Auto Qualifiers Need Done Away With

[Hunerwadel]

I'm OK with the auto qualifiers, but it should be like the NCAA basketball tournament - they shouldn't get preferential seeding. Right now, we have a scenario where the 11th best team can get the #4 seed and the #5 seed ends up with an easier path than the #1 and #2 seeds. It's a terrible format.

They need to reseed after each round. Anyway this format probably won't be around long.

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

What happens if Unlv beats Boise State?

Isn't it if they have the highest group of 5 chmapion they get in but if the power 4 chmpions are ranked higher UNLV gets in but is at the committees mercy for seeding.

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

Take the best teams and do away with automatic qualifiers. Now, we have Clemson backing into a possible playoff spot if they luck up and win the ACC.

You can either win your way in, or you can back your way in. There are several examples of both in this 2024 playoff picture. Tennessee & Clemson were each spanked by Georgia. But I've never heard of winning your conference termed as backing your way in. That is wild.

 

[Redleg68]

There should be a reward for winning your conference. If they took away the AQs and we missed out on a playoff because of it, the cretins here would revolt. Who cares if the 16th best team gets in over the 12th best team?

The 12th best team

 

[SaguaroVol]

Take the best teams and to away with automatic qualifiers. Now, we have Clemson backing into a possible playoff spot if they luck up and win the ACC.

The problem is that the conference champs get a bye. I don't have a real problem with the conference champs getting in, but they shouldn't automatically get a bye imho.

 

[TartanTurff]

Auto Qualifiers were the only way to get the existing bowls (and their television contracts/broadcast partners) to participate and bring their financial resources to the playoffs process.

The BCS and the SEC championship game were both originated by Roy Kramer through the commitment, resources and capability of ABC Sports, particularly their lean on the Rose Bowl Committee to get their buy in and participation.

The format may change or be tweaked but the legacy bowls playing in the NFL venues (+ Rose Bowl) have the TV contracts and revenue necessary to make it work.

This is how you keep the NCAA's grubby paws out of this process and keep them from running off with all of the revenue.

 

[Godfatha]

The problem is that the conference champs get a bye. I don't have a real problem with the conference champs getting in, but they shouldn't automatically get a bye imho.

Agreed, not all conferences are created equal.

 

[superdave1984]

Take the best teams and to away with automatic qualifiers. Now, we have Clemson backing into a possible playoff spot if they luck up and win the ACC.

You are also looking at possibly a pair of 3 loss SEC teams getting in if uga loses to tex.

 

[adam.vol]

What happens if Unlv beats Boise State?

The committee said Boise State won’t be penalized. They stay ahead of Bama, Miami, and whoever else the committee votes [behind] them this Tuesday.

SEC should sue Sankey for agreeing to this crap. The fact that the ACC can get as many teams in as the SEC with their weak schedules by a bunch of voters from PAC 12 and Big 10 country, means Sankey got out maneuvered big time.

 

[sami]

Need to fire up the old BCS computer and use it and have no automatic qualifiers.

Been saying this from day one. But doing this and eliminating the corrupt group or bureaucrats making up the "committee" takes the power out of the hands of the networks and money people, so it has zero chance of ever happening.

And they have to include conference champs to justify the money grab CCG's. This whole charade was clearly never about 'fairness' or identifying the 12 best teams, it is a cash cow for the networks, conferences, and gambling houses. Oh, and to crown a beauty queen ... er .... national champ.

 

[YankeeVol]

I agree. If you win the B10 or SEC you will be in the top 4 no matter what. No need to drag Boise St or SMU into this unnecessarily

B10 is overrated.

ACC > Big 10

At least since the BCS era (in regards to NCs)

 

[thunder5]

There should be a reward for winning your conference. If they took away the AQs and we missed out on a playoff because of it, the cretins here would revolt. Who cares if the 16th best team gets in over the 12th best team?

The SEC will NEVER suffer if the AQ’s are removed from the equation…I’ll bet you any amount you want on that

 

[sami]

The committee said Boise State won’t be penalized. They stay ahead of Bama, Miami, and whoever else the committee votes ahead of them this Tuesday.

SEC should sue Sankey for agreeing to this crap. The fact that the ACC can get as many teams in as the SEC with their weak schedules by a bunch of voters from PAC 12 and Big 10 country, means Sankey got out maneuvered big time.

Same goes for the Big 10, who Sankey sold his soul and the SEC down the river to go into business with due to them having the biggest media markets.

 

[LAVol1]

There should be a reward for winning your conference. If they took away the AQs and we missed out on a playoff because of it, the cretins here would revolt. Who cares if the 16th best team gets in over the 12th best team?

Don't have a problem with conference champ getting in. I do have a problem with them getting an automatic bye.

 

[C-south]

The SEC will NEVER suffer if the AQ’s are removed from the equation…I’ll bet you any amount you want on that

Yea but the sec superiority complex people will still cry about other teams with less losses going ahead of sec teams with more losses.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Take the best teams and to away with automatic qualifiers. Now, we have Clemson backing into a possible playoff spot if they luck up and win the ACC.

While true, who would rather have in the playoffs, Clemson/B12 Champ/Mountain West Champ or Bama/Ole Miss/SCAR?

This time it's not a problem.

I think they are already discussing a 16 team playoff starting as early as next season.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

If they win their championship, I am not sure they are any less deserving than Miami or SMU to get in. The only difference between them is that Clemson had the stones to play Georgia and South Carolina out of conference. If they are champs they should get in, but just 1 ACC team should get in though. No automatic byes for conference champions would be rational, which means it will never be considered.

Let's just say perhaps the uber competitive SEC with 8 top ten caliber teams slugged it out with everybody finishing 5-3 in conference and destroying everybody in OOC play. Then you could have a bunch of pansies with schedules like Indiana getting byes and and the 3-4 best 9-3 SEC teams playing road games.

Had Penn St and Indiana both beaten OSU this year, the B1G would have finished the regular season with 3 undefeated teams, 2 of which played almost all cupcakes. Then the B1G could have had 3 teams with byes.

 

[SamuraiVol74]

Just for discussion purposes. Not advocating for this in the least and not declaring it anything other than a thought. Just looking for opinions.

Many of you are far more knowledgeable than I am at the "science" behind selections, but with things the way they are shaping up, I have a suggestion that isn't that much different than the current format. I feel it could be a possible solution, but as far as I can see, it would negatively impact the bowl games, but it could help settle the debate about conference winners and who gets a home game. So what do you all think about this:

Top 25 at regular season's end goes into the playoff format.
#1 - #5 get 1st round byes.
#6 - #25 play one another with highest seed hosting the lowest seed so on and so forth all the way down the list.
Next round is highest seeds taking on lowest seeds in home games all the way to a championship at a neutral location.

So it would look like this:

(1) Oregon - BYE
(2) Texas - BYE
(3) Penn State - BYE
(4) Notre Dame - BYE
(5) Georgia - BYE

(6) Tennessee vs. (25) Memphis @ Tennessee
(7) Ohio State vs. (24) Army @ Ohio State
(8) SMU vs. (23) Syracuse @ SMU
(9) Indiana vs. (22) Missouri @ Indiana
(10) Boise State vs. (21) Illinois @ Boise State
(11) Alabama vs. (20) Colorado @ Alabama
(12) Arizona State vs. (19) UNLV @ Arizona State
(13) South Carolina vs. (18) Clemson @ South Carolina
(14) Miami vs. (17) BYU @ Miami
(15) Ole Miss vs. (16) Iowa State @ Ole Miss

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Just for discussion purposes. Not advocating for this in the least and not declaring it anything other than a thought. Just looking for opinions.

Many of you are far more knowledgeable than I am at the "science" behind selections, but with things the way they are shaping up, I have a suggestion that isn't that much different than the current format. I feel it could be a possible solution, but as far as I can see, it would negatively impact the bowl games, but it could help settle the debate about conference winners and who gets a home game. So what do you all think about this:

Top 25 at regular season's end goes into the playoff format.
#1 - #5 get 1st round byes.
#6 - #25 play one another with highest seed hosting the lowest seed so on and so forth all the way down the list.
Next round is highest seeds taking on lowest seeds in home games all the way to a championship at a neutral location.

So it would look like this:

(1) Oregon - BYE
(2) Texas - BYE
(3) Penn State - BYE
(4) Notre Dame - BYE
(5) Georgia - BYE

(6) Tennessee vs. (25) Memphis @ Tennessee
(7) Ohio State vs. (24) Army @ Ohio State
(8) SMU vs. (23) Syracuse @ SMU
(9) Indiana vs. (22) Missouri @ Indiana
(10) Boise State vs. (21) Illinois @ Boise State
(11) Alabama vs. (20) Colorado @ Alabama
(12) Arizona State vs. (19) UNLV @ Arizona State
(13) South Carolina vs. (18) Clemson @ South Carolina
(14) Miami vs. (17) BYU @ Miami
(15) Ole Miss vs. (16) Iowa State @ Ole Miss

Starting with an odd number of teams is going to make your bracket super wonky.

 

[SamuraiVol74]

Starting with an odd number of teams is going to make your bracket super wonky.

I didn't go into explicit details, but basically 1-5 get a bye in the 1st round, then only #1 gets a bye in the 2nd round (so essentially Oregon would have a two week bye). From there, it works out. But yeah, you are right....odd numbers make for wonky bye situations. Definitely a con in the format.

 

[UT/USM_081302]

Here’s my take on this new playoff circus (as if it matters). Automatic qualifiers for the top 4 conference champions should be done away with. Winning a conference championship in the PAC12 or Big12 is not the same as winning the SEC, or Big10 for that matter. The ACC is soft this year too. Also, polls should be locked prior to conference championship games. Winning or losing that game should have no bearing on a team getting into or left out of the playoffs. There should be no first round byes. If you truly have the best team, they should be able to plan in just as many games as the rest. I believe this is the closest we can get to truly deciding who the best team is each year. Top 12 get in, no automatic qualifiers, no 1st round byes. You want the championship?… go compete, earn it and take it. Champions don’t need shortcuts.

 

[C-south]

Here’s my take on this new playoff circus (as if it matters). Automatic qualifiers for the top 4 conference champions should be done away with. Winning a conference championship in the PAC12 or Big12 is not the same as winning the SEC, or Big10 for that matter. The ACC is soft this year too. Also, polls should be locked prior to conference championship games. Winning or losing that game should have no bearing on a team getting into or left out of the playoffs. There should be no first round byes. If you truly have the best team, they should be able to plan in just as many games as the rest. I believe this is the closest we can get to truly deciding who the best team is each year. Top 12 get in, no automatic qualifiers, no 1st round byes. You want the championship?… go compete, earn it and take it. Champions don’t need shortcuts.

What makes the sec a powerhouse this year?

 

[VolArmy74]

The others refused to participate unless they were guaranteed a spot. The Big 10 and SEC are working on a power play with their potential scheduling agreement that would also work towards guaranteeing a minimum of 4 slots to each conference.

Basically a "we bring the eyeballs and money. If you want to participate, you'll agree. If you don't, the Big 10 and SEC will have their own playoff," scenario.

 

[Raebo]

Here’s my take on this new playoff circus (as if it matters). Automatic qualifiers for the top 4 conference champions should be done away with. Winning a conference championship in the PAC12 or Big12 is not the same as winning the SEC, or Big10 for that matter. The ACC is soft this year too. Also, polls should be locked prior to conference championship games. Winning or losing that game should have no bearing on a team getting into or left out of the playoffs. There should be no first round byes. If you truly have the best team, they should be able to plan in just as many games as the rest. I believe this is the closest we can get to truly deciding who the best team is each year. Top 12 get in, no automatic qualifiers, no 1st round byes. You want the championship?… go compete, earn it and take it. Champions don’t need shortcuts.

So why would a team want to play in a conference championship game? It won’t improve their ranking and they won’t get a bye if I understand this scenario correctly. So Penn State could beat Oregon by 20 in the league championship game but Oregon would still be seeded higher?

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

Every team wants to win it's conference championship. Duh. It's literally what you play for. It also gives you an automatic berth into the playoff. If you don't make the SEC title game, then you need help to make it to the playoffs.

And there are no guarantees. Just ask ole Kiffie Boy. He was the poster child for not making the SEC title game, and hoping to back into the playoffs. It looks like his ass just backed right into the .