Thamel: The lean towards a 12-team playoff

intrepid27

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Oct 9, 2006
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On one hand, adding 3-4 games on top of a 12 game schedule sounds like a lot. On the other hand, 12 teams it would dramatically increase our odds of making it. It would be very difficult for ISU to ever make a 4 team playoff. IMO
 

Clonehomer

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Apr 11, 2006
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The usual suspects will get the top 4 byes, but I wouldn’t mind 12. Could work like the old big 12 tournament

1 vs winner of 8/9
2 vs winner of 7/10
3 vs winner of 6/11
4 vs winner of 5/12

The problem with doing that in football is that there is so much disadvantage to a team playing an extra game than there is in basketball. Physical attrition is so much higher if you're playing back to back weeks vs a bye.
 
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Cloneon

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Oct 29, 2015
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8 is the answer. All 5 conference champs in the P5, 2 G5 schools and an at large.. Can you imagine the hype around that final at large spot??

You could fill airways for days on the "last spot in"

I go with 2 G5 schools because it again further rewards winning your conference championship game

2020 CFP with 8 would have been:

Bama
Clemson
Ohio St
Oklahoma
Oregon
Cincy
Coastal Carolina
Texas A&M

Iowa State being the last team out of the playoff
One amendment: 2 G5s who've beaten two P5's on their schedule. Otherwise, it's cakewalk scheduling city for them.
 
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SEIOWA CLONE

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The reason Nick Saban gave. You can only ask kids to take so much time away from academics for football. In his opinion, we’re at that limit.

And I’d far rather that ISU just play well enough to get in in the current four team format. Much more prestige than if it’s “easier”.

Sure we all would, but the system is not set up to allow that to happen, I give you TCU the first year of the playoff. The only way a school like ISU can make the playoffs is to go undefeated during the regular season season and then win the championship game and hope that there are not other blue bloods that have similar records. Look at EIU a few years back, when they were undefeated during the regular season, people we talking that they had not played anyone and should be jumped by teams from the SEC.

The current system is doing exactly what the powers in charge want, ensuring that only the blue bloods make the playoffs on a yearly basis. Alabama and OSU can make the playoff without even playing in their conference championship game and have each done it once.

A good start would be a rule by the playoff committee that to qualify for the playoff, a school much play 10 P5 opponents during the regular season, not including championship games. No more SEC teams playing the sisters of the poor cupcakes games 3 times a season.
 
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Cyclonefan710

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It could be done with 4, 3 team round robin rounds with the winner advancing. But that'll get really fun when each team goes 1-1 and score differential determines the team that advances.

I wouldn’t consider that a bracket. That’s pool play with winners advancing to the semis.
 
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cydsho

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Apr 10, 2006
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There are byes for the NFL top teams during the playoffs. I really have no problem with this and had thought this was the way to go just to get more teams involved.
Part of the byes is to "protect" the big dogs because we have this stupid rating system but anyway we can get to a more true playoff, I'm all for it.
 

CascadeClone

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Oct 24, 2009
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It could be done with 4, 3 team round robin rounds with the winner advancing. But that'll get really fun when each team goes 1-1 and score differential determines the team that advances.

Now you are getting close to Knapp's 32 week season.
 

IlliniCy

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May 21, 2008
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Of course they're going to screw this up by going to 12 teams. 8 teams makes all the sense in the world, but let's mess this up and give teams bye's. 5 power conferences champs, 1 top group of 5 team, 2 at large would be a perfect balance to award champions while still making the regular season important. With 12 teams, a loss means less for the top teams.
Not sure why so many think a G5 should get a spot at 8 teams. There are almost ALWAYS 8 P5s better than the best G5.
 

BMWallace

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Sep 11, 2011
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There are byes for the NFL top teams during the playoffs. I really have no problem with this and had thought this was the way to go just to get more teams involved.
Part of the byes is to "protect" the big dogs because we have this stupid rating system but anyway we can get to a more true playoff, I'm all for it.
While the NFL is a decent comparison, college football already has a playoff system with built in buys. If the FCS can operate with a 24 team playoff that also has byes for the top teams, FBS can do it too. And you are correct. The byes protect the top tear teams. But it also opens up more spots for the next tier to be included.
 

Cyched

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May 8, 2009
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Not sure why so many think a G5 should get a spot at 8 teams. There are almost ALWAYS 8 P5s better than the best G5.

I can go either way on that. It’s kind of like the NCAA tournament model where the mid/low major tournament champions get an automatic berth.

I don’t think I’d guarantee a G5 spot every year, but it’d be fun to include one of the good Cincinnati/UCF/etc teams every so often
 

IlliniCy

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May 21, 2008
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The real reason for 12 --
OSU, Bama, Clemson, etc still get a bye to play an exhausted Ok St or Cincinnati. But TV gets 4 more "playoff!" games with top teams the week before. And you still get the same 4 in the finals anyway.

Best of both worlds - the Big Brands are still in the playoff every year, plus a few more games of inventory that are more relevant because "playoffs!"
Exhausted? If one extra game has that big of an effect, the exhausted team probably didn't belong.
 

cyhiphopp

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Jan 9, 2009
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The G5 has a chance. It simply requires playing good P5 teams in their non conference schedule—and beating them.

That was the flaw in Cincinnati’s argument last year. If they’d played a full schedule and beaten three B1G teams—say, including Michigan (in a normal year), they’d have been in.

A "chance" that depends on good P5 teams being willing to play them. SEC teams aren't usually scheduling G5 teams because they don't need to. They have strength of schedule and can schedule marquee games with P5 schools that will really move the needle and get TV attention. Or SEC schools schedule mid season pushovers to rest their starters for the stretch run.

G5s have to settle for mid tier P5 non-con games and are much less likely to get any home games against big conference schools.

Boise State had this problem 20 years ago. They were damn good but no one wanted to play them. They finally got a shot at Oklahoma and beat them, on a trick play, but they beat them.


I personally think G5 schools need to earn it as well. Their schedules are usually hot garbage, but that's not ALL their fault.

An 8 team playoff would have a chance to include an undefeated G5 school and give them their shot against the big boys. The 4 team playoff never will.
 

Aclone

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Dec 14, 2007
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Cincinnati plays both Indiana and Notre Dame this year. Miami (OH) and Murray State don’t help, but if they beat both of those Top 25 teams, they have a lot better argument than last year.

IMO, that’s a pretty big “if”.
 

Aclone

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While the NFL is a decent comparison, college football already has a playoff system with built in buys. If the FCS can operate with a 24 team playoff that also has byes for the top teams, FBS can do it too. And you are correct. The byes protect the top tear teams. But it also opens up more spots for the next tier to be included.
The FCS plays an 11 game schedule to do that.

Do you really want to penalize the kids on 106 teams losing the chance to play a game to accomplish this?