Now that the first playoff rankings have been out for a while, I can say without reservatiom that with all due respect to the rugged SEC West... nobody wants to see a playoff full of SEC West rematches. Furthermore if you want a truly national feel to the event (similar to March Madness) where everyone from every conference feels like they can make a deep run in the tournament you simply must create a larger more inclusive tournament. Doing so would also have the positive benefit of staving off non-G5 leagues from getting lawsuit happy (Which will surely come). Additionally, a reasonable number of at-large berths will permit a dominant conference to still get plenty of bids.

Idea 1; 16 team tournament - all conference champions get an automatic bid, fill out remainder of bracket with best at large teams

Idea 2; 24 team tournament - G5 leagues get 2 bids a piece (division champion automatically in), non G5 get 1 bid a piece, concession made for Independents, fill out remainder of bracket with best at large teams ***My Vote Goes here**

Bowl Protection Plan - schools not playing in at least 2 playoff games must play in a bowl game, election not to do so would mean playoff ineligible for 3 years.

Games would start the second weekend in December at the home field of the higher rated team until semifinals which will be held at bowl sites as currently set up.

4 teams is an alright amount for the playoff.

The problem now is the committee taking the absolute best 4 and best 25 so it doesn't give a school outside of the biggest 16 football powers or the SEC a shot at a title.

Lower the bar to Top 8 and you'll see the TCU's and Utah's have a shot on a good year even without a super dominant recruiting class. Once they get into the playoff they are certainly good enough to take out a #1 team.

Give some of the little guys without the 75,000 seat football stadium a chance. They don't have to be G5 little guys but they can be an Oregon State or a Pittsburgh. There is no cinderella factor outside of a magic year by a smaller SEC football school.

I prefer the 8 team model. So I didn't vote.

(10-31-2014 07:01 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I prefer the 8 team model. So I didn't vote.

5 autobids? 3 at large?

If there has to be a playoff at all, I prefer a 12 team model. Since that wasn't an option, I voted for no playoff.

(10-31-2014 07:01 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I prefer the 8 team model. So I didn't vote.

8 Would by necessity exclude the smaller conferences, but I do agree that it would be better than 4.

(10-31-2014 07:27 PM)ken d Wrote:  If there has to be a playoff at all, I prefer a 12 team model. Since that wasn't an option, I voted for no playoff.

12 Is a nice number but if all conferences got a bid which I'm advocating, there would be 2 at-large bids available. That is far too few if you're gonna give the Sunbelt and Mac auto bids.

8 works for me if it's P5 autobids, a top G5 autobid, and 2 at-larges.

Every G5 conference getting an autobid is near impossible. I'd like to think a singular G5 autobid is possible though...

I like 8 bids.

No AQ for anyone which means everyone has a shot and no one is guaranteed a spot just for being a P5 league and there is room for exceptional G5 teams like Utah, TCU and Boise in the past.

(10-31-2014 07:01 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I prefer the 8 team model. So I didn't vote.

Eight keeps the regular season interesting but gives more schools a chance.
The top 14 teams could be SEC how would we really know nobody plays anybody.
Four non conference games with two G5 and one FCS is not enough to determine how good a team is. Losing pro teams beat Super Bowl champs much less college kids.
Indiana beat Missouri that does not mean Indiana can beat all the teams Missouri beats.

I would like to see the first round on campus and keep everything else the same.

(10-31-2014 09:03 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I like 8 bids.

No AQ for anyone which means everyone has a shot and no one is guaranteed a spot just for being a P5 league and there is room for exceptional G5 teams like Utah, TCU and Boise in the past.

I agree. No autobids also keeps the structure of the playoff from changing every time a realignment takes place.

There has to be automatic bids. That is how the whole system works.

(10-31-2014 07:01 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I prefer the 8 team model. So I didn't vote.

+1. Bit is correct. The only acceptable answer is "8 teams", which is not listed.

(10-31-2014 09:44 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  There has to be automatic bids. That is how the whole system works.

There need to be autobids or the whole regular season is pointless.
Also, too many at-large bids tend to make it a beauty contest.

I know the pitchfork crowd is VERY anti-bowls these days...but if the bowl games can be done well (i.e. no corrupt bowl organizers pocketing huge paydays, no taxpayers footing the bill for empty seats), I think they are a great reward at the end of the season. Sure, not all destinations are Miami Beach, but in my experience road games are always fun and these are mini-vacations/road games--often to cities where the kids haven't travelled before.

We all like to see games on TV over the holidays, even if they aren't blockbuster match ups. And a 16 or 24 game system would effectively destroy the bowls.

I've been very "pro-4 teams" in my stance. I don't think there are 8 deserving teams most years...and you ask, "How do you know who's deserving?"...well, I still enjoy the old structure of watching the cream rise to the top as the regular season progresses.

Do I think it goes to 6 or 8 in time? Yes. But I am in no hurry to get there...not until I see that this currently system is an utter failure. I'm not ready to destroy CFB's regular season and bowl system because I THINK the current system is a dud.

If this season ends up with...
12-1 Oregon (Pac-12 champ)
11-1 TCU (Big 12 champ)
13-0 FSU (ACC champ)
11-2 SEC TEAM X (SEC champ)

...and no one else in the SEC has less than 2 losses (let's imagine team #5 is SEC TEAM Y who is 10-2 and the runner-up in the SEC WEST...and no one else any other league (ND included) has less than 2 losses...I think all rational fans would be pleased with year 1 of the CFP. I'm a Big Ten fan, and I would not bat an eyelash at 11-2 MSU or 11-2 OSU or 11-2 Nebraska getting left out of this equation if they were Big Ten champ.

You have to crawl before you walk. At least there's a playoff now, that wasn't the case and didn't seem likely not too long ago.

(10-31-2014 09:03 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I like 8 bids.

No AQ for anyone which means everyone has a shot and no one is guaranteed a spot just for being a P5 league and there is room for exceptional G5 teams like Utah, TCU and Boise in the past.

Room for a Purdue or a Virginia.....

I voted pre-BCS, but really I grew to love the sport with the BCS and think the 4 team playoff will be OK.

Four teams is the absolute most I want though. I want to love and care about what's going on around the country and creating a bigger playoff will destroy that interest long term. College sports are inherently regional for the regular season. There are hundreds of teams and most rivalries are regional. Few care about most of the college basketball regular season outside their own regional teams or an occasional Duke/North Carolina game because it doesn't effect them. #1 Kentucky vs. #2 Duke in November might have some good story lines, but really what difference does it make? They do well in their conferences and they're both going to the NCAA Tournament with high bids. The day you get to the point that conference champions from the major conferences are all but assured (or actually assured) spots in the playoff is the day that the regular season starts it's transformation to being a regional sport again.

(10-31-2014 09:03 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I like 8 bids.

No AQ for anyone which means everyone has a shot and no one is guaranteed a spot just for being a P5 league and there is room for exceptional G5 teams like Utah, TCU and Boise in the past.

Agree. Let the best 8 fight it out.

(10-31-2014 10:34 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(10-31-2014 09:44 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  There has to be automatic bids. That is how the whole system works.

There need to be autobids or the whole regular season is pointless.
Also, too many at-large bids tend to make it a beauty contest.

There are no autobids now. Does the regular season seem pointless?

And it's only a beauty contest if #8 can never beat #1. I think there's enough parity in college football today for that kind of upset to happen.