8 team playoff

[IthacaMatt]

I can tell you 1 thing - I’d have watched a whole lot more CFB last weekend. And commercials.

And that’s why they’ll do it.

Absolutely! As ratings continue to go down for the faceless bowl games, this will revitalize TV ratings.

 

[IthacaMatt]

So if Northwestern, Utah or Texas had won in those championship games a few weeks ago you would have been fine with having all of them in a CFP playoff?

If the conference is going to choose its champion in a championship game, then yes, that's the rule, just like for basketball. Otherwise, why have a championship game?

That's why I support an 8 team field - each P5 championship game winner gets in, and then you have 3 at-large spots, one of which is set aside each year for the top ranked G5 team. The other 2 games go to the best teams (likely P5) who did not win their conference championship game.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

In an 8 team playoff.
5 berths for conference champions ranked in the top 15
1 berth for a G6 team ranked if ranked in the top 15
Atleast 2 at-large berths for non champions.
So in your scenario the team that lost in the conference title game by a FG would be eligible for one of the two at’large berths.

IMO Top 15 is too lenient. Make it Top 10. That would force the conferences to scrap divisions. We all win.

In the five years of the CFPs there have been 25 P5 conference champs. The SEC and ACC both have a low of 3rd. The B1G has a low of 6th. Only three of the 25 have been worse than sixth. This year’s 9th ranked UW being the worst. There is zero reason to go past 10th.

 

[longtimefan]

If the conference is going to choose its champion in a championship game, then yes, that's the rule, just like for basketball. Otherwise, why have a championship game?
That's why I support an 8 team field - each P5 championship game winner gets in, and then you have 3 at-large spots, one of which is set aside each year for the top ranked G5 team. The other 2 games go to the best teams (likely P5) who did not win their conference championship game.

The answer is the same for football and basketball--to fill the conferences' coffers.

I am for expanding to 8 only if conference championship games are abandoned. That won't happen because the Big Boy (SEC) has a goose laying those golden eggs.

And, don't kid yourself--the only reason there is pressure to expand right now is that the B1G has been passed over 2 years in a row. If the SEC and the B1G had been in the Final Four every year, they'd be content with the status quo.

 

[bpo57]

If there are no at large bids left then yes tough shite. The CCGs are like a playoff game.

That's ridiculous. You must yearn for the days when the NCAAT only invited one team from each conference.

 

[bpo57]

In an 8 team playoff.
5 berths for conference champions ranked in the top 15
1 berth for a G6 team ranked if ranked in the top 15
Atleast 2 at-large berths for non champions.
So in your scenario the team that lost in the conference title game by a FG would be eligible for one of the two at’large berths.

So if you have two very strong non conf champs plus an undefeated ND then somebody is getting hosed. There can easily be a two TD difference between a team in the top five and one ranked 15th.

 

[SU68]

If they are smart, ACC will vote against any playoff expansion until ND joins ACC for fottball. If ND loses a couple of playoff slots by losing one game a year, they will have incentive to join.

 

[Hoo's That]

Absolutely! As ratings continue to go down for the faceless bowl games, this will revitalize TV ratings.

At what point does ESPN decide that ratings are more important than having plenty of content? Right now, they're filling a lot of time with stuff other than their usual talking heads. I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone told me that just about any bowl game outdraws Stephen A. Smith, et al.

 

[bpo57]

If the conference is going to choose its champion in a championship game, then yes, that's the rule, just like for basketball. Otherwise, why have a championship game?

That's why I support an 8 team field - each P5 championship game winner gets in, and then you have 3 at-large spots, one of which is set aside each year for the top ranked G5 team. The other 2 games go to the best teams (likely P5) who did not win their conference championship game.

If you're going to go that route then u need to use a qualifier like alsacs suggests where a P5 champ has to have a ranking above a certain level. Last year the PAC-12 was 1-7 in bowl games and none of their teams deserved to get anywhere near the CFP, whether it was four or eight teams. This year their champ had three losses. The regular season has to count for something.

 

[bpo57]

At what point does ESPN decide that ratings are more important than having plenty of content? Right now, they're filling a lot of time with stuff other than their usual talking heads. I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone told me that just about any bowl game outdraws Stephen A. Smith, et al.

Gamblers certainly tune in.

 

[bpo57]

The answer is the same for football and basketball--to fill the conferences' coffers.

I am for expanding to 8 only if conference championship games are abandoned. That won't happen because the Big Boy (SEC) has a goose laying those golden eggs.

And, don't kid yourself--the only reason there is pressure to expand right now is that the B1G has been passed over 2 years in a row. If the SEC and the B1G had been in the Final Four every year, they'd be content with the status quo.

Scrapping the conf championship games would be a great idea. And all of the conferences are guilty of doing it for the money.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

That's ridiculous. You must yearn for the days when the NCAAT only invited one team from each conference.

You have yet to give an argument why an 8 team playoff with an auto bid Top 10/15 system would fail to have your beloved SEC conference runner up left out.

If you are going to argue some cockamamie scenario, at least back it up.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

So if you have two very strong non conf champs plus an undefeated ND then somebody is getting hosed. There can easily be a two TD difference between a team in the top five and one ranked 15th.

You aren’t that good at math or reading comprehension, are you?

So you think there is a scenario where there are two teams in the Top 5 who didn’t win their conference championship game and at the same time are behind ND in the polls and at the same time the best G5 team is Top 15? Has that ever come close to happening in the history of college football?

 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

He was for it. Although I don’t agree with his assessment. He said that having to win three games is an advantage to the better team. That actually is not true. It is an advantage to the better program. If tOSU were in this year’s playoffs, they are at worst on par depth wise. Same could be said about UGA. His point rings true for UW and UCF though.



Additionally, he was not in favor of it...

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Using an 8 team playoff and Auto bid Top 10 conference champs, you would have seen the following:

1. The conferences would take best two teams. No way they risk being shutout of the playoff. So instead the CCGs would be.,,

SEC 1 Bama vs 4 UGA
ACC 2 Clemson vs 20 SU
B12 5 OU vs 14 Texas
B1G 6 tOSU vs 7 Michigan
P12 11 UW vs 13 WSU

2. With the favorites winning you get a Top 10 of:

1. Bama auto bid
2. Clemson auto bid
3. ND at large
4. OU auto
5. tOSU auto
6. UGA at large
7. UCF auto
8. UW auto
9. Michigan left out
10. Florida left out

3. With the underdogs all winning.,,

1. UGA auto
2. ND at large
3. Bama at large
4. Michigan auto
5. Clemson at large
6. UCF auto
7. WSU auto
8. Texas auto
9. OU left out
10. tOSU left out

 

[Horn88]

In an 8 team playoff.
5 berths for conference champions ranked in the top 15
1 berth for a G6 team ranked if ranked in the top 15
Atleast 2 at-large berths for non champions.
So in your scenario the team that lost in the conference title game by a FG would be eligible for one of the two at’large berths.

I'm not a fan of the top 15 stipulation. I think it has to be an absolute thing with the conf champions because the top 15 ranking just creates so much opportunity for things to get ridiculous.

Like in this perfect storm hypothetical, say the Pac 12 has a conference championship game between teams ranked ~22-18 and ~10-15 and the lower ranked wins. Chances are not enough teams ahead of them played so do they just automatically jump ahead 5 spots over teams that were ahead of them for a couple weeks or all year but didn't play that week so we can put them in the CFP? Or do we treat it like any other week and put them at 16 or 17? Then the committee gets crushed when they're out of the playoff because they ranked them at 17 or 16 instead of 15 and people go berserk on why does the SEC or B1G have 3-4 3 loss highly ranked teams that push teams behind the top 15 threshhold. Just opens up a can of worms.

I'm in the camp of just scrapping the auto bids if it gets moved to 8. If you are deserving of being in the CFP and win your conference you shouldn't have any issues. There's plenty of room for any P5 champion that's deserving and then some cushion for at-large teams that have varying cases to be made.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Yes. It’s no different than if an 8 or 9 seed beats the 1 seed in the NCAA tournament second round.
Even though the 8-9 seed is clearly inferior of the course of the season they won when it mattered on a neutral field.

The top 15 caveat means you better be better than 8-4 to get in.
Like Pitt wouldn’t have gotten an auto bid.
The ACC would forfeit it for that one year.
Give me a conference champion ranked 12th over Michigan getting in ranked 7th who won nothing.
Utah and Texas win and they are in.

If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, the NCAA tournamney is a pretty shtty way to crown a champ.

 

[bpo57]

You have yet to give an argument why an 8 team playoff with an auto bid Top 10/15 system would fail to have your beloved SEC conference runner up left out.

If you are going to argue some cockamamie scenario, at least back it up.

Cockamamie scenarios are when you invite teams into an eight game playoff that aren't remotely one of the eight best teams in the country.

 

[bpo57]

You aren’t that good at math or reading comprehension, are you?

So you think there is a scenario where there are two teams in the Top 5 who didn’t win their conference championship game and at the same time are behind ND in the polls and at the same time the best G5 team is Top 15? Has that ever come close to happening in the history of college football?

There are two teams from the B1G and two from the SEC plus ND that are all in the top seven right now.

Btw what is your fascination with conference champions having to be in the CFP? Don't you want the best teams in the CFP regardless of conference affiliation?

 

[bpo57]

Absolutely! As ratings continue to go down for the faceless bowl games, this will revitalize TV ratings.

Don't have to get rid of the bowls. Have an eight team playoff and keep the bowls. Get rid of the conference championship games. Nobody gives a damn about most of those games. Did u see the attendance at the ACC and P-12 championship games this year? Not even half filled. I'm sure the ratings sucked too.

 

[Alsacs]

There are two teams from the B1G and two from the SEC plus ND that are all in the top seven right now.

Btw what is your fascination with conference champions having to be in the CFP? Don't you want the best teams in the CFP regardless of conference affiliation?

If the NFC East champion finishes 8-8 and Baltimore or Indianapolis finishes 9-7 why does the NFC East make the playoffs?

Again conference titles matter because each region should be represented. I would prefer to see the champion from PAC-12 if they were top 15 rewarding a championship means more than Michigan getting ranked higher because the voters bias like them more and won nothing.

College football voting is very bias and regional. The teams don’t play the same schedules so reward winning s championship.
If a higher ranked Big Ten team gets left out because ND beat them and they got destroyed against the other good team on their schedule oh well.


Penn State is so overrated right now and they haven’t shown they deserve their ranking but the CFB committee has them number 11.

 

[IthacaMatt]

So if you have two very strong non conf champs plus an undefeated ND then somebody is getting hosed. .

No, they aren't. Win your championship game, or schedule well enough OOC (looking at you, SEC) to qualify by computer rankings.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

If the NFC East champion finishes 8-8 and Baltimore or Indianapolis finishes 9-7 why does the NFC East make the playoffs?

Again conference titles matter because each region should be represented. I would prefer to see the champion from PAC-12 if they were top 15 rewarding a championship means more than Michigan getting ranked higher because the voters bias like them more and won nothing.

College football voting is very bias and regional. The teams don’t play the same schedules so reward winning s championship.
If a higher ranked Big Ten team gets left out because ND beat them and they got destroyed against the other good team on their schedule oh well.


Penn State is so overrated right now and they haven’t shown they deserve their ranking but the CFB committee has them number 11.

Human polls are biased.

Sagarin Top 12
4 B1G
3 SEC
2 B12
1 ACC
1 P12
1 Independent

S&P+ Top 11
3 B1G
2 SEC
1 ACC
1 B12
1 P12
1 AAC
1 Independent
1 MWC

Massey Top 11
3 B1G
3 SEC
1 ACC
1 B12
1 P12
1 AAC
1 Independent

But tge SEC is waaaay ahead!

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Why IMO Top 10 is better than Top 15:

1. It would force the P5 to scrap divisions to protect from their conference champ not auto qualifying

2. It prevents an undeserving team from making it

There have been six seasons since the creation of the P5. The rankings would have yielded:

2018
Top 6 all make it. #7 Michigan gets left out in lieu of #8 UCF and #9 UW.

2017
Using Top 10 qualifier, all of the Top 8 make it. Using Top 15, #12 UCF gets in over #7 Auburn.

2016
Using Top 10 qualifier, all of the Top 8 make it. Using Top 15, #15 WMU gets in over #8 Wisconsin.

2015
Top 8 all make it

2014
Top 8 all make it

2013
Using Top 10 qualifier, all of the Top 8 make it. Using Top 15, #15 UCF gets in over #8 Mizzou.

Bids by conference w/Top 10
B1G 14
SEC 12
B12 7
ACC 6
P12 6
ND 2
AAC 1

w/Top 15
B1G 13
SEC 10
B12 7
ACC 6
P12 6
AAC 3
ND 2
MAC 1

So the biggest beneficiary of an 8 team playoff is by far the B1G. They go from having their conference champ not making the CFP the last three years to having the most teams in the playoffs. The all mighty SEC doesn’t make much of a gain.

As for the P5 auto bids, only one was outside of the Top 8 (#9 UW this year). So only one Top 8 team would fail to make the playoffs (#7 Michigan). So I am not sure what all the hubbub is about.

Moving the qualifier to the Top 15, every Top 6 team make the playoffs. If you are ranked 7th or 8th, can you really bitch?

 

[Hoo's That]

OK, let's say that the conferences are finally convinced to give up the money that their championship games gives them (because that's really the reason why D-1A had all the shake-ups, so they have them) as folks are advocating here. Two teams finish the regular season 11-1 from whichever conference, both lost OOC games so they're both 8/9-0 in conference. Who gets the autobid as the champion and who has to worry about the bubble since the champions all get autobids? Having conferences with at least 12 members makes it a high probability that this could happen because the two teams didn't play each other during the year, even using 3-5-5 schedules.