I'm generally NOT in favor of an 8-team playoff. Overall, I worry that it’ll dilute the regular season…and CFP has the BEST regular season in American sports.

But if the fervor ever grows enough for an 8-team playoff, here's the best way to go about it.

Have a quarterfinal at home stadiums of highest seeds, but NOT the week after the CCGs. The lower seeds could not pull off the travel that fast...the media would want to build up the hype for the games longer. It makes the higher seeds get a HUGE advantage (a few extra million revenue off the field; a rowdy, excited stadium to help on the field).

The main "problem" with this model is the "bowl placement issue." Bowl games traditionally are set in early December...and the bowls fall like dominos. The lower bowls don't want to set THEIRS, until they can see what the higher bowls get.

To resolve this, I think you simply save a spot for quarterfinal losers in the New Year's Six (Seven*). Would this kill some fan travel to bowl games? Absolutely. But bowls are mostly about TV viewership anyway...so I don't think this is a deal breaker. You are still keeping the top 13-15 teams in the country in games versus each other. Would teams be LESS motivated to play in the bowl game after losing the quarterfinal? Absolutely...but it's another chance to play a football game and get free travel/perks to a nice vacation destination.

Teasing it out below off of last year's seeding...interested in your thoughts on what the discussion would be TODAY if this was the model.

Quarterfinals...Friday Dec 16 and Saturday Dec 17.
#8 WMU (G5 rep) at #1 Alabama (SEC champ) (8pm FRIDAY)
#7 OU (Big 12 champ) at #2 Clemson (ACC champ) (1pm SAT)
#6 Michigan (at-large) at #3 OSU (at-large) (5pm SAT)
#5 Penn State (Big Ten champ) at #4 Washington (Pac12 champ) (9pm SAT)

BOWL GAMES
Orange—#11 Florida State (ACC). vs. CFP loser
Rose—#8 Wisconsin (Big Ten) vs. #9 USC (Pac12)
Cotton—#10 Colorado (at-large) vs. CFP loser
Sugar—#14 Auburn (SEC) vs. #12 Oklahoma State (Big 12)

*Citrus—CFP loser vs. CFP loser

CFP Semifinals
Peach and Fiesta. 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner. 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner.

All of this can be announced on Selection Sunday..so the entire bowl schedule can be set, except for the 5 bowls affected by the results of the quarterfinal.
Then later...to be determined by quarterfinal results...

*to allow for a place for all quarterfinal losers and continue conference guarantees, an additional bowl will need to be created in the New Year’s Six (now Seven)