Interesting Playoff Idea

[MgoMatt]

Now, I personally am biased against the idea of a college football playoff... but the following proposal caught my attention.

* Scrap the conference championship games.
* Give schools only 1 bye week
* End the regular season in week 13 (still a 12 game season)
* Week 14 becomes round 1 of an 8 team playoff.
* Conference championship week becomes round 2

Then, the two winners of round 2 get a spot in the national title game, a week after new years, just like it is now.

THE REST OF THE BOWLS ARE UNAFFECTED! AND THE 6 TEAMS WHO DID NOT WIN THE PLAYOFFS CAN STILL GET SELECTED FOR BCS BOWLS!

This plan really suits everyone:
- The schools get to keep the 12 game regular season, which they want for the $$$
- The 12 game regular season ensures 4 non-conference games, which fans like
- Cold weather schools still get to end their regular season in week 13
- Teams selected for the playoffs are not out of the bowl picture. Therefore, the big name bowls still get to pick heavyweight teams. Sure, the Rose Bowl could lose a Big 10 or Pac Ten team to the national championship game, but that happens anyways with the current system
- The big name bowls can still happen on new years day
- The students have time to study in december..... a weak argument against playoffs, but it doesn't apply to this situation

The only real losers
- Sponsors of conference chapionship games, like Dr Pepper. Maybe they could sponsor playoff games?? Although I'd prefer to see them at the higher seeded team's home. Make an SEC team play in the Big House in late November..... hehehe
- The players? with only 1 bye week to rest. Although personally, I think they would like the tradeoff

I think people ought to support a system like this. Too many playoff enthusiasts take the attitude of "**** the corporate establishment, we want playoffs" which really doesn't help your cause. A plan like this could please everyone: teams, players, fans, and sponsors.

[tpilews]

As a propronent for a playoff, I like your idea. It is certainly better than what we have right now, but, for me, it doesn't go far enough. I want a true 16 team playoff. 11 conference champions plus 5 at-large. Max of 2 teams from each conference. Home games for first two rounds. You can use the last three games as "BCS bowls" if that's what you want to call them. College football can still keep the other 75,000+ bowl games they have already. Corporations can still sponsor individual games, or rounds if they'd prefer. Hell, if you'd like, the losers of the first round can still be eligible for other "bowls". That seems to be fair, and adds another cool wrinkle.

Taking conference champions as automatic bids keeps the integrity of the regular season. Taking all 11 conference champions keeps the integrity of college football and keeps all teams on an equal playing field.

As far as scheduling in the extra 4 games for the national champ and runner up, I'd have to look at a calendar, but there should be no problem finding room for it. I'm in favor of any playoff system so long as the champ is decided on the field. I don't want to see a playoff less than 8 teams. Anything less is retarded.

[MgoMatt]

I think 8 teams is enough. With 16, then you need 3 weeks, and I'd hate to see any time cut from the regular season.

Just look at the top teams now:

1-8
====
Alabama
Oaklahoma
Texas
Florida
USC
Utah
Texas Tech
Penn State

9-16
====
Boise State
Ohio State
TCU
Ball State
Cincinnati
Oaklahoma State
Georgia Tech
Georgia

Now, maybe Boise State and Ball State would have a case for making the playoffs, but the other 6 teams there are hardly national championship contenders.

[tpilews]

I think 8 teams is enough. With 16, then you need 3 weeks, and I'd hate to see any time cut from the regular season.

Just look at the top teams now:

1-8
====
Alabama
Oaklahoma
Texas
Florida
USC
Utah
Texas Tech
Penn State

9-16
====
Boise State
Ohio State
TCU
Ball State
Cincinnati
Oaklahoma State
Georgia Tech
Georgia

Now, maybe Boise State and Ball State would have a case for making the playoffs, but the other 6 teams there are hardly national championship contenders.

You wouldn't have to shorten the regular season. Here's the schedule:

Dec. 6 - Championship Week
Dec. 13 - Off Week
Dec. 20 - Round of 16
Dec. 27 - Round of 8
Jan. 3 - National Semi-Final
Jan. 10 - National Title Game

Looks like there is plenty of room to fit the normal schedule and a 16-team playoff. Am I wrong?

[tpilews]

I think 8 teams is enough. With 16, then you need 3 weeks, and I'd hate to see any time cut from the regular season.

Just look at the top teams now:

1-8
====
Alabama
Oaklahoma
Texas
Florida
USC
Utah
Texas Tech
Penn State

9-16
====
Boise State
Ohio State
TCU
Ball State
Cincinnati
Oaklahoma State
Georgia Tech
Georgia

Now, maybe Boise State and Ball State would have a case for making the playoffs, but the other 6 teams there are hardly national championship contenders.

I'd like to see the 11 conference champions plus 5 at large bids, not the top 16 bcs ranked teams.

So the 11 are...

ACC - Boston College or Virginia Tech
Big 12 - Missouri or Oklahoma
Big 10 - Penn State
MAC - Ball State or Buffalo
Big East - Cinci - ????
Con. USA - East Carolina or Tulsa
MWC - Utah
PAC 10 - USC or ???
SEC - Alabama or Florida
Sun Belt - ????
WAC - Boise St. - ????

The 5 at large bids depend on the outcome of the conferences, so putting teams in now is pointless.

If someone would like to help me fill in those other teams that know whats up, that'd be great.


Here's how last year would have ended up:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c373/tpilews/1196153818.jpg
Some of those matchups in the second round would be pretty exciting to see. Especially when you look at the possibility of LSU playing in the freezing cold in WVU.

[MgoMatt]

You wouldn't have to shorten the regular season. Here's the schedule:

Dec. 6 - Championship Week
Dec. 13 - Off Week
Dec. 20 - Round of 16
Dec. 27 - Round of 8
Jan. 3 - National Semi-Final
Jan. 10 - National Title Game

Looks like there is plenty of room to fit the normal schedule and a 16-team playoff. Am I wrong?

I don't like that schedule.

I would prefer to see playofffs wind down to 2 teams in early December, then have the bowls as usual in late december / new years day, with the NC game the week after (in other words, same bowl schedule as we have now). As I said before, the system ought to allow the 6 (or 14) teams who don't make it to the NC game to still get a big time bowl game.