Divison 1 Football Playoff Proposal

[Hikohadon]

I was gonna stick this in an article (and I still might), but I wanted some more immediate feedback, so here's this week's proposal to re-align Division 1 and get us a Playoff system:

1) Divison 1 will consist of 8 Conferences of 14 teams each. We're already heading this way anyway, so just make it standard. Each conference will consist of 2 divisions of 7 teams each. Each team will play each of the other 6 teams in their division plus 3 teams in the other division of their conference and 3 non-conference teams for a total of 12 games a year. The Division winners will meet in a Conference Championship Game (which is in essence the first playoff game). The winner is the Conference Champion and goes to the Big Dance (the Playoffs).

If winning your Conference is a requirement to get in the Playoffs, and you can't do that without winning your Division, I think that will keep the importance of the Regular Season games at a premium.

8 Conferences of 14 teams each equals 112 teams. There are currently 120 in FBS, so 8 teams will have to drop down to Division 2. Sorry. Maybe you'll be more competitive down there. I vote that Notre Dame should be part of that crew since they're so fond of being "Independent", but that likely will not happen.

The immediate reaction to this is that no way should, say, the MAC get an automatic berth into the Playoffs when their Champ couldn't beat the 8th best team in another Conference. That is a fair point. However, if you're going to have a system that makes sense, you can't have a Divison of Haves and Have Nots like you do now. Either everyone in the Division has an equal opportunity, or they should be in another Division. You can't give auto-berths to some Conferences and not to others.

Besides, if the MAC was on equal footing (at least opportunity-wise) with the rest of their Division, you don't think they'd improve? Players would quickly realize that they could get plenty of ink and TV time at a good MAC school, especially if they'd be starting right away. The smaller Conferences might still be the ugly stepsister, but at least she'd be at the dance.

It doesn't even have to be the MAC. It could be Conference USA or the WAC or the Mountain West - whatever. Let's say that the 8 Conferences are the Big 10, the Big 12, the Pac 10, the SEC, the ACC, the Big East, Conference USA, and the Mountain West. Everyone else gets broken up and joins whatever Conference they can. Sure, it breaks up some long-standing traditions, but you gotta break some eggs to make a soufflé.

2) The Playoffs consist of 3 rounds of games 2 weeks apart. The First Round consists of 4 games featuring the 8 Conference Champions. It takes place 2 weeks after the Conference Championship games. Before the Playoffs, the 8 teams are seeded, using whatever system they deem fit. The #1 Seed plays #8, and so on. The 4 games are located at pre-determined Regional locations, much like the NCAA Basketball tourny. They can be at the sites of traditional Bowl games, if they wish. One East, one Midwest, one West, one South. The immediate outcry would be the weather factor in the Midwest at that time of year, but that is easily remedied. Ford Field in Detroit or the RCA Dome in Indy spring to mind.

Obviously, the #1 Seed gets to play at the location nearest their school, then the #2 Seed, you know how it goes.

The 4 winners play again 2 weeks later (again, by seed) at 2 other pre-determined spots, likely rotating between the 4 existing BCS sites - one East and one West.

The Championship Game takes place 2 weeks later at the final pre-determined spot, likely one of the 4 existing BCS sites that wasn't used in the previous round.

3) The Bowls go on as usual. If you aren't one of the 8 Conference Champs and you have enough wins, you're Bowl eligible, and you can have the pleasure of playing in the Mike's Hard Lemonade Groundhog Bowl or the Tylenol Oil Bowl or whatever just like you always did. Everybody makes money, everybody wins.

Especially the fans.

[aoxo1]

No one will care about the Emerald Bowl anymore, though.

[fairvis]

Who cares about the Emerald Bowl anyways? People watch football to watch football... the bowl games (outside of one) are meaningless anyways, what's the difference keeping them around when they have exactly the same meaning- placing teams at the year-end poll?

[furls]

I get bored everytime I try to start reading a playoff proposal. I mean no disrespect to you Hiko, I love your work, but there are tons of great playoff proposals falling on deaf ears. Did you know that this year, with 35 bowls they are toying with the notion of allowing sub .500 teams to play in bowls?

[fairvis]

The playoff proposals will all fall on deaf ears, because the current situation makes good money for everyone. Massive realignment to foment a playoff scenario is a non-starter. The only thing that would make sense would be to have all 11 current conferences get an autobid, and then 5 at-larges. 16 teams, first two rounds at the higher seeded team.

This would keep the regular season intact, as you'd have to win your conference (or be lucky and get an auto-bid). There would be no maximum amount of conference teams in the playoffs- if the SEC had three or four teams in the top 10, then they'd all make it.

It would kill the BCS, but the lesser bowl games would become like the NIT. People still watch the NIT, and it still makes money. There would be little argument from the teams "left out" as they'd still have the bowl game practices and the money associated with it- plus, they then should've won their conference.

In this scenario, for example, last season would've had:

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Cincinnati
4. TCU
5. Florida*
6. Boise State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa*
11. Virginia Tech*
12. LSU*
13. Penn State*
14. Central Michigan
15. East Carolina
16. Troy

It's the only way that's fair, it's the only way that it would be done. Even with conference realignment, it would work... championship game winner gets in or regular-season champion gets in.

[aoxo1]

Who cares about the Emerald Bowl anyways? People watch football to watch football... the bowl games (outside of one) are meaningless anyways, what's the difference keeping them around when they have exactly the same meaning- placing teams at the year-end poll?

[Hikohadon]

The playoff proposals will all fall on deaf ears, because the current situation makes good money for everyone. Massive realignment to foment a playoff scenario is a non-starter. The only thing that would make sense would be to have all 11 current conferences get an autobid, and then 5 at-larges. 16 teams, first two rounds at the higher seeded team.

This would keep the regular season intact, as you'd have to win your conference (or be lucky and get an auto-bid). There would be no maximum amount of conference teams in the playoffs- if the SEC had three or four teams in the top 10, then they'd all make it.

It would kill the BCS, but the lesser bowl games would become like the NIT. People still watch the NIT, and it still makes money. There would be little argument from the teams "left out" as they'd still have the bowl game practices and the money associated with it- plus, they then should've won their conference.

In this scenario, for example, last season would've had:

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Cincinnati
4. TCU
5. Florida*
6. Boise State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa*
11. Virginia Tech*
12. LSU*
13. Penn State*
14. Central Michigan
15. East Carolina
16. Troy

It's the only way that's fair, it's the only way that it would be done. Even with conference realignment, it would work... championship game winner gets in or regular-season champion gets in.

Oh, I'm perfectly aware that there is absolutely no chance of my proposal being accepted. I'm just throwing it out there as what I'd do if I owned the world.

The Bowl Games are already the NIT. It's not like they'd mean any less with a playoff system because they already mean nothing.

[Love child of shawn kemp]

he playoff proposal makes sense enough but it will mess with existing conference TV contracts and likely would never get approved because of that.

[jb]

Hiko, address how it makes everyone more money and falates the big conferences so the competitive deck is stackd more in their favor and that starts get get real.

Cause that's all tht matters.

[Triple-S]

I think a plus one model is the closest thing for the time being.

Last year it would have been

Bama V. Cincy

and

TCU V. Texas

maybe eventually it'll spread to being 8, 12 and then finally 16.

[Hikohadon]

Hiko, address how it makes everyone more money and falates the big conferences so the competitive deck is stackd more in their favor and that starts get get real.

Cause that's all tht matters.

Simple.

1. Conference championships get more viewership, higher ratings, more advertising dollars because now casual fan will be more curious about who wins, say, the ACC if there's a chance their team might play them in the playoffs. Right now, unless the ACC winner has a shot of going to the NC Game, then who cares (outside of the ACC)?

I also think casual fan is more enticed by the added importance of the games.

2. Right now there are 5 BCS games. In a playoff system, there are 7 games. 2 more games = more $.

3. Those 7 games would likely get higher ratings as well, since I know that there were at least 2 BCS games that I didn't bother to watch last year, but I would have had they been playoff games.

4. Hard to prove, but I bet a shiny nickel that a playoff system makes college football the most popular sport in the country, surpassing the NFL. Popularity = more $ in merchandise and marketing.

So, to sum up: Higher ratings, 2 more games, all other bowl games stay intact, added popularity, greater exposure, more advertising & merchandising dinero.

It's hard to understand why they're resisting.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

It's hard to understand why they're resisting.

The mob rules. Everyone in the NCAA wants a piece of that sweet sweet CFB money pie. Viewing time and interest is pretty close to a zero-sum game. Give the remaining bowl games NIT-level interest and a lot of schools aren't making as much money as they used to. I point back up thread to what Furls said about there now being 35 bowls. We're almost at the point of eventually seeing Minnesota vs Vanderbilt in the Discount Drug Mart Bowl.

[Hikohadon]

It's hard to understand why they're resisting.

The mob rules. Everyone in the NCAA wants a piece of that sweet sweet CFB money pie. Viewing time and interest is pretty close to a zero-sum game. Give the remaining bowl games NIT-level interest and a lot of schools aren't making as much money as they used to. I point back up thread to what Furls said about there now being 35 bowls. We're almost at the point of eventually seeing Minnesota vs Vanderbilt in the Discount Drug Mart Bowl.

I guess I'm not understanding this... How do already meaningless bowl games mean less in a Playoff world? How would the Discount Drug Mart Bowl make any less money if 8 teams that wouldn't be in it anyway were in a playoff instead of a BCS Game?

[Triple-S]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/podcas ... index.html

this looks like an interesting read.

also, if we do end up with a playoff, my ideal is to do a 16-team playoff, with the first round being at campus sites. Think of how bad ass it would be to see an SEC potentially finally forced to play up north in the snow and forced to play Midwestern style ball with no spread attack.

If anyone ever saw it, this past year Montana St. and Applachian St. played in the snow and it just seemed like an incredible atmosphere. I would love to see this repeated in the Shoe in mid-December.

Use the Orange, Sugar, Cotton, Fiesta and Rose Bowl like how the NCAA somewhat alternate NCAA basketball regions/championship games. Making New Years fun and meaningful once again.

[Triple-S]

I think today with TOSU/Whisky and last week with Bama/Chickens are clear examples why a playoff is needed in college football.

while one could argue that, yes, the "Regular season" is indeed a playoff, If it does in fact end up being Oregon V. Boise St. in the title game, do you really feel that you're getting the "Two best teams in college football"?

There's so many variables that can throw a monkey wrench into whos the best, take the '98 season. K-State gets upset in the Big XII title game, UCLA get knocked off by Miami and TOSU with one of it's best teams ever suffers an upset to an average MSU team. A Tulane team goes undefeated with Shaun King at the helm and gets shrugged out of the system entirely. Who's to say any of those teams could have been crowned national champion over Tennessee? We'll never know though. Like we may never know at this point, if this Buckeye team could have brought home championship number 8

[Triple-S]

Was curious how this would go down right now, and how much more exciting it would be to talk about how the Bucks may still have a shot at Winning the National Title, over having to see Oregon be one of the clear cut favorites, a team they beat in the Rose Bowl.

Rules are as follows
-11 Bids go to the Conference Champions
-5 go to at-large teams, with a conference only allowed to have 2 Max teams in the tourney
-First rounds are played at home sites of the higher seed, Second Rounds are at 4 of the 5 BCS Sites on New Years Day, and the "Final Four" and "National Championship" games are held at one of the rotating site.
-The five sites are the Cotton Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
-4 seeding groups are made, top 4 are conference champs with highest ranking, next 4 are conference champs and 2 of the highest ranked At-Large teams, the 4 following that are at-large teams, and the remaining 4 are a mix of the MAC/Sun Belt, Conf. USA and lower ranked teams.
-Following the 1st round, the Bowl games get to select who is to be invited based on who's historically played there in the past (IE, Big 10 V. Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl), the matchups are based solely on whom the bowls think will be the best matchups, not by seeding.
-If you are in a BCS Conference and you win your conference, this gurantees a home playoff game in the first round. (Example, Florida would have not had a game in the first round despite being ranked in the top 4 prior to playing Cincinnati, and as bad as a Big East Champion would be, they would still earn a home game.)
-First Round matchups and Bowl Games will not have Conference Games, so for example TOSU and Wisconsin would both not play each other until the quarterfinals or the finals, but Oklahoma and Wisconsin could both play each other as they are close geographically without having to play each other conference foes.

So at this point in the season, the automatic qualifiers are:

ACC-Florida St.
Big East-Pitt
SEC-Auburn
Big Ten-Wisconsin
Big XII-Nebraska
PAC 10-Oregon
WAC-Boise St.
Mountain West-TCU
Conference USA- Central Florida
MAC- Northern Illinois
Sun Belt- Troy

And, At-Large:

1. Utah
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. THE Ohio State University
5. Stanford

Oregon, Auburn, Boise St, TCU= #1 Seeds, and get to play the Number 4 seeds of the tourney

Pitt, Wisconsin, Florida St.,Nebraska= #2 Seeds, get to host #3's at home

Ohio St, Alabama, Oklahoma and Utah= #3 Seeds, have to travel to play #2's

Stanford, N. Illinois, Troy, Central Florida= #4 seeds, have to travel to top 4 at home

First round games:

N. Illinois @ Oregon

Troy @ TCU

Central Florida @ Auburn

Stanford @ Boise St.

Ohio St. @ Pitt

Alabama @ Florida St.

Oklahoma @ Wisconsin

Utah @ Nebraska