(06-11-2021 12:05 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(06-10-2021 08:34 PM)Jared7 Wrote:  If this system had been in place for the past 25 years, TCU would have made the playoffs 7 times (2000, 2005; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2014) and, although we probably would have lost to someone each time (but might have made the CG once or twice), it would have made a tremendous difference in recruiting and fan interest and everything good associated with college football. And it's not just TCU - dozens of other schools can make similar claims. Instead of being told every single year by some committee of old men that you just don't deserve a chance because of ever-changing "reasons" that can never be challenged, it would have been decided on the field. Instead of the annual Bama/Ohio State/Clemson+1 show, it would have Cinderellas and other solid programs from all over the country directly involved every single year. And it will clearly make more money for just about everyone.

And it really isn't all that different from the current system; upon which it would build.

I think this aligns with what Bowlsby was saying. He wasn't JUST talking about conferences being left out. Alabama, Clemson and Ohio St. have had a HUGE recruiting boost from being in the playoffs so often. They are picking up top players anywhere.

The benefit for a 12-team playoff goes even deeper in my mind. Essentially, if a team is ranked in the top 25, it’s at least in *striking* distance of being in the playoff hunt. All of the sudden, being in the playoff race isn’t a complete fantasy for 95% of fan bases, but rather something that they all follow because there’s a true legitimate chance to make it. I mean, freaking Indiana would have made it to the CFP last year under this 12-team playoff system. There’s no hope for teams like Indiana or a G5 school in a 4-team playoff, but the system being proposed here opens it all up where everyone in college football at least can have the dream (more similar to college basketball). Making the top 12 will still very hard, but it’s not the insurmountable wall that the current CFP system is that most schools’ fan bases didn’t even think about them having a chance for the top 4.

I’ve always said this: the most powerful draw for any sports fan is when *your* team is a contender. Fans of contending teams then pay attention to many other games that could impact the fortunes of their own teams and it becomes a virtuous cycle that drives interest in the entire sport. That’s the basis of the NFL’s power. People don’t cheer for their conferences or for a big national game where they have no rooting interest. Instead, they cheer for their *own* teams. Just like politics, all sports fandom is local.