College presidents approve new four team playoff format

[jojo]

I'm surprised this isn't getting more discussion:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...beginning-2014

I'm especially surprised since the two main topics that need further discussion are doosies...

Two main topics that need further discussion are how teams will be selected and how revenue will be distributed. The commissioners have agreed in principle as to how the revenue will be divided, according to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, but that has not been made public yet.

[Redsfaithful]

I don't want to complain, because it's such an obvious improvement, but it's a shame the semifinal games won't be on college campuses (of the higher seeds). The environment of the games would be much better with more involved crowds, and I really don't have an attachment to the bowls, for the most part.

[reds1869]

I really don't have an attachment to the bowls, for the most part.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Which is the same reason we are getting this joke of a playoff system and not the superior playoff system used in every other division of college football.

[Sea Ray]

The reason it's not getting more attention is because so little has happened. Basically all they've done is implement a +1 playoff game. They're saying that instead of picking two teams, we're going to pick 4 and two winners from New Years Day will get to play one more game. I suppose it's a start but it's not exactly getting adventurous or anything. This sort of system will make it very difficult for a Boise St or even a UC to ever make it.

The unanswered questions such as revenue distribution are huge. For instance does Notre Dame get paid if they're not one of the four teams? I hope not but my guess is they'll continue to make special exceptions for the Irish. Will the Big East get as much as the SEC?

[Chip R]

The reason it's not getting more attention is because so little has happened. Basically all they've done is implement a +1 playoff game. They're saying that instead of picking two teams, we're going to pick 4 and two winners from New Years Day will get to play one more game. I suppose it's a start but it's not exactly getting adventurous or anything. This sort of system will make it very difficult for a Boise St or even a UC to ever make it.

The unanswered questions such as revenue distribution are huge. For instance does Notre Dame get paid if they're not one of the four teams? I hope not but my guess is they'll continue to make special exceptions for the Irish. Will the Big East get as much as the SEC?

I think it's also not getting much attention because it's not football season.

[cumberlandreds]

It's a huge step in the right direction. Most likely after the schools see how much money they can make from a playoff system the tournament will increase. It will eventually go to 8 teams then most likely to 16. It took years for the basketball tournament to expand. But when they started making money from it, it expanded by leaps and bounds. From about 24 teams in 1974 to 32 to 40 to 48 to 64 and now 68 with a recent push to get to 96. Don't worry more teams will be involved in the very near future.

[IslandRed]

The unanswered questions such as revenue distribution are huge. For instance does Notre Dame get paid if they're not one of the four teams? I hope not but my guess is they'll continue to make special exceptions for the Irish. Will the Big East get as much as the SEC?

I don't think it's "unanswered" so much as "unannounced." As jojo's link said ("agreement in principle") they have the framework. And no, the Big East isn't going to get what the SEC gets. From everything I've read, the SEC, Big 12, B1G, Pac-12 and ACC are getting the lion's share. Not equal, necessarily, they're working on a formula to use, but it won't leave any of those conferences in a bind if they don't happen to get a team into the four-team playoff in a given year. As for the Big East, they'll probably end up better than the other non-big-five leagues but there is clearly not a big six anymore.

It's a huge step in the right direction. Most likely after the schools see how much money they can make from a playoff system the tournament will increase. (snip) ... more teams will be involved in the very near future.

They set up a 12-year contract specifically to not have to deal with calls to expand for awhile. Of course, things can change.

Another interesting question -- does this spur more conference realignment or settle things down? There was a lot of smoke earlier in the summer, but nothing was going to happen until the playoff stuff was settled. Now that people know the deal, we'll see what happens.

[Todd Gack]

It's a huge step in the right direction. Most likely after the schools see how much money they can make from a playoff system the tournament will increase. It will eventually go to 8 teams then most likely to 16. It took years for the basketball tournament to expand. But when they started making money from it, it expanded by leaps and bounds. From about 24 teams in 1974 to 32 to 40 to 48 to 64 and now 68 with a recent push to get to 96. Don't worry more teams will be involved in the very near future.

I cant wait for the year the two unbeaten teams ranked 1 and 2 lose in the first round of the SETTLE IT ON THE FIELD playoffs.

the nfl operates under a system where league members play common schedules and opponents so logical tie breakers to determine playoff teams can be established. In college football we have a bunch of people in a room deciding who the four best teams are. in the nfl you can point ot specific head to head, division and conference records to legitimately decide your tournament participants. What is it now in college football, who we think plays a tougher schedule or has better "wins?"

[gonelong]

Ranking #1 or #2 means little, it's a flawed ranking to begin with.

This is why I favor only conference champions being eligible for the playoffs. Your conference determines how it will be represented. If you don't like the team your conference is sending, then fix your own process, it's nobodies fault but your own.

It is also why I am adamantly opposed to sending two teams from any conference before all (major) conferences are represented. The teams don't play head to head so evaluation of conferences is difficult at best.

I'd also like to see the playing field leveled a bit in regards to oversigning. Railroading a kid out of your program because he didn't pan out like you expected is horsecrap. Maybe the teams need a 2 per year exception in which they can remove a kid from the team for non-performance, but they get to stay on scholarship if they keep their academics in order.

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showp...1&postcount=16

I'm for a playoff where the BCS conferences each send a representative, and the last 2 two teams are the highest ranked BCS teams that are not automatically sent. This allows a second school from a top conference to get in and also gives the TCU/Boise State/Houston a shot at getting in.

First round is a home game at the top 4 BCS ranked schools that are auto qualifyers. This means some games could be played in snow or very, very cold weather. (Yes!)

The semi-final is a rotation of the 2 of the 4 big bowl games, and the final is rotated amon the Big4 bowl games..

The odd-man-out of big bowl games gets their pick of the at large teams that year.

This makes the whole season a playoff. Win your conference championship and you go, otherwise it's off to a bowl game. If you can't win your conference, you don't get to go (unless you make one of the 2 at large bids). Each conference gets a shot at the big trophy and the little guys get a fighting shot at it as well.

If you are not of the top 8, you go play the bowls as we always have. People will still travel, people will still watch.

It's not a big burden on the kids, they would have played a bowl game anyways, only 4 school will play more than 1 post-season game.

The first 4 games would sell out no problem. I suspect it wouldn't be an issue to sell out the last 3 games (2 semi-final) either.

Not perfect, but does address some of the "deal breakers". The big losers might be the 4 big bowls, so this probably never happens.

GL

[bucksfan2]

Two flaws in the current playoff format.
1) No home field advantage for the higher seed.
2) Its only 4 teams.

Being an OSU grad I think one of the unfair things about the bowl system is the northern teams are at a disadvantage due to the locations of the bowl games. When you build a team to compete in northen climate in November your at a disadvantage playing a game in 75 degree weather.

I think 8 teams is about the max I would want for a playoff but think it should go there. It gets to the point where if you aren't in the top 8 you really have no argument. If you aren't in the top 4 there could be a debate. The more teams that you add the less quality teams you are adding. It also stands to devalue the regular season, one that is pretty special if you ask me. The last think I would want to see is at an OSU UM game, Conference title game, etc. a team rest its starters like teams do in the NFL.

If it were up to me I would attempt to standardize the playing field amongst all power conferences. No oversigning and each is required to play a certain number of BCS conference teams in a certain year. I would make an 8 ream playoff with the first two games played at the higher seeds home field. Then the title game would rotate like the Super Bowl does. I would pick the 8 teams by a computer and human vote with the human vote being something similar to what the AP does. The last thing I want is the coaches voting on who makes it when its obvious that they don't care to vote at all. I could live with a NCAA Basketball type process but think in football there may not be enough to go upon to make the picks without the help of computers.

They have 2 years to get this done, I hope it expands mroe than a +1.

[Redsfaithful]

Being an OSU grad I think one of the unfair things about the bowl system is the northern teams are at a disadvantage due to the locations of the bowl games. When you build a team to compete in northen climate in November your at a disadvantage playing a game in 75 degree weather.

I complain about this all the time. It blows my mind that Ohio State can play LSU at a "neutral site" in a title game in freaking New Orleans and the media barely mentions it. Or all the teams that get to play USC at the Rose Bowl.

[Newport Red]

Being an OSU grad I think one of the unfair things about the bowl system is the northern teams are at a disadvantage due to the locations of the bowl games. When you build a team to compete in northen climate in November your at a disadvantage playing a game in 75 degree weather.

I used to think this way, but when is the last time OSU has played in the snow?

[bucksfan2]

I used to think this way, but when is the last time OSU has played in the snow?

Couldn't tell you. I know during my time at OSU I froze in the stands a number of times later on in the year. A couple of UM games come to mind. Anytime you get into October you can get games where the starting temperature is around freezing.

The weather is also a little bit different rain wise in the North as it is in the South. There have been numerous big time games where OSU has had to play a ball control offense because of the weather conditions. Two that come to mind are the 06 game against PSU as well as the Beanie Wells led OSU against Michigan back in 09 (?).

[IslandRed]

Being an OSU grad I think one of the unfair things about the bowl system is the northern teams are at a disadvantage due to the locations of the bowl games. When you build a team to compete in northen climate in November your at a disadvantage playing a game in 75 degree weather.

A couple of comments, one serious, one tongue in cheek:

1. Are northern teams really that different anymore in terms of style of play? Everyone in the country throws the ball and all the players are majoring in pre-NFL. If anything, Alabama and LSU were playing a very traditional Big Ten style last year based on power running and defense.

2. There's no rule against northern cities hosting bowl games, it's just that no one wants to go play in them.

[improbus]

I've always thought that the cold weather thing is a little overrated. The Big Ten season finishes around Thanksgiving, so only a handful of game encounter terrible weather. Go to Floridas first home game and tell me that playing in that kind of heat isnt a disadvantage.