So, the discussion is always 8 teams but really to be fair you need 16 teams. 10 Conference champs and 6 at large. My example is from the 2018 final rankings and after Conference title games. If the system was in place in 2018 it would have been like this:
Game 1: #1. Alabama vs #16. UAB at Tuscaloosa
Game 2: #8. UCF vs. #9. Washington at Orlando
Game 3: #4. Oklahoma vs. #13. Fresno State at Norman
Game 4: #5. Georgia vs. #12. Penn State at Athens
Game 5: #2. Clemson vs. #15. Northern Illinois at Clemson
Game 6: #7. Michigan vs. #10. Florida at State College
Game 7: #3. Notre Dame vs. #14. Appalachian State at South Bend
Game 8: #6. Ohio State vs. #11. LSU at Columbus
Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Game 10: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Game 11: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Game 12: Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner at Levi’s Stadium Santa Clara, California
Alabama
Clemson
Notre Dame At-Large
Oklahoma
Georgia At-Large
Ohio State
Michigan At-Large
UCF
Washington
Florida At-Large
LSU At-Large
Penn State At-Large
Fresno State
Appalachian State
Northern Illinois
UAB
Personally, I would love this. Also, it would not be SEC friendly since some of those teams will have to travel to the colder and snowier climate. Thoughts? I really enjoy this idea and topic.
I think an 8 team playoff makes more sense and there are several ways to conceptualize “fair”. But I’d probably take a 16 team playoff over the current infinity junk bowl mess we have.
Interesting idea. Gives a 1st round home game to the higher seeds. keeps some bowl games, and current format for CFP. Makes too much sense for NCAA to go with, IMO. I think I’ve seen similar ideas bandied about in the past.
I’d like to see it tried. I was looking at the FCS playoff brackets, they’re somewhat similar, but upper seeds get a bye (1-4 iirc). Either way, it’d be an improvement over what we have now.
How does eliminating at minimum 2 conference champs equate to fair? If it’s about too many games reduce the season to 11 games an get rid of that throw away FCS team many P5 are playing
That home game in first round is excellent. Say Utah is 6 right now. They would play the 6th at large Florida at Home. Would Utah fans show up to see Florida play the Saturday Before (or After depending on when the Playoff starts) Christmas in SLC?
In Salt Lake? Yeah, they would show up. It’d make for an interesting game for UF, doubt many of their players have been some place like Salt Lake in late December. It can be cold, even by Utah standards that time of year.
I don’t believe a 16 team playoff is a realistic possibility. An 8 team is a possibility with 5 P5 Champs, G5 top rated champ and 2 at-large, especially if the first round is played at the home field of the highest seeded teams the week after the Conf. Championship games and then the current CFP format is used. Personally, I like a 6 team championship with the No. 1 and 2 seeds having a bye and the 3 and 4 seeds hosting the first round. An 8 team CFP gives a committee too much room to have 3 SEC teams.
I would love a 16 team playoff. I see no downside at all. I do think pushing for scheduling equity among conferences would be good too. I’d just love to see more of the best teams playing each other. Do you think this type of playoff would lead to teams playing more high-risk out of conference games or less? I’d like a system that encourages more. Don’t you want to see Utah play an SEC team down in the Raiders new stadium in Vegas? Man that would be fun.
Wut? “An 8 team CFP gives a committee too much room to have 3 SEC teams.” If you are looking for fair 16 is it. 8 is only if you are trying to get the best teams in. If it’s 3 SEC teams why would you have an issue. The conversation is “Fair” and to eliminate 4 Conference Champs is beyond lame and not fair. 7 of the 10 Conference champs last year were Top 25 teams. So, under your suggestion we should drop a G5 Top 25 team from having a shot?
Let me tackle the last part first, no. I am tired of neutral site games. I miss home and home on campus games. As for schedule strength it would be encouraged to play tougher teams for conferences. It would help get more teams at-large bids. With six at large you could see 3 maybe even 4 teams in the playoff.
I like 8 because it allows you to put in each of the P5 champions, one G5 team and 2 at large. That should be enough so if a team is having a magical season they CAN play well enough to win it all.
Way too many teams. What’s the point? Most of the 16 have no chance at all of prevailing over the top flight teams.
It’s one more game. If everyone drops to 11 games then it’s not a big deal and this is about “Fair.” Excluding all G5 champs is not a “Fair” way to do business. You are either FBS or you are not.
I like 8 because it allows you to put in each of the P5 champions, one G5 team and 2 at large. That should be enough so if a team is having a magical season they CAN play well enough to win it all.
Lol. I used to come here when y’all were the MWC and advocate what I am advocating and everyone was on board. Now, y’all went Pac 12 and you quickly became an exclusionary P5 fanbase. Lol. Yet, complain about how the SEC gets 2 teams in. Weird.
8 teams is the ideal format in my opinion. 16 teams is far too many and conference presidents are not going to agree to an 11 game season. That’s a lot of lost revenue even if it is only one less home game. P5 champions and 3 at-large will give teams like UCF from last year or UNI from two years ago, or even Utah from several years ago when they played Alabama in the Sugar bowl. It gives those teams that are having a great season get a chance at the big prize they normally would not have.
Also, cutting out DIV-II (whatever they are called today) from the schedule is not going to be approved. Most of these schools schedule games against P5 teams because they fund their entire athletic department for the entire year. They’re not going to give up that money without a fight. 16 teams devalues the tournament too much.
8 teams is the ideal format in my opinion. 16 teams is far too many and conference presidents are not going to agree to an 11 game season. That’s a lot of lost revenue even if it is only one less home game. P5 champions and 3 at-large will give teams like UCF from last year or UNI from two years ago, or even Utah from several years ago when they played Alabama in the Sugar bowl. It gives those teams that are having a great season get a chance at the big prize they normally would not have.
Also, cutting out DIV-II (whatever they are called today) from the schedule is not going to be approved. Most of these schools schedule games against P5 teams because they fund their entire athletic department for the entire year. They’re not going to give up that money without a fight. 16 teams devalues the tournament too much.
You must not be an American. Because you sound like an AmeriCAN’T. People told Roy Bud Cramer that no one would go for Conference Title games. Then they told him they wouldn’t do BCS or a 4 team playoff. They also said players wouldn’t be paid. Seems all the “Can’t” people are proven wrong.
Also, still laughable that adding all Conference Champs “Devalues” a system. “Hey, if we have a total representation of College football it would devalue our playoff.”
I won’t say it’s impossible, but it is unnecessary imho. It’s pretty rare that a team outside of the top eight can make a serious case for a playoff berth. Eight seems to be an ideal number, and you wouldn’t have to alter the regular season to make it happen.
Typical. Someone gives an opposing view point as the original poster and he gets hurt that not everyone agrees with his opinion. Are you really serious? Do you think adding Small School U to a 16 team playoff system is valuable?
Typical. Someone gives an opposing view point as the original poster and he gets hurt that not everyone agrees with his opinion. Are you really serious? Do you think adding Small School U to a 16 team playoff system is valuable?
Nope. It’s a discussion board so I am not getting hurt but discussing. I come from a fanbase that would prefer to have only 3 conferences allowed in the playoff. The best responses you muster are “University Presidents won’t go for it.” The playoff revenue moving to another week would dwarf the revenue from tickets against Portland State. The truth is everyone on here is what they claimed Alabama fans were in 2008. Ute fans 2008 would destroy Ute fans 2019 as being the elitist P5 school that wants to cheat the lower-tiered schools out of a shot (Trust me, I was accused of this back then). So, yeah… I think adding a Top 25 team (which happens to be 8 of the 10 Champs) is valuable. Do you really think a Top 25 team has no shot at a title?
That’s true when it’s a Top 4 format. When you expand to 8 you will hear complaints of being unfair. If we do all conferences have a tie-in then it’s solved. The other option is Super Conferences and moving that all FBS schools must be in one of 5 conferences and those who aren’t fall down to the FCS level.
No. Under my suggestion the top ranked G5 conference champ would be in. The 5 P5 conference champs would be in. This places winning the conference paramount as there is no wiggle room if you don’t. Win your conference or go stay home.