A Playoff- Is it Really that Hard?

I too liked the article (generally). For a long time (check CBlue) I was in favor of a 16 team playoff with all 11 conference champions plus 5 at large. However, over the last year or so I've moved more toward the 8 team format, with the top 8 rated conference champions. I would include a provision that if any independent was ranked higher than the 8th rated champion, then they get in over the lower ranked conference champ. I reached the conclusion based on the at-large thing. I tend to think that it does cheapen the regular season (Wetzel added LSU? Really? and PSU? Those are absurd additions to the pool). If you're going to have a championship, then that should be your ticket to the dance. It keeps the win-them-all mentality that you have now, but adds the HUGE benefit of a playoff. It also would promote bigger OOC games during the regular season because those wouldn't kill your chances of getting in. Now I know that many will cry that the champs of all conferences should get in automatically. Sure, that would be great, but it's not necessary---none of the conferences are guaranteed a spot in the tourney, they each have to earn it by winning on the field. For instance, had Houston maintained their early season prowess and run the table, or only lost once, they could well be ranked as one of the top 8 conference champs. Same for MAC or SB champions. As for the rest, let them go bowling. And eat cake.

Alphaleonis wrote:
Back from the Sunday School Christmas party and ready to answer Rasta.



You ask how many times my imaginary scenario will happen to exclude a worthy non-conference champ from a playoff? How many times in what length of history? The past 8-10 years (How long has The BCS been around?) or the last 10 plus the next 50.

If it happened only once in whatever period it would be too many.



I graduated from BYU and went to graduate school at LSU. So I follow LSU pretty close as my second school. One year they got into the NC game with 2 losses and won. I'm a LSU fan and even I didn't like that bogus NC matchup. I think that there were 5 or 6 teams that were just as worthy of admission to the NC game. Maybe more than one from some conference(s). Hence the need for a playoff and the need for some at large berths.



Just spending so much typing time proving that such a travesty didn't happen THIS YEAR is a waste of your time. We're talking long term solutions. Like I said, if it happens once in the next quarter century, it would be once too many.

Once again. Give me ONE YEAR in the BCS era where FIVE "at-large" teams are justified. It has never happened. Yes, there has to be an "at-large" provision because not every team is in a conference, but let's not say that because one team one year MIGHT have had a compelling argument to compete for a NC that didn't win their conference that we need five "at-large" teams included in an arbitrary playoff every year. That doesn't make any sense.



See my proposal for a better solution.