How this season changed my mind on a 12 team playoff

[luthervol]

12 team playoff sucks because it forces a bye for the top 4 teams and I don't agree with that. That artificially creates too much of an advantage IMO and those teams usually already have an advantage. Give them home field advantage in round 1, sure. But an extra week to rest and prepare? No thats bull$hit.

It sucks a lot less than a 4 team playoff, which sucked a lot less than a two team playoff, which sucked a lot less than no playoff.
I'm all in for 16, but I'm not sure that first round bye is as significant as many believe. Just ask the Braves and Dodgers and every NFL team that lost their first game after a playoff bye.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

It sucks a lot less than a 4 team playoff, which sucked a lot less than a two team playoff, which sucked a lot less than no playoff.
I'm all in for 16, but I'm not sure that first round bye is as significant as many believe. Just ask the Braves and Dodgers and every NFL team that lost their first game after a playoff bye.

Thats a bit of a false equivalency because the physicality and toll a collision sport like football takes on the body is significantly higher than in baseball. Plus I doubt the level of preparation that goes into a baseball game is anywhere near as high as in football.

As for the NFL, yeah good point there. I really have nothing to say on that except parity in the NFL is at a much higher level than in college.

 

[luthervol]

Thats a bit of a false equivalency because the physicality and toll a collision sport like football takes on the body is significantly higher than in baseball. Plus I doubt the level of preparation that goes into a baseball game is anywhere near as high as in football.

As for the NFL, yeah good point there. I really have nothing to say on that except parity in the NFL is at a much higher level than in college.

It seems bye weeks are not that significant.
Are bye weeks really an advantage in college football?
CFB Mythbusters: Do bye weeks help or hurt your team?

Plus, I think every team would have 2 or 3 weeks before the first round. The additional week for the bye teams might actually just add more rust.

 

[rusty11]

Well, they will need to cut back to a 10 game season for everybody with all the playoffs, and then it's not fair to the teams that don't get in the playoffs to not get to play more games..lol!

 

[WesternNCVol]

While I’d prefer a 16 team format I do like the 12 team.

There are teams outside the top 4 that could win it all.

Us, Bama, and OSU all had an uncharacteristic loss that would have them in right now had they won.

 

[livefaith]

Yep, just like in basketball's 68 team tournament, going to 12 teams will solve the debate about bias among the voters and the decision making process.

 

[TheFlash1971]

They don’t need 14 teams in the NFL playoffs but they do it because of money. I don’t have an issue with 12 teams getting in.

Top 4 teams get a 1st round bye
Seeds 5-8 host seeds 9-12
Top 4 seeds host the winners from 1st round
4 teams remaining play on neutral field for semis/NC

I know the NFL is a joke their is basically 4-5 really good teams and the rest suck.

 

[livefaith]

I know the road is set for a 12-team playoff, but it really should be 8 and end it there.

Power 5 Champs
Top Group of 5 Team
Two At-Large Bids

However, while I think 8 is the best number, if they do this they really would need to get rid of divisions in all Power 5 conferences. There really is no excuse for LSU and Purdue to be playing for their conference championships. Divisions are stupid. It’s really not that hard just to say “Top 2” teams in each conference play, which would prevent undeserving teams from making the playoffs anyway.

Get rid of the conference champ games altogether. They are redundant often and unnecessary. LSU v UGA is a non-starter.
Crown champs/runners-up based on predisposed criteria. Dump the stupid divisions too.

 

[livefaith]

8 team playoff would be perfect!

I'd like that too. 12 is too many. The more the playoff grows, the more sandbagging for the playoff/tournament creeps in. I'm sick and tired of 1/2 the bball convo in January, being the Bubble Watch and the other 1/2 bring the actual games. It detracts from the actual sport during the season. Football has a phenomenal regular season right now. As the playoff expands the regular season will become more and more managed.

Eight teams give the P5 all at least a champ, and the other 3 are at large, allowing a mid-major wildcard to make it too in that group. The outdated conference championship games need to be tossed when it expands.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

While I’d prefer a 16 team format I do like the 12 team.

There are teams outside the top 4 that could win it all.

Us, Bama, and OSU all had an uncharacteristic loss that would have them in right now had they won.

If they go 12 then they need to have a lottery to see which teams get a week off instead of the normal seeding process. 12 does not cut down the number of weeks required to complete the process so throw in 4 more and go for it. In BB the smaller group is required to play an extra game.

 

[vavolfan6]

I've always been a believer in an expanded playoff. A 4 teams playoff has kept a few elite teams at the top and no room for anyone else. Lose once early, and despite improving the whole year, a team could still miss the playoffs. G5 teams really don't stabd a chance either. NIL has helped even out the field a little, but an expanded playoff will give more teams an opportunity for a championship.

 

[West Vol]

I think 8 would be ok, I would like to see them expand it tho, some teams start slow then catch fire as the season goes on, if we had lost to Pitt and Florida then won every game afterwards and looked like the best team in the nation we'd still get left out like it is now.

Meh. We don’t need to alter the best sport on the planet to help out teams with multiple losses to .500 schools.

 

[vavolfan6]

If 3 losses is okay to be left out, why not 1 loss? That’s why I like the current system. It’s sudden death

Because it doesn't give a team an opportunity to improve and get better as the season progresses. A great majority of programs are left with nothing to play for by the halfway point in the season.

Also, maybe teams will then schedule tougher non conference opponents and/or

 

[loservol]

What are we gonna say when a 9 - 3 team wins the NC under this format?

Since this is not the NFL (2008 Giants destroying the Pats perfect season) I can't see it happening too often.

 

[Vol8188]

Because it doesn't give a team an opportunity to improve and get better as the season progresses. A great majority of programs are left with nothing to play for by the halfway point in the season.

Also, maybe teams will then schedule tougher non conference opponents and/or

If a chance at a NC is the only thing to play for, a great majority should just hang it up because there's probably 15 schools total that can ever win one and probably 5 or less in any given season. That's not how this works.

 

[VolGee4]

Make it a conference champioms only tournament. Then its truly decided on the field. If you arent good enough to win your conference, how the hell can you be the best in the nation for that season?


Anything else and its still just a bunch of nerds deciding who gets a chance to get hot and win an end of the season tournament.

Because not all conferences are created equal. If you believe the grind in the SEC is the same as other conferences, then I don’t know what to say. Maybe not this year, but the second best SEC team in most years is better than the best team in almost every other conference.

 

[Boone&Crockett]

Meh. We don’t need to alter the best sport on the planet to help out teams with multiple losses to .500 schools.

Its not the best sport if a committee is deciding everyone's fate instead of letting them hash it out on the field, a 8 man field this year would include us and Penn State in the playoff, not many schools in that top 8 with multiple losses to .500 schools.

 

[CR-vol]

What's gonna be funny is when some chump team knocks off a darling OSU or Alabama in a 12 team playoff. Expanded playoff sucks. There's never more than 3 sometimes 4 worthy teams.

 

[luthervol]

Meh. We don’t need to alter the best sport on the planet to help out teams with multiple losses to .500 schools.

We need it to help out teams like TN. Teams with no losses to .500 schools and multiple wins over schools above .700.

 

[luthervol]

What's gonna be funny is when some chump team knocks off a darling OSU or Alabama in a 12 team playoff. Expanded playoff sucks. There's never more than 3 sometimes 4 worthy teams.

Disagree. A bad game during the regular season doesn't make one unworthy in any sport at any level.

 

[West Vol]

Its not the best sport if a committee is deciding everyone's fate instead of letting them hash it out on the field, a 8 man field this year would include us and Penn State in the playoff, not many schools in that top 8 with multiple losses to .500 schools.

It is. We did hash it out on the field. So did Penn State. I want us in the playoff, but the truth is that past TCU, no one has proven worthy. The best scenario would probably be just have TCU play Michigan and the winner gets UGA for the championship.

 

[loservol]

Ultimately it's about money and entertainment.

And backdoor politics.

 

[Boone&Crockett]

It is. We did hash it out on the field. So did Penn State. I want us in the playoff, but the truth is that past TCU, no one has proven worthy. The best scenario would probably be just have TCU play Michigan and the winner gets UGA for the championship.

Idk, I think there should be room for a team that improves throughout the year to have a shot but I see where you're coming from altho being undefeated is a bit misleading when some teams play a pattycake schedule and others dont.

 

[West Vol]

Idk, I think there should be room for a team that improves throughout the year to have a shot but I see where you're coming from altho being undefeated is a bit misleading when some teams play a pattycake schedule and others dont.

There should probably some sort of requirement to make the playoff where you have to play a power five OOC opponent every so often.

 

[VolGee4]

Its not the best sport if a committee is deciding everyone's fate instead of letting them hash it out on the field, a 8 man field this year would include us and Penn State in the playoff, not many schools in that top 8 with multiple losses to .500 schools.

And when you say “not many,” you mean zero.