You would be better off just placing the Top 6 Conference Champs. That way if the ACC or Pac 12 have an off year the Sun Belt, WAC or MAC team can take their spot if they are higher ranked. The distinction of P5 doesn’t mean you deserve the classification. The Top 2 conferences tend to have 3 teams better than the other 3 P5’s Champ.
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Fine. All SEC division champs and Runner-ups and 4 at large.
Drop to 11 regular games? Never happen. Think about what you’re asking the vast majority of teams that would be out of the playoff to give up. It makes no sense financially, therefore it will never happen.
An 8 team playoff is really a 16 team playoff when you consider the conference championship games and that many are adequate. I would prefer the 5 conference champs and the next highest 3 teams with pressure for ND to get into a conference. Next, get everyone playing 9 conference games. More than 2 meaningless preseason games are not needed, play 10 quality games.
I would expect that the G5 would benefit the most by creating their own bracket with all their conference champions. High Schools in all the lower brackets prefer their own bracket rather than collectively sending a single school to the top bracket to compete, why would not G5 schools prefer the same? I think they would make much more from their own 8 team playoff than sending a single school up to the P5 level. If not, maybe we should rethink the HS model.
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I’m not saying they should. I am addressing the “too many games” crowd. Let’s not act as if 11 game seasons weren’t modern era football though. 17 games for a championship though is not out of the realm. More so as we start to pay players.
Remember, this is only if we care about “fair” tournament and not best four teams which is the playoff is supposed to do now
Let’s get it expanded to 8 and see what we think after a few years
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BTW… I was doing some thinking. Here’s how I think the playoff should be on conference championship Saturday whatever league has #1 or the #2 team has their championship game replaced by either ND or group of 6 and gets a bye. Now there is 6 other games for a playoff spot
Big 10
SEC
ACC
Pac-12
Big 12
Two At Large games
2 highest ranked non champ game contenders play at the higher ranked teams stadium
If the playoffs were this weekend it would be:
Georgia, Bama bye
Cincy Play ND in SEC champ
Wake vs Pitt in ACC champ
Ok St vs Baylor Big 12 Champ
Ohio St vs Iowa Big 10 Champ
Oregon vs Utah Pac 12 Champ
Mich St at Mich wild card
Georgia and Bama Pick their opponent
committee picks the other contests
Committee picks the 2 NYE semifinal bowl games
Regardless of number of teams that make up a playoff scheme, someone is going to ■■■■■ about being left out of the dance. In my lifetime they have expanded the NCAA MBB tourney five times; and guess what, their are still teams bitching about being left out and relegated to the NIT.
The question mostly boils down to the “Cinderella Factor,” meaning how many teams do you want in the tourney that should be given the chance to “wear the shoe?” The current format excludes at least one P5 conference champion each year (and unfortunately it has usually been the PAC 12). 8, with each P5 champion, the top rated G5(4) champion and some at large teams sort of opens the door, but not by much. 16 would allow all P5 and G5(4) champions to dance, plus would throw in some at large. Definitely more chances for “Cinderella,” but would piss of the current Bowl system to no end.
So, the question remains, “Do we let/and how many Cinderella’s into the dance?”
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While I agree that no matter how many times you expand it, you’ll have people who get left out but think they should be let in - one area I give credit to the MBB tourney is that every single team in the country has a shot at playing for a national title from the first day of the season. And that isn’t true for football.
I know, I know - realistically 98% of the teams I’m talking about don’t REALLY have a chance - but no one is honestly excluded from the start like football.
With that in mind, I’d love to see a playoff that allows the champion for every conference to participate. You can give benefits to the teams that deserve it by giving them a bye, letting them have the first game as a home game, whatever. But including all conference champions is the way to go. I don’t care what gets decided about at large teams after that - just give everyone the chance to be in if they win their conference.
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I know the point is to determine a national champion and there are only a few teams with a realistic chance. Sure, there could be a ‘Cinderella’ but probably wouldn’t be often that we get anyone outside the top 4 that wins. Sure, sometimes a conference has 2 of the best 4 teams.
Having said that, it would be fun and a great reward for champions to be in. Sure, some of those teams might get creamed (for the first couple years) but it would be great exposure to the other conferences. Then you get a Cinci or UTSA or SDSU that puts it together that year and is competitive. Oh yeah, there’s a MAC (Central MI, Northern IL have had good years). MWC - hey, they’re ok! Who is in the Sun Belt? Ragin Cajuns?! Coastal, App State, …
Recruits could see the potential benefit of going and getting playing time and development rather than sitting behind someone else for a couple years (unless NIL completely stratifies the conferences).
But the big money-making conferences don’t want parity so this won’t happen.
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In my scenario someone could be 12th and ■■■■■… easier to have them out than the 5th ranked team currently. Additonally, and this is the best part of the expansion. WE GET MORE FOOTBALL THAT MATTERS.
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I don’t even care if it matters 
- just that it’s decent.
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THIS!!!
It’s a perfect solution. And 8 teams is enough. Every conference is going to a CCG. That almost doubles up the pool to make the 8 team playoff.
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There’s a way to make it work but only the CCG participants would play 11 regular season games. Everybody schedules 12 games and 8 teams will play them as scheduled on the final week of the regular season. The two division winners will play their 12th game as the CCG while their scheduled opponents will play each other. Both games played as neutral site games in Vegas with an extra week to prepare and work out logistics for their fans to travel. The league can compensate any team that lost revenue from the rescheduled game from the proceeds of the CCG or a special fund dedicated to that specific purpose.
If the Utes play the Ducks in the CCG you could go down for the weekend and watch Colorado play Oregon State as an undercard game before taking in the main event later that evening or the next day.
Mimic the FCS. There. That’s my position.
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8, 10, 12, 16
ANY of those are better than the current system.
Honestly once you go past 10 I really don’t think anyone has a real argument to be in the hunt. This isn’t basketball. There aren’t 64 teams who can all dream of a multi win Cinderella streak.
I think my preference is for conference winner from each P5, top Ranked G5, then the next 2 highest ranked teams. So 8 team playoff with power protect matchups. More than that just waters things down and gives the SEC too many slots.
But that’s just me.
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12, for this reason alone. Every conference sends best team. Yes all P5 & G5 (Conference champs) then 2 at large for good teams. That is most fair and balanced. All conferences deserve a shot. I’m still mad about 04 and 08 and not getting a chance to play for the championship. So, I firmly believe that all conferences should get that chance and lay it out on the field.
For kicks and giggles play one less game a season and add one preseason game against whoever you want. No more fcs games though. Keep it real. And all conferences should agree on number of conference games played. Just my thoughts.
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Because G5 conf champs don’t deserve an auto bid, it wouldn’t be “fair.” I have said it before, and I will say it again: I was wrong in '04 and '08. We liked to mock the “week in, week out” talk, but it is absolutely true. The physical and mental grind of playing a P5 for 8-9 games straight (unless you are the SEC) is legit.
Cincy wouldn’t be undefeated in ANY of the P5 leagues, and would probably finish with at least 2 losses, at best. It isn’t because their top 22 aren’t good, or their coaches can’t scheme, but the depth and talent required to win 10/11/12 games a season in a P5 isn’t something any of tue G5 teams have on their roster.
8 team playoff with each P5 champ and 3 at large (maybe including 1 spot for the higgest rated G5 if in the top 12) is the way to go.
There are literally the same number of top 25 teams in the American, and ACC conference as the PAC 12. Only 3 in the Big XII. 5 in the Big 1G and 6 in the SEC. So, the argument there is an actual P5 is a false narrative. There is in any given year maybe a P2 and many years a P1. Also, you’re full of it if you think 2008 Utah wasn’t better than Florida. I don’t buy the P5 grind either. Hell, the SEC East is easier than the American.
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So UTSA would be top 25 and undefeated if they played in a P5?
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