Looks like a 24-team playoff bracket is happening

615dawg

All-Conference
Jun 4, 2007
7,306
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But it likely will not be the standard 16 teams play first round with 8 getting byes.

This is one of the formats being considered, which will keep bowl games in play and give everyone a chance to play an on campus game. If this format were in place, wed be headed to Provo after receiving a bye. Next round would be in Orlando or San Antonio against Alabama/USC/Missouri for a shot to go to Athens.

 
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dawgstudent

Heisman
Apr 15, 2003
40,526
22,325
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But it likely will not be the standard 16 teams play first round with 8 getting byes.

This is one of the formats being considered, which will keep bowl games in play and give everyone a chance to play an on campus game. If this format were in place, wed be headed to Provo after receiving a bye. Next round would be in Orlando or San Antonio against Alabama/USC/Missouri for a shot to go to Athens.

That is absolutely ridiculous that the top 4 get a two three game bye.
 
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615dawg

All-Conference
Jun 4, 2007
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That is absolutely ridiculous that the top 4 get a 2 game bye.
Agreed. Its likely to be one guaranteed G5 champion + 23 at large teams rather than a set number from each conference. I guess that's good.

The Group of 6 is pushing for a interesting format. They would deterimine their conference champions and on Thanksgiving weekend, the 6 conference champions would play each other with the three winners getting the 22, 23 and 24 seed. This essentially gives every conference champ a path to the playoff.
 
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Cousin Jeffrey

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Feb 20, 2011
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Dumbest thing imaginable. Good lord.

Just do the whole thing on campus until the semi-finals or finals. Nobody cares about the bowls.

And do a format with no double-byes. That’s also ridiculous.
Looks like a triple bye. The top 4 could play a team that has had to win 3 games to get there. Just absurd.

I don't like semifinals on campus, either.
 

OG Goat Holder

Heisman
Sep 30, 2022
14,165
13,024
113
The Group of 6 is pushing for a interesting format. They would deterimine their conference champions and on Thanksgiving weekend, the 6 conference champions would play each other with the three winners getting the 22, 23 and 24 seed. This essentially gives every conference champ a path to the playoff.
Group of 6 just needs their own 12-game playoff. But I don't know how you ultimately separate the divisions, unless it's a minimum rev-share commitment of some sort. But that could break up conferences so I don't see it happening because conferences have all the power.

There's no answer to this, so many things need to be addressed. Need to figure out conference championships. Need to figure out if the schedule should be shortened. Need to figure out if we play FCS anymore. Need to figure out bowls and byes. But I'm pretty sure that bracket above is about the worst play to address any of it, and question the validity of it. Looks like AI slop.
 
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mstateglfr

All-American
Feb 24, 2008
16,886
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Calling it an 'opening round' and then having the next round be 'round 1' would be 17ing exhausting to hear about as an MSU fan.
We would be selected to play in the playoffs, lose in the opening round, and then a bunch of dummies would claim in the following years that we never made the playoffs because we didnt play in 'round 1'.

For the sanity of the MSU fanbase, I hope they go a different route for expansion.
 

615dawg

All-Conference
Jun 4, 2007
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Note that using the AP poll, a classic 24-team bracket would have us hosting Tennessee with the winner traveling to Texas.
 

johnson86-1

All-American
Aug 22, 2012
15,178
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Even worse, its a 3-game bye.
Anything beyond two weeks seems like a clear negative for the winning team.

Just do a 32 team bracket, no byes. If you pick the 32 best teams and not load it up with G5 teams, you aren't going to have anybody in a game they just can't win. Won't have very many top 4 upsets, but it won't be just impossible.

If you have to do G5 for whatever political reasons, make the top 4 G5 teams basically serve as a bye for the top 4 teams in the first round.

You do three on campus games. then two bowl games.

Alternatively, you can make do regional selections instead of straight seeding, and you can do two on campus games and the third be a regional host. Don't think that really works because you'd end up with a much weaker bracket on the west than the one covering the big11 and SEC areas. But maybe you make the north half one side of the bracket and the south the other side of the bracket, so you end up with a typicallyl weaker north west team and typically weaker southwest team competing against stronger south east and big 11 area teams in the final four.
 

615dawg

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I think you go to 16 or 32 to eliminate the bye. Teams that got the bye were 0-4 Year 1 and 1-3 in Year 2, with only Indiana winning. That week off negatively effects college teams.
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
60,513
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I think you go to 16 or 32 to eliminate the bye. Teams that got the bye were 0-4 Year 1 and 1-3 in Year 2, with only Indiana winning. That week off negatively effects college teams.
16 teams no byes is plenty. All games on campus until the final which is bid out every year like the Super Bowl & final four are.
 

615dawg

All-Conference
Jun 4, 2007
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16 teams no byes is plenty. All games on campus until the final which is bid out every year like the Super Bowl & final four are.
Patdog for commissioner of college football. That's the perfect plan.

If you would allow me to introduce the NAIA amendment, where a G5 team can only make the playoff if they are in the Top 20, otherwise its 1-16.
 
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OG Goat Holder

Heisman
Sep 30, 2022
14,165
13,024
113
16 teams no byes is plenty. All games on campus until the final which is bid out every year like the Super Bowl & final four are.
Sure would be better for fans, so I doubt anybody does it. But I can go either way on this, I don't mind bowl games for true championship scenarios. But the travel is an issue that must be addressed. Weather is also a concern that time of year. But yes, 16 is the right number.

If you would allow me to introduce the NAIA amendment, where a G5 team can only make the playoff if they are in the Top 20, otherwise its 1-16.
Eh, I don't mind having one, maybe even two guaranteed G5 teams as rewards for the top seeds. That allows them to avoid a long layoff but also not worry too much about a loss. And it gives the G5 a path........at least a small glimmer of hope......of winning a national title, and that's all they want.

I'd also kill conference title games, shorten the season to 11 games with 2 byes and outlaw playing FCS. I'd keep the P4 mandate and set up some type of rotating for the other P4 vs. G6 games. Make it more regionalized.
 

ll Martain ll

Junior
Oct 5, 2014
372
285
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16 teams, single elimination feels correct to me. Keeps making the playoffs an actual accomplishment. There's no need to overcomplicate this.

First round, top 8 get a home game, then go neutral site beyond. Keep conference championship games, and don't take any time off between, roll right into it 2nd week of December. December Madness. Keep the silly pop tart and mayo bowls if you want, they become the football NIT.

24 is dumb, there's not a good bracket setup. 32 is way too many teams, we don't need 5 weeks of playoffs competing with NFL playoffs in January.
 
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KaizenMuse

Redshirt
Aug 19, 2026
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But it likely will not be the standard 16 teams play first round with 8 getting byes.

This is one of the formats being considered, which will keep bowl games in play and give everyone a chance to play an on campus game. If this format were in place, wed be headed to Provo after receiving a bye. Next round would be in Orlando or San Antonio against Alabama/USC/Missouri for a shot to go to Athens.

Jesus. Just let everyone in and expand it to 140 teams and get it over with
 

POTUS

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
4,994
13,439
113
If we ever got to host a playoff game, it would be interesting to see if the CFP would try to keep bells out.
 

maroonmania

All-Conference
Feb 23, 2008
11,354
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For Pete's sake, just play a 16 team playoff with no byes. It ain't that hard. No other NCAA tournament gives byes. And play the first round at home sites. That's how you reward the upper seeds. Not with byes.
 

ll Martain ll

Junior
Oct 5, 2014
372
285
63
Just watch. They’ll give the top 132 teams a 1st round bye, the top 124 get a 2nd tound bye. The top 4 teams won’t enter the tournament until June.
And if no clear winner emerges from all of this, a 2 man sack race will be held on consecutive Sundays until a champion is crowned
 
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