballs than at 7:30. The game would be sold out anyway.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There has to be more college football spread out during low TV times. Whether or not they do a Week 0, I think FBS should start 2 weeks before the NFL. That's just more money. I also think FCS should play in the spring. Like it or not, more people will watch Sam Houston State vs Stephen F Austin on ESPN2 on April 18 than Duke/ND lacrosse.

I agree with all of this. I don’t even think it has to be this dramatic. Take advantage of Labor Day weekend. Nfl gave it to you, zero competition. Most programs use this for their pre season fcs scrimmage. Be more aggressive with scheduling.

You have a football crazed nation at home, waiting for football with no nfl and most P5 programs are playing warm up games.

Yea, with Labor Day Weekend, I'd do wall to wall games on Sunday and Monday but I dont think they necessarily have to schedule better games that week. You throw Pitt/Albany on ESPN2 Sunday at 3:30 and millions of people will watch it. Aint nothing else going on.

 

[Swervin27]

While I'm at it, I'm still advocating for the 9AM Breakfast in the MAC ESPN2 Game of the Week. Basically, I think TV needs to get really creative. I'd even test out doing an NHL game in mid to late afternoon on a weekday. The EPL gets great TV ratings at those times with no other live sports competition, maybe Pens vs Capitals at 3:00 on a random Wednesday would draw more eyeballs than at 7:30. The game would be sold out anyway.

Nobody outside of local markets is watching hockey. The US isn’t watching a Pens -caps game at 7:30 pm on a Thur night in February, they aren’t going to leave work early and watch it at 3pm.

Leave the daytime tv to bored housewives

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

While I'm at it, I'm still advocating for the 9AM Breakfast in the MAC ESPN2 Game of the Week. Basically, I think TV needs to get really creative. I'd even test out doing an NHL game in mid to late afternoon on a weekday. The EPL gets great TV ratings at those times with no other live sports competition, maybe Pens vs Capitals at 3:00 on a random Wednesday would draw more eyeballs than at 7:30. The game would be sold out anyway.

Nobody outside of local markets is watching hockey. The US isn’t watching a Pens -caps game at 7:30 pm on a Thur night in February, they aren’t going to leave work early and watch it at 3pm.

Leave the daytime tv to bored housewives

No one is going to leave work early to watch it but when I point out that EPL ratings beat NHL ratings on NBCSN, I usually get the excuse that its because there is no competition in those weekend morning and weekday afternoon EPL windows. I don't buy that that is the only reason they are higher but I do wonder how an occasional NHL game would do in a similar time slot. I mean we are talking maybe 1 game per year per season. If Pens/Caps is the only sporting event on TV, maybe somebody from Charlotte will watch it.

 

[pittdan77]

Might be fun to bring a bunch of schools to one city for a CFB "festival" of sorts. Could showcase the lower levels and generate hype.

 

[Jpripper88]

The game would COUNT. It would not be an exhibition game. I was saying that you could play 12 other games without counting this as one of the 12, an "exempt game" like in college basketball

But all 12 and the "exempt" game would count in the eyes of the voters and selection committee and that was the point. It doesn't matter whether PSU wants to count that they lost to Pitt. It counts to the committee. Also, most of these teams already play these games and do so at better times in the season. Why would they want to move rivalry games against P5 competition to week 0? Many of the marque schools also have big Labor day weekend matchups they schedule, as well, and don't want to risk more exposure to losses when (for the most part) there is very little to gain.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The game would COUNT. It would not be an exhibition game. I was saying that you could play 12 other games without counting this as one of the 12, an "exempt game" like in college basketball

But all 12 and the "exempt" game would count in the eyes of the voters and selection committee and that was the point. It doesn't matter whether PSU wants to count that they lost to Pitt. It counts to the committee. Also, most of these teams already play these games and do so at better times in the season. Why would they want to move rivalry games against P5 competition to week 0? Many of the marque schools also have big Labor day weekend matchups they schedule, as well, and don't want to risk more exposure to losses when (for the most part) there is very little to gain.

The game counts. If Penn State doesn't want to risk losing to Pitt, WVU, or Syracuse then they dont have to play. It would be an NCAA "exemption" to get to play an extra game in Week 0 if that game was used to play a regional or traditional rival.

 

[Jpripper88]

The game counts. If Penn State doesn't want to risk losing to Pitt, WVU, or Syracuse then they dont have to play. It would be an NCAA "exemption" to get to play an extra game in Week 0 if that game was used to play a regional or traditional rival.

Why would they want to play it or have it count vs. a guaranteed win? Most teams already play their rivals. They don't want another game, which could hurt their standing. All 13 games would count. There is no "exemption" for any of the now 13 pre-CCG games.

 

[Mikefln]

There has to be more college football spread out during low TV times. Whether or not they do a Week 0, I think FBS should start 2 weeks before the NFL. That's just more money. I also think FCS should play in the spring. Like it or not, more people will watch Sam Houston State vs Stephen F Austin on ESPN2 on April 18 than Duke/ND lacrosse.

Sorry this is too extreme for me. Football is a fall sport not a spring sport. All that does is make the FCS look even more small time than people already view them.

 

[jason21psu]

Why would they want to play it or have it count vs. a guaranteed win? Most teams already play their rivals. They don't want another game, which could hurt their standing. All 13 games would count. There is no "exemption" for any of the now 13 pre-CCG games.

I think the point is currently you are only allowed to play 12 games, 13 if you go to Hawaii. Hence their is an exception to the 12 game rule to play a 13th game already on the books if you go to Hawaii. Adding an allowable 13th game if you played a 50yr rival would allow CFB to bring back some of the rivalries that have be lost to conference expansion. OU-Nebraska, Texas-Texas A&M, Pitt-PSU, etc. That 13th game absolutely counts on your record.

That said, and I think you're in agreement here, it would be awesome for fans and the sport but coaches aren't going to want to do it. Teams with playoff aspirations are not going to want to play a 13th game if they don't have to. I mean look at the ACC and SEC they're not going to 9 conference games until they are forced to. The B1G did it for the TV money, whether that was content for BTN or selling to ABC/ESPN/FOX, it was all about money. In retrospect it wasn't the best idea for making the playoff.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The game counts. If Penn State doesn't want to risk losing to Pitt, WVU, or Syracuse then they dont have to play. It would be an NCAA "exemption" to get to play an extra game in Week 0 if that game was used to play a regional or traditional rival.

Why would they want to play it or have it count vs. a guaranteed win? Most teams already play their rivals. They don't want another game, which could hurt their standing. All 13 games would count. There is no "exemption" for any of the now 13 pre-CCG games.

It would simply be an incentive (ie $$$extra game$$$) for rivals to play. With all but SEC/ACC going to 9 conference games, there will be fewer rivalry games. It is purely stupid that some rivalries cannot be played