Expand the playoffs?

[Lawrence Wright]

You don't have to watch, tho. If we have 7 games and 3 of them are bad, that means we got 4 good games, more than what's possible under the current system. Bad matchups in meaningless games is largely the story of the college football season, unfortunately. I'd rather risk more bad matchups in the playoffs for the sake of having more meaningful games.

Never said I wouldn’t watch...just offered up my preference.

I’m watching regardless.

 

[05_never_again]

If there was an 8-team playoff the last few years, there'd be some duds, but there'd also be some nice matchups.

 

[XknoxvolsX]

Auburn started that season #17.

That 2004 season is the epitome of how much college football has changed since then. Can you imagine an undefeated SEC champion today being ranked outside the top 2? Any undefeated SEC champ, even if it was Arkansas or Vandy who began the season way outside the top 25, would be ranked #1 or #2 at season's end today without question.

I totally agree 05! I actually had that mindset 15 years ago!

I went back and looked: 2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings - Wikipedia and USC and Oklahoma started the season 1 and 2 and neither lost. Their two wins against us did not help Auburn at all. Maybe if they had been our only two losses but I dunno.

Holy smokes, I just went back and checked, we only lost to two teams that year!

 

[TNfan#2]

Right now no matter how you slice it, at least one P5 conference is on the outside looking in with the current 4 team playoff setup. Or as we saw this past season with Notre Dame getting a spot, two P5 conferences sat out. Right now, the SEC and ACC are guaranteed a spot every year, and there has been talk before of both Alabama and Georgia both getting in. The Pac 12, Big 12, and Big Ten, OTOH are more hit or miss.

I think an expansion to 8 might be doable in the next decade. At least one team from each P5 conference so no conference is left out in the cold. Nothing lasts forever and at some point in the future instead of the Pac whatever number, it very well could be the ACC or SEC left out of a 4 team playoff picture. Such an expansion would guarantee that would not be the case. In the event Notre Dame goes 12-0 again, assuming they don't formally join a conference, this would avoid the case of 2 P5 conferences being left out. Give the highest ranked G5 team a slot. And then one or two at large teams.

1 SEC
1 Pac 12
1 Big 12
1 Big Ten
1 ACC
1 G5 team guaranteed.
2 at large teams, or one at large team if Notre Dame goes undefeated, assuming of course that they do not join a conference.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Right now no matter how you slice it, at least one P5 conference is on the outside looking in with the current 4 team playoff setup. Or as we saw this past season with Notre Dame getting a spot, two P5 conferences sat out. Right now, the SEC and ACC are guaranteed a spot every year, and there has been talk before of both Alabama and Georgia both getting in. The Pac 12, Big 12, and Big Ten, OTOH are more hit or miss.

I think an expansion to 8 might be doable in the next decade. At least one team from each P5 conference so no conference is left out in the cold. Nothing lasts forever and at some point in the future instead of the Pac whatever number, it very well could be the ACC or SEC left out of a 4 team playoff picture. Such an expansion would guarantee that would not be the case. In the event Notre Dame goes 12-0 again, assuming they don't formally join a conference, this would avoid the case of 2 P5 conferences being left out. Give the highest ranked G5 team a slot. And then one or two at large teams.

1 SEC
1 Pac 12
1 Big 12
1 Big Ten
1 ACC
1 G5 team guaranteed.
2 at large teams, or one at large team if Notre Dame goes undefeated, assuming of course that they do not join a conference.

I think there needs to be some stipulations, especially with a Non P5 school. Actually even P5 schools should have some if the true goal is to have the best 8 teams. There needs to be a minimum ranking of 12 or 15 to qualify for the Playoff. If the crappy B1G West champion Northwestern had upset Ohio State in the title game after losing to Duke and Akron and barely beating Rutgers there is no way they should be allowed in the Playoff in my opinion. I doubt Conference Commissioners would be too pumped about the idea, but some of these would have no business being in it on freak wins.