My College Playoff Plan

#1
Ericvol2096

Ericvol2096

Quiz'N'Vol
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#1
With the talk that the BCS may give up their influence in the BCS bowls and just focuse on pairing up the National title game and a possible plus one model I feel like we are finally getting closer to the possibility of a college football playoff.

If we had one I would like to see it structured like this:

-8 Teams
-First Round games held at the the 1-4 seeded teams.
-Final Four and National Title games at predetermined locations. For example, Final four games in Georgia Dome and University of Phoenix stadium and the Championship in Cowboys Stadium.
-The teams that fill the field are the 6 AQ conference champions and the next two highest rated teams in the BCS.
-to get the automatic AQ bid you have to be ranked in the top 15 of the BCS. So for example the Big East Champion this year and last would not get an automatic bid.
-You would seed the teams in the order they appear in the BCS.

NCAA College Football BCS Standings Week 14 - ESPN

So for example last years BCS playoff would have looked like this.
First round
8-Virginia Tech (ACC) @ 1-Auburn (SEC)
7-Oklahoma (Big 12) @ 2-Oregon (Pac 10)
6-Ohio St (At Large) @ 3-TCU (At Large)
5-Wisconsin (Big 10) @ 4-Stanford (At Large)

So using last years results the ACC champ VT would get in as the 8th seed since they were 15 in final standings and OK would get 7 seed since they won the big12 and were 9th in the standings. The unlucky teams were Mich St at 6 and Arkansas at 7.

One thing needed to make this work is for all AQ conferences to have to have a conference championship game so we can determine the champion correctly and not have any ties like the Big 10 had last year.

There would be no limit to how many conference teams could get in, so this year the SEC could get 3 in.

You schedule the games on Saturdays in early Jan for three wees and have the other bowls that the teams that don't make the playoffs around them so those teams can still enjoy their bowl game.

People who feel this system would water down the regular season are incorrect. If anything it would make more games matter in the regular season longer and would obviously strengthen the post season greatly.

Games like Oklahoma St Vs Oklahoma this year would be battles for a playoff spot, just like LSU-ARK and Clemson VT in the ACC title game.

In the current system the only games that really matter are the LSU-ARK game and the Bama-Auburn game this late in the season. So in theory adding the number of teams playing for a title shot actually adds to the # of games that matter at the end of the season.

I for one think that we are headed down the road to something similar to this and I think it would do amazing things for the sport of college football.

Go Vols!
 
#4
#4
still think you can only have one round at a neutral site location.

i don't think you can get 80,000 fans to travel twice.
 
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#5
#5
If you had a college football playoff, LSU and Bama would win their side of the bracket and we would be right back were we started. We dont need a playoff until another conference can come up with some competition for the SEC. If Oklahoma don't want a conference championship game then they sure dont want a playoff.
 
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#6
#6
99gator said:
still think you can only have one round at a neutral site location.

i don't think you can get 80,000 fans to travel twice.
Click to expand...

You don't think the people of Atlanta or Miami or LA or Phoenix and the two fanbases would be able to fill up a stadium? I feel like if you had Auburn and Wisconsin in a semifinal game in Atlanta or any major city that would sell out in a heartbeat if not by the two fanbases just the local fans in general wanting to go to a semifinal game.
 
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#7
#7
I like it. I have always thought something along the lines of this:

I would like to see four superconferences. I know that's not favorable, but it's coming, ready or not. I just see it as the future.

I think the conferences should be divided by geographical locations (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast) Maybe 20 teams per conference. Just as an example:

Northwest: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Oregon State, Boise State, Wyoming, Nebraska, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Nevada, Utah, BYU, Minnesota, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State, Iowa, Missouri

Southwest: Stanford, Fresno State, UCLA, USC, Arizona, New Mexico State, Arizona State, New Mexico, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Houston, San Diego State, UTEP, UNLV, Tulsa

Northeast: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Boston College, Syracuse, UConn, Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Virginia

Southeast: Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Miss. State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest, UNC, Duke, NC State, UCF (Or ECU, substitute maybe).

Each of those conferences are slated a 12 game schedule, and 10 of those 12 are conference games (Divide Each Conference up into 10 and 10, don't care how).

There are four first round byes, which would go to the four conference champions.

The other 8 teams are determined by these criteria:
1) Overall record (for instance a 12-1 team whose only loss was the CCG would obviously get a heads up. And then, you observe...
2) The overall record of the two teams that they played Out of Conference. For instance, say Tennessee is 12-1 and lost their conference championship game, and Oregon is 12-1 and lost their conference championship game. However, Tennessee played USC (9-3) and Stanford (7-5), and Oregon played Coastal Carolina (3-9) and Alabama (10-2). Tennessee's OOC strength was (16-8 (67%)), and Oregon's OOC strength was 13-11 (54%). Obviously, Tennessee would get in over Oregon, because part of Oregon's record was that they scheduled a muffin. You may not control how strong your conference is in any year, but you can control how you schedule your OOC games. I hate seeing teams play Charleston Southern and UTC. Plus, imagine the matchups, as every team tries to schedule the best team possible. Yes, some would get stuck with crappy matchups, but if you have crappy matchups, you better hope you win the conference. If you're a good team, it means that you should have your pick of teams to play, everyone would want you.

So, for instance, an example scenario would be:

1st Round Byes: (Ranks would be determined by the Strength of Conference overall)
NorthWest Champion: Oregon (13-0)
SouthWest Champion: Oklahoma (13-0)
SouthEast Champion: LSU (13-0)
NorthEast Champion: Michigan (13-0)

#5 - Alabama (12-1) - Only lost to LSU, and played Boise State (11-1) and Nebraska (10-2), overall OOC strength of 21-3
#6 - USC (12-1) - Only lost to Oklahoma, played Tennessee (10-2) and Ohio State (9-3), overall OOC strength of 19-5
#7 - Texas (10-2) Only lost to USC and Oregon. Played Boise State (11-1) and Florida (7-5), overall OOC strength of 18-6
#8- Tennessee (10-2) Only lost to LSU and Alabama. Played USC (12-1) and Kentucky (5-7) for a overall OOC strength of 17-8
#9 - Nebraska (10-2) Only lost to Oregon and Alabama. Played Alabama (12-1) and Washington (4-8) for a total record of 16-9
#10 - Texas A&M (9-3) Only lost to Oklahoma, USC, Texas. Scheduled Arkansas (7-5) and Florida State (8-4) for a total OOC strength of 15-9
#11 - Florida State (8-4) Only lost to Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama. Scheduled Michigan State (6-6) and Missouri (8-4) for a total OOC of 14-10.
#12 - BYU (9-3) Only lost to Nebraska, Boise State, and Oregon. Scheduled Kansas (6-6) and Ole Miss (6-6) for a total OOC of 12-12.

#12 BYU would play #5 Alabama @ Bama
#11 FSU would play number #6 USC @ USC
#10 TAMU would play #7 Texas @ Texas
#9 Nebraska would play #8 Tennessee @ Tennessee

Winner of #12/#5 would play the #4 seed, which would be the winner of the weakest Conference. Winner of 11/6 would play the 3rd strongest conference winner. Winner of 10/7 would play the second strongest conference winner. Winner of 9/8 would play the number one overall seed (which face it, would be the SouthEast Conference winner).

The higher ranked team would get the home game, until the Final Four that would be played at a neutral site like the OP suggested.

Anyways, that's what I would like to see. Would it make it ridiculously hard to win a championship? Yeah. But, shouldn't it be?

Would it make it 1000% sure that the person who won the NC deserved it? Yeah. But shouldn't it be that way?

Would it make it sure that teams were scheduling the best games possible, instead of having muffin bowls to boost their records and stats? Yes!

Would it increase TV ratings, since key matchups are taking place every week? Yes.

Would it take away from Rivalries? Not necessarily. If teams valued rivalries more than championships, and they were in a different conference (I.E. Boise State vs. TCU), then they could take a game to play them, if they wanted to. It would just leave them with only one OOC game, and they had better hope that the team ends with a good record.

Would it help recruiting? I believe so. It levels out the playing field, because of having a 16 league team, now you have 20, hence, more schools to have a shot at a title, and also, it covers a bigger geographical area, leading to better TV exposure.

Would it make the season AND the post season matter more? Yes.

Plus, you could still have your bowl games. Not a problem. Just wouldn't matter as much.

Anyways....long post, but I just want to see a change period. I want muffin games to stop. I want the best teams to win the title, and I want the best teams to prove themselves.

Thoughts?
 
#8
#8
Sorry Eric, I know this is your thread. I like your idea. The only part about it I don't like is that it still allows the BCS to calculate the rest of the teams. I just hate the BCS. lol
 
#9
#9
TNHopeful that is a cool scenario as well...it just seems a lot farther off from happening from my scenario.

I do like the Super conferences. Even if you just had 4 SC's of 16 teams which we are close to having, giving those 4 Autobids and then determining the other 4 teams by the BCS formula...I just don't see it going away.
 
#11
#11
But yes, I must admit, though I hate what it means for the Vols, I do like the idea of super conferences. As long as rivalry integrity is kept, which it would be for almost every one, except for maybe UT-UK in my scenario.

I actually like the way I broke the conferences down. It would be an awesome breakdown. Some teams wouldn't have a chance, but it would produce some awesome fights.
 
#13
#13
The OP's idea is pretty much what I have wanted for years. I would schedule the first round in Dec. though, and possibly free up the losers to go to other bowls.
 
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#14
#14
I'd also like to somehow reconstruct the entire "bowl" system, so that the schools are getting the money that is currently wasted entertaining the bowl committee members.
 
#15
#15
ok...do it this way...first off KILL THE BCS!!!!!
2nd make all the Independents join a conference..or else you lose.
..........
ok

a playoff....we have 11 conferences...so each con champ gets the auto.

11 teams.
6 of the conferences have championship games.
so you give the at large to the runner ups.
so now we have 17 teams....the highest ranked team gets a by......now we have a 16 team playoff.
seed them accordingly.
and each major bowl will be a playoff game...the lesser bowls can still exist and take all the winning teams that did not make the playoffs....and IMO those lesser bowls just might be better than the playoffs....c'mon...San Diego State VS North Carolina?
Texas A&M VS Northern Illinois
the rest of the bowls would really be the big boys VS the sisters of the poor.
 
#17
#17
I think they ought to go with a four team playoff with the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange, Fiesta, and Peach Bowls rotating as hosts.
 
#18
#18
What about a 5 team playoff?

#4 vs #5 face off in a play in game and the winner advances to the current system.

It would allow each conference a chance to field a team.
 
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#20
#20
Thought: 8 team playoff among the Power 5 conferences.

16 team team playoff among the other conferences (Mt. West, Conf. USA, American, MAC, Sunbelt, etc.) for their own title?
 
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