Crazy idea time, instead of using pods to create schedule by rotating pairings, you use them to run a regular season tournament.

Lets use a 16 team SEC as and example. For the first 3 weeks of the regular season , each team plays each of its other pod members once similar to the group phase of the world cup. A tie breaker would be needed so pick your poison of : record in away games, point differential, CFP ranking, etc. Below is an example ranking:

East: 1. UF 2. UK 3. SCar 4. uga
Central 1.Bama 2. Aub 3. Tenn 4. Vandy
Gulf: 1. LSU 2. Miss 3. MSU 4. Arkan
West: 1.Okla 2. TA&M 3. UT 4. Mizz

Week 4: Tournament begins

In week four, four four-team playoffs begin. 1 seeded teams would play other 1 seeded teams, number 2 seeds would play other number 2 seeds, etc. The pairings could be geographic (East v Central ; Gulf vs West) or any other criterion (record, ranking, ect). Similarly home field could be assigned by a criterion. For example lets say pairing are geographic with homefield being best record. Winners are underlined.

Week 4 Example:

1 Seeds
UF @ BAMA
Okla @ LSU
2 Seeds
UK @ AUB
Miss @ TA&M
3 Seeds
Scar @ Tenn
MSU @ UT
4 seeds
uga @ Vandy
Mizz @ Arkan

Week 5: Champs and third place week
In week 5, winners and losers of each seed group will play each other in champ and 3rd place game.

1 Seeds champ game
Okla @ BAMA
1 Seeds 3rd place game
LSU @ UF
2 Seeds champ game
AUB @ TA&M
2 seeds 3rd place game
Miss @ UK
3 Seeds champ game
MSU @ Scar
3 Seeds 3rd place game
Tenn @ UT
4 seeds champ game
Vandy @ Arkan
uga @ Mizz
Week 6 through end: The Gauntlet
For week 6:
2 Seed Champ @ 1 Seed Champ
4 Seed Champ @ 3 Seed Champ
3 Seed 2nd Place @ 2 Seed 2nd place
4 Seed 2nd Place @ 3 Seed 2nd place
2 Seed 3rd Place @ 1 Seed 3rd place
4 Seed 3rd Place @ 3 Seed 3rd place
2 Seed 4th Place @ 1 Seed 4th place
4 Seed 4th Place @ 3 Seed 4th place

Winner of the top match hosts the winner of the second match. Loser of the each match host the winner of the match below. The loser of the bottom match plays at the loser of the game above them This sequence continues till the end of the regular season.

Fun consequences:

Top teams can earn a ton of home games
You can get high stakes re-matches
Winning Pod ensures home games later
Champion is incredibly deserving
A lot of evenly matched team so in theory better games
Opponents aren’t know till after the game so you have to prepare for many possible teams.

Thoughts?

I think it’s too much of a departure from what CFB fans are used to to work.

(08-19-2021 01:12 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I think it’s too much of a departure from what CFB fans are used to to work.

True just an interesting way to have teams miximg based on achievement.

You kind of lost me when you had all the 1 seeds play each other in first round.. why not play 3 games and then seed al 16 teams 1 to 16.