As many have noticed, both of the first two CFP games were boring due to a committee that selected based off of what they thought would bring in viewers versus what would be entertaining. While Alabama v. Clemson could shape up to be an interesting match, it could also be very much one-sided and end in another ratings decline.

My solution for this is one that has been tossed around many times, but I believe it could help to fix a ratings, entertainment, and fan-interest issue.

Rather than the P5 having all of the fun every year, I believe it would be smart to expand the CFP system. In doing this, each P5 conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12, SEC) would receive a playoff birth based off of who won their conference. Then, two G5 teams would be selected based off of their season record, with the last spot being a wild card spot for either a P5 or G5 team.

This would not only make the CFP a bit more interesting to watch, but it would bring in many more fans. Fans will cheer for their conference and even their competing conferences if it makes their strength of schedule look better.

An idea of what the CFP would have looked like this year:


Any thoughts?

IA with all this, but G5 would probably only get one representative

10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

(01-02-2016 11:06 AM)rknj8993 Wrote:  As many have noticed, both of the first two CFP games were boring due to a committee that selected based off of what they thought would bring in viewers versus what would be entertaining. While Alabama v. Clemson could shape up to be an interesting match, it could also be very much one-sided and end in another ratings decline.

My solution for this is one that has been tossed around many times, but I believe it could help to fix a ratings, entertainment, and fan-interest issue.

Rather than the P5 having all of the fun every year, I believe it would be smart to expand the CFP system. In doing this, each P5 conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12, SEC) would receive a playoff birth based off of who won their conference. Then, two G5 teams would be selected based off of their season record, with the last spot being a wild card spot for either a P5 or G5 team.

This would not only make the CFP a bit more interesting to watch, but it would bring in many more fans. Fans will cheer for their conference and even their competing conferences if it makes their strength of schedule look better.

An idea of what the CFP would have looked like this year:


Any thoughts?

I think the expansion of the cfp, is just a matter of time, and the recent strong showing by at least one g5 every year will convince them to allow at least one spot to a g5, as it gives it a more Cinderella story type feel

(01-02-2016 11:18 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

If this was the new system, do you think the NCAA would require each conference to hold a championship game with the conference having at least 12 teams present? I would have to think that the NCAA would say that only the winners of conference championship games could participate, rather than it being the team with the best record.

Every Power 5 Conference Champion receives an automatic bid.

The Highest Rated Champion (HRC) from the Group of 5 receives an automatic bid.
Each Conference Champion from the American, Conference USA, Mountain West, Mid-American, and Sun Belt will be evaluated...the highest rated team receives the bid.

Two At-Large bids for the next Highest Rated teams once Conference Champions have been awarded their bids.



ACC CHAMPION: Clemson

BIG 12 CHAMPION: Oklahoma

BIG TEN CHAMPION: Michigan State

PAC-12 CHAMPION: Stanford

SEC CHAMPION: Alabama

Go5 HRC: Houston

At-Large: Iowa

At-Large: Ohio State


First Round:
#1 Clemson vs. #8 Houston

#2 Alabama vs. #7 Ohio State

#3 Michigan State vs. #6 Stanford

#4 Oklahoma vs. #5 Iowa

(01-02-2016 11:26 AM)I AM an Eagle! Wrote:  Every Power 5 Conference Champion receives an automatic bid.

The Highest Rated Champion (HRC) from the Group of 5 receives an automatic bid.
Each Conference Champion from the American, Conference USA, Mountain West, Mid-American, and Sun Belt will be evaluated...the highest rated team receives the bid.

Two At-Large bids for the next Highest Rated teams once Conference Champions have been awarded their bids.



ACC CHAMPION: Clemson

BIG 12 CHAMPION: Oklahoma

BIG TEN CHAMPION: Michigan State

PAC-12 CHAMPION: Stanford

SEC CHAMPION: Alabama

Go5 HRC: Houston

At-Large: Iowa

At-Large: Ohio State


First Round:
#1 Clemson vs. #8 Houston

#2 Alabama vs. #7 Ohio State

#3 Michigan State vs. #6 Stanford

#4 Oklahoma vs. #5 Iowa

I think this is more likely and the G5 team will always get the lowest seed

(01-02-2016 11:24 AM)rknj8993 Wrote:  

(01-02-2016 11:18 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

If this was the new system, do you think the NCAA would require each conference to hold a championship game with the conference having at least 12 teams present? I would have to think that the NCAA would say that only the winners of conference championship games could participate, rather than it being the team with the best record.

I don't think any of it is ever going to happen.

I want to see a 16 team playoff with all 100 conference winners and 6 at large. The P5 would get 11 teams in. I don't see how that would be a problem for anyone.

In reality it will go to 8 next and let one G5 in.

(01-02-2016 12:11 PM)slycat Wrote:  I want to see a 16 team playoff with all 100 conference winners and 6 at large. The P5 would get 11 teams in. I don't see how that would be a problem for anyone.

Even one G5 team in is a problem...because it takes a slot from a more deserving P5. This is the thinking whether it is a 4-team playoff or a 20 team playoff.

(01-02-2016 12:12 PM)slycat Wrote:  In reality it will go to 8 next and let one G5 in.

Not trying to contradict you but I think the opposite is true.

They could give a rats *ss if the G5 ever gets a team in the CFP.
A power five conference being left out is all they talk about.
So the easy answer is a six team playoff with one at large.
The one at large will be for a second P5 almost exclusively and also solves the ND problem. It really won't benefit the G5 even the money increase will mostly go to the P5.Currently the P5 G5 split is the entire G5 gets what a P5 conference gets

The only shot the G5 have is an Access Bowl winner running the table the year after.
They would also need two P5 games probably and be a MWC or AAC member most likely. That is until the other three conferences even up the perception difference between them and the top two G5 conferences.Which I think will happen as bad as the MWC was this year.

I think the best solution we could hope for is a 6 team playoff which would include all 5 P5 champs plus the top G5. 1 & 2 seeds with first round bye and the rest unseeded with games played based on the best matchups.

I doubt it ever goes above 6.

Maybe rhe G5 could start our own 4team playoff

(01-02-2016 02:08 PM)GaSoEagle Wrote:  I doubt it ever goes above 6.

Maybe rhe G5 could start our own 4team playoff

I still think the 4 G5 champs who don't go to the access bowl should be paired against each other in a bowl game. To me, it is the most logical solution to create exciting matchups for teams and fan bases.

(01-02-2016 11:18 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

They will never make this the NCAA basketball tournament. The best you can hope for is an 8 team playoff with five P5 conference champions and three at-large schools, with a guaranteed slot for a G5 school. That would at least give a G5 school a place at the table for the playoffs. The other two at-large slots could be filled by anyone, but at least one of the three at-large slots would go to a G5 school.

There was only one G5 school in the top 50 of strength of schedule in FBS football, that being SMU at #36. It is a difficult argument to make that the Sun Belt Champion should be treated equally with the SEC champion. It is just never going to happen. Getting a guaranteed spot at the table would be a huge improvement for G5 schools.

(01-02-2016 02:18 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-02-2016 02:08 PM)GaSoEagle Wrote:  I doubt it ever goes above 6.

Maybe rhe G5 could start our own 4team playoff

I still think the 4 G5 champs who don't go to the access bowl should be paired against each other in a bowl game. To me, it is the most logical solution to create exciting matchups for teams and fan bases.

I think 8 is the perfect number. Auto-bids for the 5 P5 champs. Autobid for the top G5 champ. And 2 wildcards (which effectively guarantees the #1 and #2 teams will NEVER be excluded, even if there is some sort of CCG upset). That kind of set up also would seem to solve the access problems to the playoff for the G5 and indy schools.

The other big issue that requires attention by the G5 is the lack of a suitable post season "destination" games for the 4 G5 champs not in the access bowl. Basically, for the G5, the 5th place team in a G5 conference goes to just as good a bowl as the champ. That's wrong---the champ needs a special bowl destination (and not having one is a big reason the G5 conference races are ignored by media---winning the leagues doesn't carry much of a reward).

Bottom line, the bowls with high enough payouts to attract P5 schools are not going to spend that money on a G5 when they can get a P5. So, the only way a game with that kind of payout will select a G5 for one of its slots is if the G5 owns it. So there's your solution. The G5 needs to create a series of bowls with payouts high enough to attract high end P5 opponents that can serve as exciting high quality bowl destinations for the G5 champs. The G5 gets 80 million a year from the CFP. The means is there to do it----its simply a matter of the G5 generating the will to do it.

(01-02-2016 11:24 AM)rknj8993 Wrote:  

(01-02-2016 11:18 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

If this was the new system, do you think the NCAA would require each conference to hold a championship game with the conference having at least 12 teams present? I would have to think that the NCAA would say that only the winners of conference championship games could participate, rather than it being the team with the best record.

YES!!! 100000% like this idea. I have been saying this for years. This then makes the conference championship games "round #1.

That said, I do agree its a long shot. Start with baby steps by having 1 or 2 G5 in the real "playoff" - not an access bowl to nowhere.

(01-02-2016 02:42 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(01-02-2016 11:18 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

They will never make this the NCAA basketball tournament. The best you can hope for is an 8 team playoff with five P5 conference champions and three at-large schools, with a guaranteed slot for a G5 school. That would at least give a G5 school a place at the table for the playoffs. The other two at-large slots could be filled by anyone, but at least one of the three at-large slots would go to a G5 school.

There was only one G5 school in the top 50 of strength of schedule in FBS football, that being SMU at #36. It is a difficult argument to make that the Sun Belt Champion should be treated equally with the SEC champion. It is just never going to happen. Getting a guaranteed spot at the table would be a huge improvement for G5 schools.

Yes, all divisions in the same sports league (FBS) should be treated equally.

Its like saying you can't get a job because you are unemployed.

It's like saying that the SEC East should be barred from the SEC Championship because the SEC West is stronger and deserves both slots in the championship game....just because.

We treat FBS like no other sports league.

If FBS is really a sports league tgen run it like a real sports league instead of like WWE.

(01-02-2016 12:11 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(01-02-2016 11:24 AM)rknj8993 Wrote:  

(01-02-2016 11:18 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  10 conferences...10 champions. That's what is needed to make it a real playoff. Add however many wild cards you want after that....seed based on committee.

By taking all FBS conference champions you give every single FBS college football player a path to the National Championship that they can control. It doesn't matter if that chance is .000001% it is still under their control....on the field.

That is what makes sports exciting and watchable.

If this was the new system, do you think the NCAA would require each conference to hold a championship game with the conference having at least 12 teams present? I would have to think that the NCAA would say that only the winners of conference championship games could participate, rather than it being the team with the best record.

I don't think any of it is ever going to happen.

I agree. It's more likely we'll see a separate G5 playoff before the existing system is expanded. Logistics of moving big fan bases around the country will keep things status quo.