We can all agree that college football " FBS playoffs" is an invitational and there lays the problem. To make this thing a true playoff, it needs to be blown up and remade in the right way. Really don't see why the FCS model isn't taken into account. So, if I had that opportunity, as Mike Holmes would say, to "make it right", I would do the following:

1. Automatic bids for the 10 conference champions
2. Add 6 at large bids
3. Throw all of the teams in a hat and have a random draw
4. Or, create a very robust seeding process and then match the teams up
5. Incorporate the bowls into the process where the sweet 16 is played on the first weekend of Dec, Elite eight on the second weekend of Dec. Final Four on the third week of Dec and the championship 1st weekend on the new year
   

There still would be issues with selection of the at large teams; however, that could be mitigated with schedule guidelines. For instance, FCS or D2 teams can only be scheduled in Sep or for a spring game. What say you?

(11-25-2019 09:30 AM)Indytarheel Wrote:  

1. Automatic bids for the 10 conference champions
2. Add 6 at large bids
3. Throw all of the teams in a hat and have a random draw
   

I'd like to see an expanded amount of teams. If we're going to include all champions, I can't get behind a random draw however. Even FCS doesn't do that, as their 24 team field includes the top 8 being seeded 1-8 and receiving a bye until the round of 16. In their case #9-24 are not seeded and geography comes into play, but that shouldn't be the case in FBS with the $$ involved.

(11-25-2019 10:23 AM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(11-25-2019 09:30 AM)Indytarheel Wrote:  

1. Automatic bids for the 10 conference champions
2. Add 6 at large bids
3. Throw all of the teams in a hat and have a random draw
   

I'd like to see an expanded amount of teams. If we're going to include all champions, I can't get behind a random draw however. Even FCS doesn't do that, as their 24 team field includes the top 8 being seeded 1-8 and receiving a bye until the round of 16. In their case #9-24 are not seeded and geography comes into play, but that shouldn't be the case in FBS with the $$ involved.

Random draw is the only way you take out the subjectivity or bias that we see today. You can't use polls because they are bias towards conferences and teams. Can't use strength of schedule because the ACC and SEC play 8 conference games while Pac, Big 10 and 12 play 9. Plus that also introduce bias with regard to conference strength.

(11-25-2019 09:30 AM)Indytarheel Wrote:  

1. Automatic bids for the 10 conference champions
2. Add 6 at large bids
3. Throw all of the teams in a hat and have a random draw
   

I'd like to see an expanded amount of teams. If we're going to include all champions, I can't get behind a random draw however. Even FCS doesn't do that, as their 24 team field includes the top 8 being seeded 1-8 and receiving a bye until the round of 16. For #9-24, the committee has to select #9-16 in essence (as those teams host the opening round), but they don't assign a seed number publicly beyond the top 8 and geography comes into play. Geography shouldn't be used in FBS however with the $$ involved.

The 2 issues I have are:

1) The extra game is more strain on the SA.
2) The bowl system cannot be more watered down than it is now.

My solution to this is get rid of conference champ games and decide the regular season winner. Seed the best 8 (or 7+1 if Indy qualifies) regular season champs from the P5 and G5. Do a playin game with the seeded teams on the first week of December. Out of those teams you have your official 4 team playoff and the losers can still get (but not guaranteed) an at large bid to a NY6 bowl.

Campus sites for the first round.

Major bowl games for the Elite 8 on New Year’s Day. (Keep the current six in rotation or add Citrus and maybe Gator or something.)

Final Four and National Championship at neutral sites. Would be cool to have the Final Four at the same venue Friday and Saturday.

*Get rid of 12th reg. season game and have an exhibition game in August.

**8 conference games, one FCS (optional) and two OOC FBS opponents for ALL conferences.

***The other bowl games make selections after first round of the playoffs.

Simply expanding to 8 with 5 autobids for the P5 champs, 1 autobid for best G5 champ, and 2 at-large bids (but these MUST play away from home!) would fix 99% of the problems, IMO.

The point is to crown a true champion without the bs associated with it. If there is 10 football champs, then it has to be 10 auto bids to conference champions. That is the only way it is a TRUE playoff as opposed to being an invitational (what we have today). Ok, so throw the random draw out and seed the at large 6. I don't think expanding to 8 gets it done. It have to go from being and invitational to a true playoff. Only way to get that is conference champs. To make it interesting, throw in 6 at large. Use the existing bowl system to host the first 3 rounds and then have the championship game played at rotating neutral sites.

There will always be some subjectivity, look at March Madness.

You have to have the first round on campus to get people on board and it would be a logistical/travel nightmare for the bowls to host the opening round.

(11-25-2019 12:05 PM)Indytarheel Wrote:  The point is to crown a true champion without the bs associated with it. If there is 10 football champs, then it has to be 10 auto bids to conference champions. That is the only way it is a TRUE playoff as opposed to being an invitational (what we have today). Ok, so throw the random draw out and seed the at large 6. I don't think expanding to 8 gets it done. It have to go from being and invitational to a true playoff. Only way to get that is conference champs. To make it interesting, throw in 6 at large. Use the existing bowl system to host the first 3 rounds and then have the championship game played at rotating neutral sites.

I'm perfectly fine with omitting the Sun Belt, C-USA and MAC champions without a second thought. MAYBE App State gets a look, along with the MWC and AAC champs. I'm guessing it's just as often that NONE of them are any good as it is 2 or more... taking one should be fine.

(11-25-2019 12:57 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(11-25-2019 12:05 PM)Indytarheel Wrote:  The point is to crown a true champion without the bs associated with it. If there is 10 football champs, then it has to be 10 auto bids to conference champions. That is the only way it is a TRUE playoff as opposed to being an invitational (what we have today). Ok, so throw the random draw out and seed the at large 6. I don't think expanding to 8 gets it done. It have to go from being and invitational to a true playoff. Only way to get that is conference champs. To make it interesting, throw in 6 at large. Use the existing bowl system to host the first 3 rounds and then have the championship game played at rotating neutral sites.

I'm perfectly fine with omitting the Sun Belt, C-USA and MAC champions without a second thought. MAYBE App State gets a look, along with the MWC and AAC champs. I'm guessing it's just as often that NONE of them are any good as it is 2 or more... taking one should be fine.

An 8 team tournament with auto-bids for the P5, 1 for the best G5 champion and 2 at large is probably the best solution. But I think the P5 are not going to compromise and it will be auto-bids for the 5 P5 champions and 3 at large bids.

(11-25-2019 04:08 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(11-25-2019 12:57 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(11-25-2019 12:05 PM)Indytarheel Wrote:  The point is to crown a true champion without the bs associated with it. If there is 10 football champs, then it has to be 10 auto bids to conference champions. That is the only way it is a TRUE playoff as opposed to being an invitational (what we have today). Ok, so throw the random draw out and seed the at large 6. I don't think expanding to 8 gets it done. It have to go from being and invitational to a true playoff. Only way to get that is conference champs. To make it interesting, throw in 6 at large. Use the existing bowl system to host the first 3 rounds and then have the championship game played at rotating neutral sites.

I'm perfectly fine with omitting the Sun Belt, C-USA and MAC champions without a second thought. MAYBE App State gets a look, along with the MWC and AAC champs. I'm guessing it's just as often that NONE of them are any good as it is 2 or more... taking one should be fine.

An an 8 team tournament with auto-bids for the P5, 1 for the best G5 champion and 2 at large is probably the best solution. But I think the P5 are not going to compromise and it will be auto-bids for the 5 P5 champions and 3 at large bids.

I'd be ok with that, too - though it's puts more pressure on whoever is selecting the at-large teams if/when there's a good G5 team that year.