College Football Playoff Expansion

[Rojo Rijo]

The reason for 12 teams is to get as many SEC teams in as possible. The B1G and Pac 12 were not a part of developing this. They need to play hardball to make sure no more than two teams per conference get in. College football is already in danger of becoming a regional sport. The goal for expanding the playoffs should be to expand the game nationally, not for Greg Sankey to get what he wants.

No chance. The SEC dominates recruiting and the NFL draft every year. It's undoubtedly where a majority of the best players in the game play. No way you water down the product by capping your strongest resource. Even if they did try and limit conferences this way, 2 teams is a joke and I can guarantee you the B1G would not agree to it either.

[Rojo Rijo]

I am ok with this proposal. I would have liked to see them go best 8 teams regardless. I don't think a Group of 5 should get an auto bid because I just don't think they are good enough.....

The one positive of increasing the field is you have the chance to get a championship caliber team in the mix who had a slip up or was coming on after a slow start. OSU and OU have all had teams in the past who were capable of causing some serious damage but were left out because they lost a game they just couldn't or had a slow start.

In most seasons there aren't 4 championship level teams, the 4th seed in many years has been destroyed in the first game. I do think this gives teams like PSU, Florida, Michigan a chance to stay relevant when they just can't seem to get over the hump.

The idea of a game being played in Happy Valley between PSU and Florida in late Dec sounds awesome.

One final change, play the title game on a Sat night.

Agree 100%. As a Florida fan it was painful to swallow the LSU meltdown, especially when if your reckless DB doesnt throw an opponents cleat 20 yards you still mighty actually pull out the W, despite your coach sitting your best offensive weapon since Percy Harvin. Then you go blow for blow with Alabama and for the first time in 12 years Saban actually seems to have some resemblance of stress about playing your team. A late season stumble loss followed by coming up short to one of the juggernauts would typically be a nail in the coffin 99/100 times. With the new format 2 losses will become manageable and more weight can be carried by a teams stronger performances. I also agree that I was pulling for 8, thinking that would be luck and it might only be 6 at first. I never wouldve thought 12 but I like that it gives the top 4 advantage of more rest/time to get healthy.

[Boston Red]

As long as the other four power conferences are guaranteed one spot and the Group of 5 or Group of 6 or whatever they are going to be gets 1, I don't care if the SEC takes the other 6 spots if they have the next 6 best teams. As long as every program has a clear path to winning a national championship (just as they do in every other sport the NCAA runs), I'll be happy.

[Reds Freak]

One final change, play the title game on a Sat night.

100% agree with this. The Monday night championship games suck. Feels like an afterthought. I usually forget the game is on. While we're at it, let's move the basketball Final Four to Thursday-Saturday.

[Danny Serafini]

At this point they may as well just go to 16, give all 10 conferences an auto bid and you still have 6 at large. The top four lose their bye but gain a money making game at home against an opponent they should handle, I'm sure they'd be fine with that.

[bucksfan2]

At this point they may as well just go to 16, give all 10 conferences an auto bid and you still have 6 at large. The top four lose their bye but gain a money making game at home against an opponent they should handle, I'm sure they'd be fine with that.

No, no, no. College Football isn't college basketball. I want the best teams playing, not a team that gets an auto bid to get slaughtered by OSU or Bama. As good of a story as someone like Coastal Carolina was I just don't think they a chance to do anything when they play a playoff team.

One thing I would like to see is uniformity in schedule. Require each P5 school to play the same amount of conference games and make sure they play another P5 school. I would also like to see a G6 school be required to play at least one P5 school to be eligible, but I understand the complexity of that.

The narrative behind a G6 school making a run is fun, I just don't think it plays out in reality. I want to see the best play the best. Two years ago I saw a very good UC team get embarrassed by a championship caliber OSU team. I don't want to see that in the playoff. Sure give a G6 school one of the twelve spots, but I want nothing to do with five more teams getting auto bids who don't stand a chance.

[Boston Red]

The narrative behind a G6 school making a run is fun, I just don't think it plays out in reality.

There were a number of Boise State teams that would have been a threat to get to the semifinals and would not have been a big underdog even in the semis. Probably not a huge threat to win it all, but then again if you have a 12 team format, at least 7 of those teams aren't going to be a threat to win it all even if you restrict it to just P5 teams.

[Roy Tucker]

Are they going to integrate these games into existing bowls or is it a completely separately hosted thing?

[bucksfan2]

There were a number of Boise State teams that would have been a threat to get to the semifinals and would not have been a big underdog even in the semis. Probably not a huge threat to win it all, but then again if you have a 12 team format, at least 7 of those teams aren't going to be a threat to win it all even if you restrict it to just P5 teams.

It would have been an interesting case study. I do think those BSU teams are looked upon fondly by most college fans. While I also don't think the apathy of P5 schools was where it is today, but those BSU teams had an advantage in that game meant something to them whereas Oklahoma (or whoever else they played) wasn't exactly thrilled to be there. I think the BCS started diminishing the bowl games and the playoffs killed them.

I know it doesn't mean everything but I went and checked the 247 talent composite, Houston was the most talented G6 team checking in at 55. Right behind Vandy and two sports ahead of Iowa St. Now with the right coach (see Iowa St) these teams can be competitive, but the pure talent on the field doesn't match up. Ultimately the grind of a P5 schedule is far more taxing than what a G6 team will play. For the quality of a game I will always skew to a P5 school getting the benefit of the doubt.

I will admit that every once in a while a G6 school has a team and more importantly schedule that could warrant them consideration as a top 5ish type program. This upcoming season for UC could validate themselves as a legit program. If UC runs the table this season, the deserve to be among one of the top 4 programs in the country.

[Boston Red]

It would have been an interesting case study. I do think those BSU teams are looked upon fondly by most college fans. While I also don't think the apathy of P5 schools was where it is today, but those BSU teams had an advantage in that game meant something to them whereas Oklahoma (or whoever else they played) wasn't exactly thrilled to be there.
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I'm not talking about that Boise State team. I'm talking about the ones that beat Georgia and Virginia Tech in what were basically road games in season opening events. I don't think there was much apathy involved there. Certainly not in the VaTech one, because they had already watched Boise State whip Georgia in a similar event the prior season. And Boise State was ranked #3 going into the game.

[bucksfan2]

I'm not talking about that Boise State team. I'm talking about the ones that beat Georgia and Virginia Tech in what were basically road games in season opening events. I don't think there was much apathy involved there. Certainly not in the VaTech one, because they had already watched Boise State whip Georgia in a similar event the prior season. And Boise State was ranked #3 going into the game.

The 2011 Georgia team finished the season unranked and the 2010 VaTech team ended up the season ranked 25th.

Here is my question for the good BSU teams of that era. How successful would they have been playing a P5 schedule. That 2011 team finished the season playing zero teams that were ranked at the end of the year.

[Boston Red]

The 2010 VaTech team went undefeated through the ACC. The 2011 Georgia team won 10 games in a row and won the SEC east. The 2009 Boise State team beat #3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. They started the season by beating Oregon...who won the Pac 12.

It's kind of silly to think those three Boise State teams didn't belong in a 12 team playoff.

[Rojo Rijo]

I won't argue that there have been non P5 teams that probably couldve competed in a 12 team playoff format in years past but the problem is thats not always the case and watching a Coastal Carolina-type team get thrashed is probably the price that will have to be paid for the likes of those past Boise State teams and more recent UCF teams to get their shots.

[Boston Red]

I won't argue that there have been non P5 teams that probably couldve competed in a 12 team playoff format in years past but the problem is thats not always the case and watching a Coastal Carolina-type team get thrashed is probably the price that will have to be paid for the likes of those past Boise State teams and more recent UCF teams to get their shots.

Agree, but it's worth it IMO. I mean, has anyone really been upset about Kentucky beating Mt. St. Mary by 50 in the NCAA basketball tournament? If the playoff is 12 teams, you're not knocking out a real contender from a major conference anyway. If you're in the Big XII and not one of the 11 best teams, quit crying. You had ample opportunity to make your case.

[Phoenix2]

Its a shame how the CFP worked out. I don't think they foresaw that it would be the overriding, overarching focus of everything. They hoped teams and fans would care about winning conferences, but all attention turned to who will be the 4 teams. Not everyone is in contention for a national title. 4 teams? Maybe Bama and Clemson and another team. Oftentimes the number 4 team shouldn't even be there. So now we are going to watch all the debate and grief about what #13 team gets unfairly left out. Yawn.