(01-11-2022 10:27 AM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote: (01-11-2022 09:08 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote: (01-11-2022 08:46 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote: I think we’ll still end up with some form of the 12-team playoff (5+1+6 or 6+6), which makes it asinine that the powers that be can’t get their crap together and pass it prior to 2026.
As for a 16-team playoff, I strongly believe that the P5 don’t want anything to do with that system. Remember that the P5 have extremely valuable CCGs to protect. In the cases of the SEC and Big Ten, those CCGs are worth as much or more than their Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl tie-ins… and that’s money that they don’t have to share with anyone else.
A top 4 bye in a 12-team playoff preserves and probably enhance the value of this CCGs. An 8-team playoff is also small enough where no CCG loser can count on an at-large bid any more than today’s system. In contrast, providing absolutely no incentive to a CCG winner compared to an at-large bid beyond seeding in a 16-team playoff would turn them into the football equivalents of P5 basketball conference tournament championships (fun but very watered down in value).
Everyone needs to remember that the P5 still make a whole lot more money off of their regular season and CCG contracts than they do from the postseason. Anything that takes a single dime away from those contracts won’t get passed.
A 16 team playoff with 10 autobids and a 12 team playoff with 6 autobids have the same amount of at-large teams (6)
A 16 team tournament with 10 autobids is ridiculous. Take the top 6 ranked champions of the P5 and the top ranked G5 champion and then have 6 at large teams. In no world do the MAC, CUSA, Sun Belt, or MWC champions deserve an automatic bid to the CFP simply for winning their moribund leagues.
"A 16 team tournament with 10 autobids is ridiculous."
Yo, man, there will be four years to hash this out, so there's no need to drop the "r" bomb on anyone at this point...
But, seriously,
none of the options is "ridiculous." There are intelligent people who are in favor of every single option in the poll, and other options not listed, and they can all provide rational justifications for their views.
Here's one possible justification for a "10+6" playoff proposal:
Basically, every conference has said they would be ok with 6 at large teams, and there would be various problems if not at least 7 auto-bids for conference champs, so probably the raw minimum would probably be 13 playoff teams.
Once we accept the idea of a minimum of 13, 16 seems to make more sense, as does the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA tournament.
At that point, the question is simply how many conference champions should have a shot. The argument for allowing all 10 an auto-bid would be that it would make the regular season games in every FBS conference more meaningful.
Not saying that's the only reasonable option, but simply that it isn't a "ridiculous" option.
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