Simple Solution to Playoff Enigma

[UT97Vol]

In theory it sounded like a good idea. Reward the conference champs. But granting a bye is not going to be smooth practically speaking. I don’t believe this format will last past this year.

I’m all for granting auto bids for conference champs. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it shouldn’t put them in the top four automatically.

The change is simple. Give the top four teams the bye. This ensures a first round winner has to play one of the top four teams in the second round. This is so silly that everyone’s response should be thanks Captain Obvious.




Anyway, the point of this aside from pointing out the obvious is there’s no reason to wait until a new contract happens. They need to institute this beginning next year and fix it sooner than later. To not only address this soft side of the bracket (i.e. the 5/12–>4 quadrant) but also bring balance to the entire bracket. Cheers.

 

[Other_Guy]

What I don't like the idea of is a team that is considered a fringe or "1st team out" pulling off a big upset in either the big12 or acc champ game and getting in, pushing an sec team out that everyone knows would beat them, and getting a bye to boot.
Unlikely, sure, but while there are scenarios that an expanded playoff helps ensure the best teams get a shot, it provides other scenarios that could bring stupidity.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

In theory it sounded like a good idea. Reward the conference champs. But granting a bye is not going to be smooth practically speaking. I don’t believe this format will last past this year.

I’m all for granting auto bids for conference champs. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it shouldn’t put them in the top four automatically.

The change is simple. Give the top four teams the bye. This ensures a first round winner has to play one of the top four teams in the second round. This is so silly that everyone’s response should be thanks Captain Obvious.

View attachment 694155


Anyway, the point of this aside from pointing out the obvious is there’s no reason to wait until a new contract happens. They need to institute this beginning next year and fix it sooner than later. To not only address this soft side of the bracket (i.e. the 5/12–>4 quadrant) but also bring balance to the entire bracket. Cheers.

I think we will likely see a format seeded on playoff rank in the near future. IOW, Big 12 champ might be seeded 10th in playoffs. 2 teams from one conference in top 4 seeds, much like previous format

 

[JohnnyJava]

I like expanding to 16 teams with no bye. The #1 team getting to play #16 at home should be enough of an advantage/reward without a bye. Just my preference.

 

[VolPack22]

You know the format is flawed whenever it is more of a reward to finish as the 5 seed than it is a first round bye. You get the Group of 5 rep first round and the Big 12 rep the next round. Easiest path to the semis.

 

[GordonC]

What I don't like the idea of is a team that is considered a fringe or "1st team out" pulling off a big upset in either the big12 or acc champ game and getting in, pushing an sec team out that everyone knows would beat them, and getting a bye to boot.
Unlikely, sure, but while there are scenarios that an expanded playoff helps ensure the best teams get a shot, it provides other scenarios that could bring stupidity.

really surprising, given how this year has gone, that anybody could even do the "errbody knows who's gonna win" thing

 

[tennrich1]

I like expanding to 16 teams with no bye. The #1 team getting to play #16 at home should be enough of an advantage/reward without a bye. Just my preference.

I'm sure there could be some minute flaw along the way BUT this appears, at least IMO, to be the simplest, best way to do it. Hopefully this first year will reveal all the unintended negative issues about the current model and next year go to the top 16 model. JMO too.

 

[OrangeCola]

lets play the games first, before we start changing it

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

lets play the games first, before we start changing it

It's not a reach to know the Big 12 and/or ACC champions have no business as a top 4 seeds. Yes, maybe Miami if they go undefeated, which I hope they do now. No one else from the ACC will get in the playoffs if Miami goes undefeated

 

[njvols]

I like expanding to 16 teams with no bye. The #1 team getting to play #16 at home should be enough of an advantage/reward without a bye. Just my preference.

16 will no doubt happen b/c $$$.

 

[Golfprovol]

You know the format is flawed whenever it is more of a reward to finish as the 5 seed than it is a first round bye. You get the Group of 5 rep first round and the Big 12 rep the next round. Easiest path to the semis.

Been saying that for weeks. #5 is best which means NOT going to Atlanta. As of right now, if we were #5 we would get Boise at home and then play Miami or Iowa State.

 

[Other_Guy]

really surprising, given how this year has gone, that anybody could even do the "errbody knows who's gonna win" thing

Perhaps this system works better in the NIL age than say 10 years ago, so I'll give you that.
I'm just talking about a 9-3 big 12 team making the title game and upsetting an 11-1 or 12-0 team and they both get in.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Nah I think winning your league should have real meaning. There should be a consequence to falling short too.

 

[jackaro]

Conference championships are not valued anymore and that is a shame. Same thing happened with the NCAA basketball tournament, so many people only care about how far a team goes in the tournament and do not value the regular season at all. Things change, I get it, but I still mourn the loss of things I value. I hate the CFP and hate what it has done to the sport.

 

[VolPack22]

Conference championships are not valued anymore and that is a shame. Same thing happened with the NCAA basketball tournament, so many people only care about how far a team goes in the tournament and do not value the regular season at all. Things change, I get it, but I still mourn the loss of things I value. I hate the CFP and hate what it has done to the sport.

Real basketball fans value the SEC regular season championship way more than the tournament. The tournament just gives you an automatic bid. That doesn’t mean you are entitled to a number 1 seed though. What they’ve done with the CFP format makes zero sense. If you want to give conference champs an auto bid, fine but don’t gift them a first round bye whenever everyone knows conferences aren’t created equally. Give Boise and any Big 12 team a SEC schedule and they wouldn’t even sniff a top 25 ranking. We’ve seen what’s happened to Oklahoma. It’s different whenever you get to play one of the big boys once in a season but play in that cupcake conference in the Mountain West. Play tough teams every week and let that wear down on you and go into these wild road environments every single week. It’s just not comparable.

 

[VolnGermany]

All conferences are not created equal. This is the problem with automatic bids, with byes, to the conference champions.

I’m stunned the Big 10 (had) so many more teams undefeated at this point in the season, and you look and see that Indiana has played nobody, and Penn States best win was a depleted USC team. The problem has been that despite adding 3 solid? teams from last year, only one of them is solid THIS year, Oregon. So they have diluted their conference allowing schools that are not traditional football schools to do well, but they haven’t played anyone and the SECs fan chief complaint, that the Big 12 leaders played two tough games a year, remains true.

Same with the Big 12, a champion of a mediocre conference will be a mediocre team.

Meanwhile, the SEC adds one solid school, and there is little doubt that the SEC is the premier conference DESPITE beating each other up. (Maybe because they are beating each other up)

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

You know the format is flawed whenever it is more of a reward to finish as the 5 seed than it is a first round bye. You get the Group of 5 rep first round and the Big 12 rep the next round. Easiest path to the semis.

If you win the conference you are already in the semis though, and have a championship regardless of what happens in the playoff. I'll take an SEC championship anytime I can get it. It's been 26 years since we won one.

 

[Raebo]

What I don't like the idea of is a team that is considered a fringe or "1st team out" pulling off a big upset in either the big12 or acc champ game and getting in, pushing an sec team out that everyone knows would beat them, and getting a bye to boot.
Unlikely, sure, but while there are scenarios that an expanded playoff helps ensure the best teams get a shot, it provides other scenarios that could bring stupidity.

The problem isn’t going to be the teams left out, the problem is there will be teams in the playoffs that aren’t elite and shouldn’t sniff a National Championship. The 4 team playoff was probably fine and a 8 team playoff would have insured the top 3-4 teams would be in the playoffs. There will be arguments every years that 2-5 (good but not elite) teams should have been in the playoffs instead of some of the teams that are in the playoffs.
I know, it’s about the money and bowl games have lost their luster.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

I like expanding to 16 teams with no bye. The #1 team getting to play #16 at home should be enough of an advantage/reward without a bye. Just my preference.

I agree about expanding the playoffs to 16 with no bye but in order to do this, they would need to eliminate the conference championship games and just declare a conference winner at the end of the regular season. Why? Because for the teams who get into the playoffs but aren't playing in conference championship games, that WOULD be a bye week for them!

 

[OffTackleVol]

I like expanding to 16 teams with no bye. The #1 team getting to play #16 at home should be enough of an advantage/reward without a bye. Just my preference.

Yea, 12 teams just doesn't make sense. No byes..........

 

[Godfatha]

I concur with most sentiments here.

If I was dictator, I would:
1. Do away with automatic bids from conference champions. Sorry, but the Big 12 and ACC are weak. They do not deserve automatic bids
2. Force Notre Dame to join a conference.
3. Make Strength of Schedule matter again. You want a playoff spot? Play someone. You got teams like Penn State, BYU, Indiana who haven't beaten anyone worth a damn, yet they are top ten.
4. Get rid of the G5 automatic spot. If they have a sufficient SOS, fine. But they don't play the same schedule the rest of us do. Remember Liberty last year? Yeah, that's going to happen most years with G5 teams in the playoffs.
5. Get rid of conference championship games.

 

[tnvols106]

I like expanding to 16 teams with no bye. The #1 team getting to play #16 at home should be enough of an advantage/reward without a bye. Just my preference.

I like 16 teams, no conference championship, and no bye. The top 8 get a home game.

 

[utvols74]

I liked the BCS with its algorithms based on ranking, strength of schedule, victory margins, coaches poll, etc.

The are 2 reasons it was changed:
1) E$PN wanted to make more $ off college football and could with additional games and advertising revenue. I remember when they starting injecting doubt into the BCS model on air. I told some friends watching a game, "Here we go. They're going to hype a playoff just like they hype Heisman winners". Sure enough....
2) They were tired of SEC teams winning nearly all Nattys in this format due to the prevalence of Big-10 and PAC-10 alumni in sports writing/broadcasting.

You could still use the BCS with the top four teams if that is so heavily desired. 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3 - winners play and final takes all.

Flame away.....

 

[utvols74]

I like 16 teams, no conference championship, and no bye. The top 8 get a home game.

Pretty soon, it'll be 32 teams with a 2 team "play in". The season will end around St Patrick's Day.

 

[VolPack22]

If you win the conference you are already in the semis though, and have a championship regardless of what happens in the playoff. I'll take an SEC championship anytime I can get it. It's been 26 years since we won one.

You are into the quarterfinals automatically. Still have to play one game to get the semis. Sometimes teams play better without the bye also. It’s easy to come out flat after a bye week.