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Playoff plan and debunking myths with facts....



I had a long discussion with a friend of mine about the BCS mess and a playoff system and to be honest, I can’t think of a single reason that there isn’t a playoff in place? I have heard a lot of lame reasons why a playoff would be a national travesty and have read a lot of myths but when you really look into things, it’s all bogus. It can’t even really be about the money! I think it is just an inexcusable fear of change that paralyzes the powers that be from making college football 10x’s better then it already is.

My ideal playoff comes from a hodgepodge of scenarios that I have read. Someone may have even come up with this exact model, I am definitely not claiming to have created it. It goes thusly;

1) 16 teams including all 11 conference champions and 5 “at large” teams.

2) Teams are ranked throughout the season by human voters using the coaches poll, Harris poll or equivalent committee type vote, and the Associated Press poll ( I am sure they would jump back aboard with a playoff system). The ranking would help decide the seeding of the playoffs and the five additional participants.

3) All teams would play 12 regular seasons games to decide their conference champions. Each conference could schedule any way they chose as long as only 12 games are played, i.e. 3 OOC games and a conf. champ. game. Each conference also could set their own rules on how their league representative is chosen in regards to tie breakers etc.

4) The playoffs would be bracketed much like the NCAA basketball tournament with four regions and travel considerations could be used when making the brackets. For example, if Oregon State was #15 and Georgia was #16 and Boise State was #1 and Georgia Tech was #2 then BSU could play Oregon State instead of Georgia. This area is a little fuzzy in my mind but it would need to be addressed. Remember the whole point is to crown a #1 champion so the difference between playing a #6 seed or a #4 seed shouldn’t be an end all complaint against a playoff if it makes travel and away from school time more manageable and efficient.

5) The regional round of the playoffs would be home games for the higher seed. Several reasons for this. First, it would be hard to travel to several games week after week to follow your team and having home games will ensure sold out stadiums. Also, a silly argument against a playoff is that it diminishes the regular season but with seeding equated to guaranteed home games each regular season game would maintain its importance.

6) This leaves us with four teams and two games. Rather then simply continue the bracket at this point the four remaining teams would be re-seeded with the knowledge of the teams performance in their first two playoff games. The round of four games would be played at sites that are bid on before the season. Several NFL owners would bid like crazy every year with help from their city’s budget. The Championship Game would also be played at a different site each year which was bid on.

The arguments against a playoff:

1) This would marginalize the best regular season in all of sports.

This is the worst argument against a playoff. First off, the reason the regular season is “the best in sports” is because the post season is horrible! The product would be better if the post season was better, just like every sport. I love regular season NFL games but the playoffs are better. I love regular season college football but playoffs would make it better. Also, this system wouldn’t make the regular season less meaningful it would make it better. As it stands now almost half of all teams are eliminated from a National Championship opportunity before the season even begins. This shuts out countless fans right out of the gate. Second, with a guaranteed playoff spot for winning a conference teams can worry about seeding and create a better OOC schedule to create buzz for their team with intriguing match-ups. Eliminating the 13th game for some teams simply means that one less “big dog” will play an FCS school every year. Only 16 teams would make the playoffs (out of 120) so every game would still be paramount and, in fact, conference rivalries would actually intensify. An example would be if Alabama was undefeated and LSU had two OOC loses in the current system LSU would not have nearly as much at stake in that game as Alabama did. In this playoff format, winning the conference would earn them a National Title opportunity thus making that game an infinitely more intense regular season game.

2) The current bowl format would be ruined.

I don’t buy this argument either. The BCS bowl games would be ruined, which is the point, but most of the other bowls would be just fine. The only people that care about all but a few of the traditional bowl games are hardcore football junkies and the participants fans. That crowd would still be interested in this format. Also only 6 more teams are in the playoff then are in BCS games so maybe, just maybe, three bowls would have to fold. I am positive that there are at least three bowl games that should probably go away right now. For a local reference, the same number of people would care about U of I V. Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl in this playoff format as would care in the current BCS format.

3) To much to ask of student athletes.

I understand this sentiment but I don’t think people think it through. Currently teams are “allowed” to play up to 14 games. Alabama and BSU both played 14 last year and both finished without a loss. (only one was crowned champions which is why the need for a playoff) In this format the MAXIMUM games played for a team is 16. Just two more games for two teams. Four teams play one extra game, 8 teams play the same number of games and the rest of college football play less then they are currently able to play. Yes the season for four teams would be extended but consider this; BSU football started Sept. 6th and will hopefully end Jan, 10th , which is a little over a four month season. BSU basketball starts Oct. 29th and could potentially (ha ha, wouldn‘t that be something) end on April 4th which is a little over five months.

4) To much travel to ask of fan bases.

You would be asking two fan bases to travel to one extra game on two weeks notice. Big ask? yes. Would they do it? You Betcha! This is for all of the marbles, get real, I would sell my spleen to be at both. All of the fans that didn’t go to game one would definitely be at the next one if they could pry tickets from the locals.

5) This plan eliminates the four “major” bowls; Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta.

Guess what, I don’t care! Pro’s outweigh the con’s by a long shot! Plus each of these venues could bid on the three games from the “Fateful Four” round anyways!

6) Okay playoff is okay BUT the “little guys” wouldn’t stand a chance and shouldn’t be part of the sixteen.

Giving everyone a chance is the whole point in a playoff. “Youz gots tas” include everyone. (Munson project talk) Besides they, in fact, DO stand a chance! Some fun facts, about 90% accurate, I skimmed through these quickly;

Conference USA Champion versus BCS AQ schools starting in 06/07 season to 09/10 season:

4-4, games within 10 points? 7-1 (WOW)

Sun Belt Champion versus BCS AQ schools starting in 06/07 season to 09/10 season;

3-10, games within 10 points? 6-7

MAC Champion versus BCS AQ schools starting in 06/07 season to 09/10 season:

2-5, games within 10 points? 4-3

MWC Champion versus BCS AQ schools from 06/07 season to present: (Utah and TCU for 10/11 season)

12-3, within 10 points? 14-1 (WOW)

WAC Champion versus BCS AQ schools from 06/07 season to present: (BSU for 10/11 season)

7-1, games within 10 points? 7-1 (thanks Hawaii, sheesh) oh and (WOW)

OVERALL non AQ Champs versus BCS AQ schools from 06/07 to 09/10 (or present)

28-23, within 10 points? 38-13

THEY CAN COMPETE!!!!

Super long and maybe boring and rehashed post but I wanted to type it all out anyways. Feel free to comment and tell me how wrong I am or what I am not thinking of, that kind of stuff is fun! What is weird is that this is a decent plan and I am just a dude at a computer….surely the brightest minds in college football could take something like this and expand and improve upon it and give college football what it deserves: A PLAYOFF!!!

This content was not created by OBNUG and therefore may not meet our standards. On the contrary, it probably exceeds them.

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