Seeding Changed for Upcoming Season

So you're readily admitting this is about TV ratings and your entertainment value than it is about teams actually competing on the field for championships. Just be honest.

No, but I can see why you'd think that. I was talking from a broadcast perspective. They will care about the ratings.

I'm passionate because I don't wanna see the top teams waste their time beating down weaklings while risking injury and watering down the whole process.

If paying the players results in more talent distribution where some G5 teams can actually compete, I'll change my position. But I think college football is still ending an era where it was like the NFL before free agency took hold - for like 4 years everyone knew it was gonna be the 49ers or Cowboys, etc. Before that you had other teams like the Giants, Steelers, etc. Detroit and the like were cannon fodder and so it made sense to have a smaller playoff where only a select got to compete for the championship. NOW...the NFL has a LOT more parity, so expanding the field to more teams made more sense (to me) than it does for college right now.

Never mind that part of the reason people love March Madness is the upsets.
Yep. And football does not equal basketball. In basketball, when the smaller sized team ends up having to settle for 3's (instead of 2 points), if they can make them, that's how they get the upset. In football, the smaller team having to settle for 3's (field goals instead of touch downs) leads to the beatdowns.

And now that the talent is leaving the smaller schools to get paid by the majors, we shouldn't be seeing the upsets anymore, right? Which would imply people won't be as tuned in on Thursday mornings anymore because they'll kinda know how the games are gonna go, right? Eventually we will see viewership declines in March Madness because the weaklings won't win anymore...which will kinda prove my point in all this.
 

Is any sober person saying that?
Well, on paper, they are all Division 1 - FBS teams. Everyone from Kennesaw State to Ohio State. So in theory, they should all have a shot at a title. Like in every other level of the sport.
 

And now that the talent is leaving the smaller schools to get paid by the majors, we shouldn't be seeing the upsets anymore, right? Which would imply people won't be as tuned in on Thursday mornings anymore because they'll kinda know how the games are gonna go, right? Eventually we will see viewership declines in March Madness because the weaklings won't win anymore...which will kinda prove my point in all this.
Not necessarily, because there are still really limited spots on a basketball team. I've said before, you could have some rich whale decide to bankroll an all-star team for some nobody school like UW Green Bay or NJIT (insert any nobody school here) and it would work. I wouldn't be surprised if we see that someday.
 

Well, on paper, they are all Division 1 - FBS teams. Everyone from Kennesaw State to Ohio State. So in theory, they should all have a shot at a title. Like in every other level of the sport.
This feels like we're just rehashing. I made the suggestion to separate, etc. and we just looped back to the beginning.
 

Not necessarily, because there are still really limited spots on a basketball team. I've said before, you could have some rich whale decide to bankroll an all-star team for some nobody school like UW Green Bay or NJIT (insert any nobody school here) and it would work. I wouldn't be surprised if we see that someday.
Would it really be an upset then? People watching March Madness would tune in to see the UW Green Bay team upset some #3 or #4 seed, but if they (UW GB) had a booster buy them a bunch of talent they'd enter as a top seed and their victories wouldn't be the "little guy" upsets you initially referred to.
 


Go to 16 in 2026 and drop the byes.
I would be okay with that.
I think the real play for the big ten and SEC wanting 4 automatic bids each is because the leagues want to close off other conferences in regular season scheduling.

4-4-2-2-1 and 3 at larges would be quickly followed by a 10 game conference schedule and non conference scheduling agreement with SEC

Is my guess
 

I would be okay with that.
I think the real play for the big ten and SEC wanting 4 automatic bids each is because the leagues want to close off other conferences in regular season scheduling.

4-4-2-2-1 and 3 at larges would be quickly followed by a 10 game conference schedule and non conference scheduling agreement with SEC

Is my guess
Problem with the non-con scheduling with the other most powerful conference, is that someone always has to lose. All teams like to pad their record and stats by beating up the Middle Tennessee States of the world.
 

Would it really be an upset then? People watching March Madness would tune in to see the UW Green Bay team upset some #3 or #4 seed, but if they (UW GB) had a booster buy them a bunch of talent they'd enter as a top seed and their victories wouldn't be the "little guy" upsets you initially referred to.
The point is, UWGB isn't a major program. What I'm getting at, is in hoops, any super-rich person could buy a college team with enough money. It's why I've been saying for a long time that within five years, UST will probably be a much better basketball program than the Gophers. They have wealthy, engaged alumni who do things like buy them a new arena.
 

The point is, UWGB isn't a major program. What I'm getting at, is in hoops, any super-rich person could buy a college team with enough money. It's why I've been saying for a long time that within five years, UST will probably be a much better basketball program than the Gophers. They have wealthy, engaged alumni who do things like buy them a new arena.
Yeah, but I was responding to this comment of yours:

Never mind that part of the reason people love March Madness is the upsets.

I said if they buy they roster and end up with a top seed, it's no longer an upset. Now you're talking about something different, which is mid majors buying their way along.

It's been a nice chat, but I don't see the point in continuing it. There are only 2 possible ways it'll go: either the small lesser conferences get in and get pummeled or they get left out. You prefer the former, I prefer the latter. (And no, I don't believe there is an option C where the lesser conferences get in a win some games. Not. Gonna. Happen.)
 



Problem with the non-con scheduling with the other most powerful conference, is that someone always has to lose. All teams like to pad their record and stats by beating up the Middle Tennessee States of the world.
Which is why they won’t do it without more guaranteed bids
 

The point is, UWGB isn't a major program. What I'm getting at, is in hoops, any super-rich person could buy a college team with enough money. It's why I've been saying for a long time that within five years, UST will probably be a much better basketball program than the Gophers. They have wealthy, engaged alumni who do things like buy them a new arena.
Maybe there are a few engaged St. Thomas grads, but the ones I know (more than a couple) couldn't be more removed from their college.
 





The main donors to that are not UST alumni

Which makes it even more sad for the U of M
Collectively, St Thomas has raised over $56 million since the announcement of the Anderson gift in January of 2023. This included 13 gifts of $1 million or more, six of those being greater than $5 million. In all, 35 gifts were closed to reach the $131 million goal.
 

Collectively, St Thomas has raised over $56 million since the announcement of the Anderson gift in January of 2023. This included 13 gifts of $1 million or more, six of those being greater than $5 million. In all, 35 gifts were closed to reach the $131 million goal.
Correct
Many of them not alumni

UST has done a great job of bringing non alumni into the donor base
 

The main donors to that are not UST alumni

Which makes it even more sad for the U of M

If St. Thomas builds an athletes village, men's and women's bb practice facilities, new gymnastics performance center, new wrestling practice facility, remodeled volleyball facility, remodeled men's hockey lockerroom/team facility, new golf training facility, new baseball performance center and new track & field stadium in the next seven years, the U of M will feel sad.
 

Collectively, St Thomas has raised over $56 million since the announcement of the Anderson gift in January of 2023. This included 13 gifts of $1 million or more, six of those being greater than $5 million. In all, 35 gifts were closed to reach the $131 million goal.
The money is there. Coyle just doesn’t cut it as a good fund raiser. The University has had great success raising donations for the endowment fund, so it doesn’t make sense that Coyle can’t even pay off the Athlete’s Village with donations.
 

If St. Thomas builds an athletes village, men's and women's bb practice facilities, new gymnastics performance center, new wrestling practice facility, remodeled volleyball facility, remodeled men's hockey lockerroom/team facility, new golf training facility, new baseball performance center and new track & field stadium in the next seven years, the U of M will feel sad.
The u of M should feel sad losing out on 10s of millions of donations to UST from twin cities philanthropists who have no connection to UST
 

I wish someone would have just said a long time ago that if schools didn't like conference champions being rewarded, in any sport, that they shouldn't have formed these ridiculous mega conferences where geography and history mean nothing.
 




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