(01-11-2017 05:00 PM)Shox Wrote: (01-11-2017 04:42 PM)jrj84105 Wrote: The G5 playoff needs to allow the G5 to still participate in the CFP and the FBS bowl structure.
1) No CCG for the G5 conferences.
2) The top 4 G5 teams at the end of the regular season are determined by the CFP committee.
3) During P5 CCG week, G5 semifinals (Go5 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3) are played.
4) The CFP selection occurs. G5 schools are eligible.
5a) If a G5 school is selected for the CFP, then the remaining semifinal winner gets an access bowl bid as well.
5b) If no Go5 school is selected for the CFP, the G5 final is played pre Christmas (Las Vegas bowl timing for instance). The G5 champ then plays in an access bowl vs a P5 school.
There's no relegation, and the bowl structure and access to the CFP are retained.
Bingo! It's the defacto G5 championship with access to the CFP and NY6. I would go one step further though and keep championship Saturday intact and have all conferences hold the optional championship games. The next week which is now Army/Navy week, would be when the top 4 G5 square off, highest rated teams host. The week of Christmas would be the "access bowl", giving the winning fans an extra week to make travel arrangements. This sight should be in a place that has a very strong history of supporting its bowls and would be held in the same place annually. Maybe the Liberty bowl, Alamo bowl, or best yet Las Vegas bowl. Winner is by default the best G5 and goes onto play in the NY6, or even better an 8 team playoff. Playoffs will be seeded after G5 bowl championship. Oh, and the best part, if a conference (The AAC) wants to opt out, then great. That leaves 4 G5 conferences for four slots. Better make sure that your best is good enough for an at large into the 8 team playoff though...
If the G5 can get some bowls to go renegade with a big network partner then it could work.
Do an 8 team playoff; 7 bowl games Poinsettia, Las Vegas, Sun, Liberty, New Orleans, Mobile, Miami Beach with the bowls rotating through quarters, semis and finals over the length of an 8 year contract.
G5 conference champs have a spot plus 3 at-larges to the playoff. With it tough to get an at-large it places emphasis on the regular season and conference championship games. The conference championship games effectively serve as play-in games.
Call it something like the American Bowl Alliance (ABA) which would be distinguished from College Football Playoff (CFP) schools to make it sound like another major college football grouping.
ABA schools that don't make the playoff can be eligible for any NCAA sanctioned bowls. The CFP schools will oversign bowls leaving at-large spots where ABA 8 and 9 win teams can find homes.
ABA should start though by reorganizing into 5/10 team regional conferences all under a shared TV deal. The criteria for getting into the ABA should be attendance so with 64 non-P5 schools (G5, BYU, UMass, UNM) the bottom 14 in NCAA attendance don't get invited.
2016 Bottom 14 in Attendance
South Alabama 16,250
San Jose State 15,419
Bowling Green 15,140
Georgia State 15,103
Massachusetts 14,510
Charlotte 14,192
Louisiana-Monroe 12,610
Idaho 11,190
Northern Illinois 11,019
Kent State 10,898
Akron 10,337
Florida Atlantic 10,073
New Mexico State 9,545
Ball State 7,789
These schools can go find something else to do, FCS or hang around as an FBS independent with the idea of getting an ABA slot some day.
ABA schools organize into 5 geographic conferences
ABA Pacific (mostly MWC)
ABA Southwest (mostly Texas schools)
ABA Midwest (mostly MAC)
ABA Southeast (mostly SBC)
ABA Atlantic (mostly AAC)
ABA Midwest would include Marshall, WKU, Cincinnati
ABA Atlantic would include ODU, App St, Georgia Southern, Army
ABA Southwest would include New Mexico, Tulsa, Tulane
Set the conference structure up more like the pros.
Maybe reduce to 40 and knock out another 10 schools. That would set the attendance line for making the cut at about 18,500.
ABA Pacific (include BYU, UTEP)
ABA Southwest (include LaTech, Louisiana, Arkansas St)
ABA Northeast (include Cincinnati, Marshall, Ohio, Toledo, WMU)
ABA Southeast
4 conference champions to the playoff and 4 more at-large selections for an 8 team field.