College Football: Bowl Games and Championship

[ronsmac]

Originally Posted by zico20

Okay, since you made this statement, exactly how would you choose the eight teams. If it were up to me I would take the eight best teams no matter how they finished in their conference. No conference would be guaranteed a spot. Why? Because it would cheapen the regular season. Right now it is essential to win almost all of your games. If the power 5 conference champions would get an automatic spot, the only thing the regular season would be meaningful for is to win your DIVISION. Then you get a chance to be one of the final eight. Crap IMO. That is right, a 6-6 team could be playing for a spot. UCLA years ago was 6-6 and lost in the PAC 12 championship game.

I'd make it simple. Take the power 5 champs and 3 wildcards. My 3 wildcards would have been Georgia , UCF and Notre Dame. It's never going to be perfect but fewer teams would gripe and the fans would have more entertainment and meaningful games to bet on. Complaining that you're the 9th team carries less weight than complaining about being the 5th team.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by ronsmac

I'd make it simple. Take the power 5 champs and 3 wildcards. My 3 wildcards would have been Georgia , UCF and Notre Dame. It's never going to be perfect but fewer teams would gripe and the fans would have more entertainment and meaningful games to bet on. Complaining that you're the 9th team carries less weight than complaining about being the 5th team.

There would be much less entertainment for the fans. Fans would not care as much if their favorite team lost three games in September, it would be mostly irrelevant. I personally like the idea that teams face must win situations all through out the year. It makes games more exciting.

[ronsmac]

Originally Posted by zico20

There would be much less entertainment for the fans. Fans would not care as much if their favorite team lost three games in September, it would be mostly irrelevant. I personally like the idea that teams face must win situations all through out the year. It makes games more exciting.

Under the scenario that i just used. Georgia would be the only 2 loss team. They should have been in the 4 team playoff.

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by Marshall Bennett

Going to Eight teams would often bring into play teams with 2 losses. I don't believe any team with 2 losses deserves a shot at a championship. They already blew their chances. Whether its 4 or 8 teams, someone will feel they've been cheated and left out. The more teams that get to compete, the cheaper the title becomes.
Imo, this is exactly why the World Series lacks the excitement it once had.

Broadening a playoff system like MLB and NBA is different than expanding the one-and-done scenarios of the NCAA basketball tournaments and NFL playoffs. Expanding those "best-of" series tournaments with a bunch of teams does take a lot of steam out of the Finals. But a one and done tournament can expand aggressively and it only enhances the Final game. Just look at basketball. NBA playoffs are difficult to stay focused on. The NCAA basketball tournament is arguably the most entertaining sporting event of the year. It wouldn't be if it were still the 16 team tournaments that John Wooden won annually. The expansion has been a gold mine.

The NCAA could easily keep the nation's attention with a 3 week, 8 team, one-and-done football tournament.

And I can remember a late '80s Fla St team that lost it's first 2 games of the year and then ran the table, proving without a doubt to be the best college football team that year. There was an early 90's WA Husky team also that lost 2 games that went to the Rose Bowl and so humiliated Iowa that they pulled down some first place votes. The Huskies went undefeated the next year and shared the national title with Miami, but the team that lost 2 games the year before was an undoubtedly better team than the nat title team. 2 losses in a 12 or 13 game season shouldn't be a disqualifying condition. 2 losses can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

[Lemon Drop Husker]

The current playoff works. Its sole purpose is to identify the best team, and it has done that in it's first 5 years of existence.

The only change, if any, is to create separate divisions for G5 and P5. UCF has won 25 straight games and didn't get a shot. Quit with pretending, and create 2 divisions. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with conference expansion, or conferences combining, or teams being moved.

You then have 5 Conference Champs to be decided by whatever means the P5 conferences see fit to crown their champion. The committee then simply needs to seed the teams with the #4 and #5 seeds play a "bunny bracket" game to get into the Semi-Finals.

I'd also be good with the committee deciding which conference champ of the P5 conferences to be left out and leave it at 4 teams that get in.

This would also force Notre Dame to be aligned with the ACC or they would be left out.

Win your regional championship before you can contend for a national championship. Would make it a de facto 10 team playoff which would obviously include conference championship games.

Georgia had their shot at Bama, and shit the bed. Ohio State and Michigan didn't deserve a chance. UCF played a horribly weak schedule and would lose 3 to 4 games in the weekly grind of a P5 schedule. More isn't always better.

Expanding to 8 is absurd. We are getting blowouts in the 4 team playoff the way it is. 8 UCF at 1 Alabama would have been a disaster. 7 Michigan at 2 Clemson would be garbage. The 2 best teams are playing in the College Football Championship Game.

[reckless]

I don't as a rule bet sports, only horseracing.

But I do love and watch college f-ball and today I made two bets:

LSU over UCF

Georgia over Texas.

Joking slightly, I think LSU got a memo or two --ha, ha-- from the SEC bigwigs, telling them to crush UCF and run the score up. LSU might just do that and shut up this school for once and for all.

Again, just a silly feeling that the SEC is sick and tired of the bellyaching by UCF these past two years and an LSU blowout is in the works.

Georgia is simply a much, much better team than Texas in a much, much tougher conference.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by Lemon Drop Husker

The current playoff works. Its sole purpose is to identify the best team, and it has done that in it's first 5 years of existence.

The only change, if any, is to create separate divisions for G5 and P5. UCF has won 25 straight games and didn't get a shot. Quit with pretending, and create 2 divisions. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with conference expansion, or conferences combining, or teams being moved.

You then have 5 Conference Champs to be decided by whatever means the P5 conferences see fit to crown their champion. The committee then simply needs to seed the teams with the #4 and #5 seeds play a "bunny bracket" game to get into the Semi-Finals.

I'd also be good with the committee deciding which conference champ of the P5 conferences to be left out and leave it at 4 teams that get in.

This would also force Notre Dame to be aligned with the ACC or they would be left out.

Win your regional championship before you can contend for a national championship. Would make it a de facto 10 team playoff which would obviously include conference championship games.

Georgia had their shot at Bama, and shit the bed. Ohio State and Michigan didn't deserve a chance. UCF played a horribly weak schedule and would lose 3 to 4 games in the weekly grind of a P5 schedule. More isn't always better.

Expanding to 8 is absurd. We are getting blowouts in the 4 team playoff the way it is. 8 UCF at 1 Alabama would have been a disaster. 7 Michigan at 2 Clemson would be garbage. The 2 best teams are playing in the College Football Championship Game.

So you would establish a monarchy whereby all of the current P5 teams are deemed to be royalty eligible to receive the monetary benefits and recruiting advantages that go with being royalty? No thanks.

The recruiting would open up for many of the G5 teams if there was path to the playoffs. The dream needs to be enhanced not removed.

There would be far more fan interest in any type of playoff game compared to myriad of exhibition bowl games that are now played for TV audiences only. Blowouts will happen but so will major upsets. Teams should be given a chance on the field and not eliminated by a group of people voting in some room on the Sunday after the regular season ends.

[zico20]

Originally Posted by reckless

I don't as a rule bet sports, only horseracing.

But I do love and watch college f-ball and today I made two bets:

LSU over UCF

Georgia over Texas.

Joking slightly, I think LSU got a memo or two --ha, ha-- from the SEC bigwigs, telling them to crush UCF and run the score up. LSU might just do that and shut up this school for once and for all.

Again, just a silly feeling that the SEC is sick and tired of the bellyaching by UCF these past two years and an LSU blowout is in the works.

Georgia is simply a much, much better team than Texas in a much, much tougher conference.

I agree with you that Georgia is going to wallop Texas, but your LSU bet is already looking in trouble, they are down 14-3 early.

[reckless]

Originally Posted by zico20

I agree with you that Georgia is going to wallop Texas, but your LSU bet is already looking in trouble, they are down 14-3 early.

I know LSU looks like they are playing for the NFL Draft but I also may have been too harsh on UCF. They look very fast of foot, which is always a big deal, imo.

Zico, as I type this LSU now has the lead. Should be a fun game afterall.

[ronsmac]

Originally Posted by Lemon Drop Husker

The current playoff works. Its sole purpose is to identify the best team, and it has done that in it's first 5 years of existence.

The only change, if any, is to create separate divisions for G5 and P5. UCF has won 25 straight games and didn't get a shot. Quit with pretending, and create 2 divisions. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with conference expansion, or conferences combining, or teams being moved.

You then have 5 Conference Champs to be decided by whatever means the P5 conferences see fit to crown their champion. The committee then simply needs to seed the teams with the #4 and #5 seeds play a "bunny bracket" game to get into the Semi-Finals.

I'd also be good with the committee deciding which conference champ of the P5 conferences to be left out and leave it at 4 teams that get in.

This would also force Notre Dame to be aligned with the ACC or they would be left out.

Win your regional championship before you can contend for a national championship. Would make it a de facto 10 team playoff which would obviously include conference championship games.

Georgia had their shot at Bama, and shit the bed. Ohio State and Michigan didn't deserve a chance. UCF played a horribly weak schedule and would lose 3 to 4 games in the weekly grind of a P5 schedule. More isn't always better.

Expanding to 8 is absurd. We are getting blowouts in the 4 team playoff the way it is. 8 UCF at 1 Alabama would have been a disaster. 7 Michigan at 2 Clemson would be garbage. The 2 best teams are playing in the College Football Championship Game.

Absurd? That's funny. Last year UCF beat Auburn who beat Georgia and Alabama. Of course they should have been in an 8 team playoff. The same way Georgia should be in an 8 team playoff this year. Alabama could've easily been left out last year and they won the entire thing. Smart move by Saban to switch qbs after halftime. No way the win it if they stuck with Hurts.

[Marshall Bennett]

I'll take Texas +12. Georgia is a demoralized group having lost out to Alabama. Texas didn't have a season like Georgia did, but they did beat Oklahoma. Should know early on which Texas team shows up.
When UCF assumes a respectable schedule, they'll get the respect they need to compete for the crown. Other than LSU today, North & South Carolina, I see nothing else they've played but garbage.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by Marshall Bennett

I'll take Texas +12. Georgia is a demoralized group having lost out to Alabama. Texas didn't have a season like Georgia did, but they did beat Oklahoma. Should know early on which Texas team shows up.
When UCF assumes a respectable schedule, they'll get the respect they need to compete for the crown. Other than LSU today, North & South Carolina, I see nothing else they've played but garbage.

Pitt and Cincinnati are garbage?

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by Lemon Drop Husker

The current playoff works. Its sole purpose is to identify the best team, and it has done that in it's first 5 years of existence.

The only change, if any, is to create separate divisions for G5 and P5. UCF has won 25 straight games and didn't get a shot. Quit with pretending, and create 2 divisions. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with conference expansion, or conferences combining, or teams being moved.

You then have 5 Conference Champs to be decided by whatever means the P5 conferences see fit to crown their champion. The committee then simply needs to seed the teams with the #4 and #5 seeds play a "bunny bracket" game to get into the Semi-Finals.

I'd also be good with the committee deciding which conference champ of the P5 conferences to be left out and leave it at 4 teams that get in.

This would also force Notre Dame to be aligned with the ACC or they would be left out.

Win your regional championship before you can contend for a national championship. Would make it a de facto 10 team playoff which would obviously include conference championship games.

Georgia had their shot at Bama, and shit the bed. Ohio State and Michigan didn't deserve a chance. UCF played a horribly weak schedule and would lose 3 to 4 games in the weekly grind of a P5 schedule. More isn't always better.

Expanding to 8 is absurd. We are getting blowouts in the 4 team playoff the way it is. 8 UCF at 1 Alabama would have been a disaster. 7 Michigan at 2 Clemson would be garbage. The 2 best teams are playing in the College Football Championship Game.

Absurd. You think if the old bowl system would have been the best way to generate TV ratings, they would have sacrificed it for a playoff? Every conference that had a stake in the old bowl system had to be sold on the playoffs, and it took years and many pounds of "grease" to get it done.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by zico20

There would be much less entertainment for the fans. Fans would not care as much if their favorite team lost three games in September, it would be mostly irrelevant. I personally like the idea that teams face must win situations all through out the year. It makes games more exciting.

The NFL doesn't seem to have a problem when the favorite teams lose 3 or more games and make the playoffs. Would you prefer teams schedule opponents such as the Citadel so that they can keep their schedules unblemished?

[jocko699]

Originally Posted by AndyC

Pitt and Cincinnati are garbage?

Pitt and Cincy are garbage. You cannot expect to compete for the NC unless you play the best teams 95% of the year.