(05-02-2021 08:25 AM)ken d Wrote: I have proposed this for a 12 team playoff:
Sat Nov 19 (Rivalry Week)
Thu Nov 24 - Sat Nov 26 - Conference Championships - 10 games
Sat Dec 3 - First playoff round hosted by seeds #5-#8
Sat Dec 31 - Quarterfinals at Peach, Cotton, Fiesta and Citrus Bowls
Sun Jan 1 - NFL
Mon Jan 2 - Rose, Sugar and Orange Bowls with existing conference tie-ins
Mon Jan 9-10 - Semifinals rotate among Rose, Sugar and Orange Bowl sites
Mon Jan 16 - National Championship at site determined by bid
No autobids. Every conference champion ranked* in the Top 25 gets a spot. The four highest ranked champs get a bye to the quarterfinals played at New Years. The remaining champions plus at large teams are seeded #5-#12, with #5-8 hosting the first round games the week after CCGs.
* No selection committee. To be eligible for the playoff, a team must be ranked in the Top 25 in both the AP and Coaches' Poll. Using those polls, plus the Massey Composite, Sagarin, and one other computer ranking TBD, each eligible school throws out its best rank and its worst and averages the middle three rankings. Then all are seeded for the playoff (or excluded) based on those averages.
Who do you think would oppose this, and why?
I'm not a fan off computer rankings or polls but will concede that taking an average of a team's 3 best of the 5 rankings might be acceptable over a politically charged committee.
That said if we must expand to 8, and our aim is to have the best possible teams in the mix, then let them select the top 8 by that standard and that standard only.
Once the networks pony up sweetly for moving to 8, then we can discuss 12, if it is even necessary, and only if we get another pay bump to do so.
I'm perfectly fine staying at 4 because most of those semi final games have not been compelling and no system is perfect. If a Central Florida is undefeated they will get into an 8 team mix as there are very few undefeated teams anymore, but they should be required to schedule 3 P5 teams for consideration and for the top G5 schools there should be a special pressure upon the P5 to schedule them, instead of avoid them.
The issue right now is not prejudice, but rather strength of schedule, which is a strong component in any ranking system. Special consideration should be there where conference schedules are weak, but if you are in a weak conference those OOC games need to be against middle to the top P5 schools and not the cellar dwellers in the P5 if you are going to get serious consideration.
I despise the idea of guaranteeing champs from smaller conferences a bid because it will encourage the same shenanigans that go on for getting a seat at the NCAA basketball tourney. As John Houseman would say, "You've got to earn it!"
I don't know that they want to, but if ESPN is behind this number of 12 schools in a playoff it is merely because they don't want to have two pay bumps and want to skip 8 to get there. I say squeeze the Mouse, because the Mouse has been squeezing the hell out of the traditions of College Football for 20 years plus now!