Pros and Cons with the new playoff system

[btowngopher]

I can’t remember the last time I watched a game outside of the gophers. Used be top ten early season matchups would be like mini title games, we’d all tune in to see which team would suffer a major blow to their title chances. Now teams don’t even care about strength of schedule even though a single loss means very little.

 

[upnorthkid]

I don't think I would be in favor of it either, but part of what was discussed is these Top 4 Seeds might want a Home game, as the 5-8 seeds will get currently.

Also this year, what if Oregon somehow went 9-0 this year, beat Ohio State already and is then forced to beat them again in the Conference Championship? The Buckeyes could even have potentially 2 Conference losses. Ohio St would have to beat Indiana lose to Michigan, and also have the Nits & Hoosiers drop another game, so it's not a rather likely scenario.

That would seem unfair too.

I don’t think the home game is as big a deal as compared to advancing further in the cfp in terms of revenue. Fun for fans but doubt the schools care much.

Agreed on the whole way they structure of how we get conference champs at this point but there’s not a great way to do it

 

[PMWinSTP]

the conferences are now too big for this unless you're going to start the season earlier/shorten regular season games. you still need a CC and there's too many options where multiple end up undefeated (and then how do you decide who gets the higher seeding not to mention wins the conference which is also important to players and fans). The end all be all is not just the playoffs in CFB. We need to stop making it like it needs to be just like the NFL as there's too many teams and you'll just end up continually adding (I have no desire to watch a 1v16 matchup that's going to be a blowout between a mediocre MAC or CUSA champion at 10-2 who will get obliterated by Oregon the same as I don't need to see the 4th best B10 team sneak into a playoff (you had your shot in the regular season).

Eliminate the four byes?

 

[Ope3]

I don’t think the home game is as big a deal as compared to advancing further in the cfp in terms of revenue. Fun for fans but doubt the schools care much.

Agreed on the whole way they structure of how we get conference champs at this point but there’s not a great way to do it

Maybe the home game is not that big of a deal, but we haven't seen one yet, so don't really know yet.

Just a for an example though let's use this year's Oregon again and assume that they win out through November. To get a ticket to the Quarters they would then have to beat likely Ohio St or Indiana in Indianapolis.

Eliminate the Conference Championship and byes, as a #1 seed they would play someone like Ole Miss in Eugene instead. Sounds like more than a fair trade.

 

[pk2]

Conference$ will never tra$h their champion$hip game$. I’m not $ure of their rea$on$, though.

 

[Ope3]

Conference$ will never tra$h their champion$hip game$. I’m not $ure of their rea$on$, though.

If they get more dough by eliminating them, they would.

Currently the Big 10 has to divvy up the proceeds 18 ways (Oregon & Washington get a haircut). I don't think it's really move the needle money by much on a per team basis.

FOX might prefer (and pay more) getting the rights to a 1st round game instead.

 

[Unregistered User]

Should have been 8 teams.

In the past, numbers 5 or 6 may have had an argument, but I’ll be shocked if any team 9 or above win a single game, and then they’ll expand to 16 teams and it will be a shit show.

 

[Ope3]

Should have been 8 teams.

In the past, numbers 5 or 6 may have had an argument, but I’ll be shocked if any team 9 or above win a single game, and then they’ll expand to 16 teams and it will be a shit show.

You would honestly be shocked if #9 beats #8 or #10 beats #7?

Obviously sight unseen right now, but teams ranked that close, the Vegas point spread could easily be less a FG. Heck, it's totally plausible the road team could be favored.

 

[GFBfan]

I will backtrack on a possibility of a 16 Team field coming to fruition, but the trade-off would likely be eliminating the Conference Championship Games, and thus having the 1st Round on that that weekend (first Saturday in November).

I heard this plausible scenario on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday with guest, Greg McElroy.

The Conf Champ game should be eliminated.
This year in the BIG if OSU wins out and so does Oregon, they are both getting in. Why play a the Champ game!? they could also play in the tournament.

 

[WAGopher]

I will backtrack on a possibility of a 16 Team field coming to fruition, but the trade-off would likely be eliminating the Conference Championship Games, and thus having the 1st Round on that that weekend (first Saturday in November).

I heard this plausible scenario on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday with guest, Greg McElroy.

A 16 team playoff would not add an extra week compared to the 12 team playoff season, so why would there be a trade-off to eliminate the Conference Championship games?

 

[Ope3]

A 16 team playoff would not add an extra week compared to the 12 team playoff season, so why would there be a trade-off to eliminate the Conference Championship games?

Without an incentive of a Bye, there wouldn't be much point of having the Conference Championship game.

 

[WAGopher]

Without an incentive of a Bye, there wouldn't be much point of having the Conference Championship game.

Really? How about getting the top seeds to play the easier matchups?

 

[Ope3]

Really? How about getting the top seeds to play the easier matchups?

Yes, really.

 

[WAGopher]

Yes, really.

Ok.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

some thoughts regarding the new playoff structure...

First, the background:

1. 12 teams, 4 with first round byes and 8 (4 first round winners and 4 that had first round byes) that play in the quarter final round.
2. first round is played at the home stadium of the higher seed. Seeds 5-12 around December 20 or so.
3. The quarterfinal games are played in rotating traditional New Year's 6 bowls with one on New Years Eve and the other three on New Years Day.
4. The semifinals are played at the remining two rotating New Year's six sites, around January 8-9. So all six of the biggest bowls host one playoff game (four quarter finals and two semi finals)
5. The two remaining finalists meet in the national championship game, hosted at a bid site around January 20.

In general, I like it and I like the dates and prospective sites selected to host each round. I do think it will be better than the four team playoff, which was becoming more of an elite invitational event with the same teams every year than it was a "playoff."

But, there are a few things that are wonky...

1. No bowls for the first round losers. For example, say Indiana gets into the playoff and has to travel (and loses) an away game in the opposition's stadium. Their once-in-a-lifetime season could end on a frigid evening in front of a hostile crowd. No bowl swag packs. No battles of the bands on a field under palm trees or on a beach. No opportunity for throngs of fans gobbling up tickets and hotel rooms to party a holiday weekend away ready to cheer their favorite team on.

2. Because of #1, the non playoff bowls will further degenerate into "exhibitions" instead of exciting bowls played between big programs that normally don't see each other in the regular season. These "other" bowls were already in decline. Players sitting out. Coaches moving on to other jobs prior to gameday. Etc. You really have to wonder if the shine will come off of the long lineup of lesser bowls in an accelerated way.

3. Bank-breakers for fan bases going deep into the playoffs. This one is pretty self-explanatory but as a fan how would you like to fork over vacation, money, plane tickets, hotels, etc. for, let's say, the Rose bowl on Jan 1, then the Sugar Bowl on Jan 9, and then the championship on Jan 20. Will some of these big time games be played in front of half-full stadiums?

The bowl culture is so strong, it is easy to see why it has taken this long to come up with a 12 team tourney.

Good points. I would prefer an eight-team playoff with no automatic bids to conference winners. Just go with the final poll. This is also too much of a 'second season" for me.

 

[Ope3]

Really? How about getting the top seeds to play the easier matchups?

Yes, really.

Ok.

To clarify, if that's all that's on the line, to me those types of games don't sound like highly valuable broadcast inventory for TV networks to invest in.

Just get on to the playoffs and open up another weekend to stage them.

That's my opinion.

 

[Ope3]

Really? How about getting the top seeds to play the easier matchups?

In something that was obviously predictable, several SEC Coaches are signaling that they would probably be better off if their team does NOT make it to the SEC Title Game in the current system, which includes a BYE.

Lane Kiffin: SEC Championship Game reward not worth risk of missing CFP field

Lane Kiffin said what most every Georgia fan — and possibly, the Bulldogs head coach — has been thinking where this year’s SEC Championship Game is concerned.

www.dawgnation.com

 

[MaxyJR1]

More SEC teams thinking they are entitled to the playoffs

 

[GFBfan]

Is it possible for them to decline the SEC Champ. game?
Indiana and OSU might also feel the same way.

Should be the end of that game for each conference.
Force the Conferences to have Divisions of no more than 10 teams and require they play everyone in division to determine the champ and auto bid.

 

[WAGopher]

In something that was obviously predictable, several SEC Coaches are signaling that they would probably be better off if their team does NOT make it to the SEC Title Game in the current system, which includes a BYE.

Lane Kiffin: SEC Championship Game reward not worth risk of missing CFP field

Lane Kiffin said what most every Georgia fan — and possibly, the Bulldogs head coach — has been thinking where this year’s SEC Championship Game is concerned.

www.dawgnation.com

Thank you for the info. It is a predicament, but if they lose the conference championship game and fall to 3 losses, they aren’t winning the playoffs anyway. (And they sure wouldn’t have gotten into a 4 team playoff with 3 losses.) But, if other teams fall to 3 losses after a championship game, they could still squeak in.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Based on tonight rankings, I’m still not convinced they know what they are doing.

I feel like they are inflating the B1G to make it hard to leave tOSU, PSU and IN out with two losses.

Texas is rated too far ahead of Georgia who beat them

Why is PSU ranked ahead of Indiana?

BYU is ranked a spot behind a team they beat.

Beating a ranked team in the first 3 weeks who is no longer ranked is not a ranked win.

Tulane lost to KSU and Oklahoma. How are they even considered top 25 material?


First polls should be released in week four of the season when some games are played, some conference games are played, and there are some data points.

 

[Ope3]

Why is PSU ranked ahead of Indiana?

I don't have a problem with ranking Penn St over Indiana.

The Hoosiers SOS is ranked 64th out of all P4 Teams. Dead last. Best Conference win is against a team currently in 9th place.

Heard that stuff on ESPN.

It doesn't really matter though. It will get sorted out in the end.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Con:

The system still rewards a combination of fewer losses + big name over schedule strength and quality wins.

Texas….

Unless we go for divisions and auto qualify the playoff teams based on divisions… it’s just more of the same garbage.

 

[Ope3]

Con:

The system still rewards a combination of fewer losses + big name over schedule strength and quality wins.

Texas….

Unless we go for divisions and auto qualify the playoff teams based on divisions… it’s just more of the same garbage.

Maybe, a solution would be for the Big 10 & SEC to go back to Divisions. Winners of the DIVISIONS get Automatic Bids.

Division Winners play a Conference Championship game and get a BYE in a 14 Team Field.

 

[Unregistered User]

Tulane lost to KSU and Oklahoma. How are they even considered top 25 material?

Those were 2 of the first 3 games they played this season.

Since then, they have won 8 in a row.

 

[upnorthkid]

I don't have a problem with ranking Penn St over Indiana.

The Hoosiers SOS is ranked 64th out of all P4 Teams. Dead last. Best Conference win is against a team currently in 9th place.

Heard that stuff on ESPN.

It doesn't really matter though. It will get sorted out in the end.

i do. undefeated is undefeated is undefeated. PSUs record is inflated by already playing OSU, who they lost to. yes it will get sorted out but focusing on SOS which is almost entirely weighted by that one opponent doesn't make sense. Undefeateds at this point in the year from the same conference (again emphasis from the same conference, not saying a random G5 is equivalent in this circumstance) should be viewed in that tier and then once you've lost, the comparisons can balance out amongst those who have also lost. It's why I also don't like OSU ahead of Indy. Winning your games should mean something. Why are we punishing Indiana for the order of their schedule and how the B10 schedule makers put things together?

In reality none of these matter. They are only conversation pieces. But its the same stupid shit like the committee listing Miami as the ACC bye when they aren't even leading the conference. Start from that reference point given it leads to a drastically different bracket given you're putting SMU out right now for losing to the B12 AQ (in the second game of the year prior to them settling their QB situation) and putting that loss as worse than Miami's to GT who is 6-4. Joy of that we always go with the "eye test" over everything else and then use the metrics to support what we think our eyes tell us while ignoring the rest.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Maybe, a solution would be for the Big 10 & SEC to go back to Divisions. Winners of the DIVISIONS get Automatic Bids.

Division Winners play a Conference Championship game and get a BYE in a 14 Team Field.

Something like that would be nice.

Something other than the same old committee stuff doing everything they can to justify ranking their old buddies and eye test garbage.

 

[Ope3]

i do. undefeated is undefeated is undefeated. PSUs record is inflated by already playing OSU, who they lost to. yes it will get sorted out but focusing on SOS which is almost entirely weighted by that one opponent doesn't make sense. Undefeateds at this point in the year from the same conference (again emphasis from the same conference, not saying a random G5 is equivalent in this circumstance) should be viewed in that tier and then once you've lost, the comparisons can balance out amongst those who have also lost. It's why I also don't like OSU ahead of Indy. Winning your games should mean something. Why are we punishing Indiana for the order of their schedule and how the B10 schedule makers put things together?

In reality none of these matter. They are only conversation pieces. But its the same stupid shit like the committee listing Miami as the ACC bye when they aren't even leading the conference. Start from that reference point given it leads to a drastically different bracket given you're putting SMU out right now for losing to the B12 AQ (in the second game of the year prior to them settling their QB situation) and putting that loss as worse than Miami's to GT who is 6-4. Joy of that we always go with the "eye test" over everything else and then use the metrics to support what we think our eyes tell us while ignoring the rest.

I don't. It's not just Indiana's Big 10 schedule that's soft, their non-conference slate flat out reeks. FIU, Western Illinois & Charlotte.

Penn St beat W Virginia, on the road as well as Illinois who is back in the T25 least. Also beat USC, Wisconsin & UCLA. Indiana also beat the Bruins, which might be their best win to this point.

As you said though, doesn't matter. All it amounts to be at this point is programming for ESPN and fodder/clicks for all their media.

The Committee can certainly change their mind when the data is complete on Dec 1.

 

[Some guy]

I'm not sure 16 teams is all that attractive to TV/Networks, there are are only so many windows to have stand alone games and not go head-to-head with the NFL.

As it is, they will have 1 game on Friday, 12/20 and then 3 on Saturday, 12/21. More games would force overlap or less optimal TV windows and possibly during NFL windows.

I also think they want to ensure the Top 4 teams are playing in the Quarters over NYD.

If they increase it to 16 there will be 8 first round games. I suspect they’ll be played:
2 Thursday
2 Friday
4 Saturday

I agree with you once it’s beyond 8 first round games there isn’t much place to put them without competing with themselves in exclusive windows.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

More SEC teams thinking they are entitled to the playoffs

Not at all. It's more SEC teams just realizing the risk isn't worth the reward. Being #3 in the SEC and moving up to #2 after either #1 or #2 lose in the CC is better than being the losing team in the CC.

Pretty simple.