It's time for an 8 team playoff

[SLOHusker]

Most people are conceding that Georgia is one of the best 4 teams but will still likely be left out, and UCF has gone 2 straight seasons without a loss yet still can't get a chance in the playoff. Let's just bite the bullet and go to an 8 team playoff (but never 16). Limit each school to 11 scheduled regular season games and play conf championship games the week of TG. Take the power 5 conf champions, then have 3 at large spots for independents, smaller conferences, and at-large bids, based on final ranking in the playoff poll. Play the first round at the home stadiums of the higher seed Dec 1 week and distribute revenue from the games.
Round 1) Washington at Alabama, UCF at Clemson, Ohio St at Notre Dame, Oklahoma at Georgia

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

I'd prefer to go back to the BCS over adding 4 more teams...which would give us 'Bama and Clemson this year, and yet another example of the BCS getting it right.

 

[Huskerwisdom]

Most people are conceding that Georgia is one of the best 4 teams but will still likely be left out, and UCF has gone 2 straight seasons without a loss yet still can't get a chance in the playoff. Let's just bite the bullet and go to an 8 team playoff (but never 16). Limit each school to 11 scheduled regular season games and play conf championship games the week of TG. Take the power 5 conf champions, then have 3 at large spots for independents, smaller conferences, and at-large bids, based on final ranking in the playoff poll. Play the first round at the home stadiums of the higher seed Dec 1 week and distribute revenue from the games.
Round 1) Washington at Alabama, UCF at Clemson, Ohio St at Notre Dame, Oklahoma at Georgia

I put this in another thread, but I think a 6 team playoff where the bottom 4 of that list play-in to make the final 4 is a good compromise.

Add in some rules to structure it - e.g., no 2 teams from the same conference. 1 or 2 Non-P5 teams or 1 non-P5 and a toss-up of next best P5 team or ND and you have a good structure.

I still think GA should not get in. You lose your conference and lose another game besides (by a big margin), and you aren't in.

 

[Husker4real_rivals373787]

It was time for an 8 team playoff 30 years ago. To be consistent with EVERY OTHER NCAA SPORT, this would be a 16 team playoff with conference champions getting automatic bids and fill in the bracket with at-large teams.

But since we've gone to 12 game regular seasons and CCGs, a 16 teamer is not real practical now. That's why an 8 team playoff with the P5 CCG winner getting an automatic bid and 3 at-large teams would work.

But for cryin' out loud...it's 2018...can we start making decisions based on the outcome of actual games that were played instead of the non-falsifiable hypothetical situations that won't happen?

 

[HuskerHusaria]

I'm glad to hear more people are coming aboard for an 8 team playoff. It should have happened from the start.

Alas, the detractors understand and see the issues.

Many will be eating crow this weekend.

 

[Trumplestiltskin]

At Larges is a ridiculous solution. Pare 1A to 8 Conferences with 2 divisions. Records do not matter so Non Conf games can be marquee matchups to generate interest. Only the 8 Conf game winners get in. That way the early season games are as attractive as late season and the. The whole season is technically a playoff. No bitching someone was left out...just win your conference. Using the At Large method only confuses stuff. If UCF were to get inane beat Alabama because Alabama had 20 injuries or something doesn’t make them the “best team” and I doubt anyone would think that. If u want the best team the it should be based on the entire body of work and that’s done by winning the conference and so on. All the bigger tournaments do is open up the best teams to stunning upsets by inferior teams.

 

[newAD]

I'd prefer to go back to the BCS over adding 4 more teams...which would give us 'Bama and Clemson this year, and yet another example of the BCS getting it right.

Then Ohio State never would have won the championship 2 years ago.

 

[newAD]

I’m all for 8. Top 5 seeds go to conference champs of the P5 (that could change in the future). 3 at large bids. The only way an at large bid gets a top seed is like a UCF situation where they win their conference.

Any non-conference champion must be a 6-8 seed.

If the criteria becomes the “top 8 teams” the SEC/ESPN machine would lobby for 3-4 SEC teams.

 

[Joedaly]

I’m surprised ESPN hasn’t pushed for this. They could get even more SEC teams in it! Imagine the outrage when 4 sec teams get in pushing out the little guys once again. Then the cries for a 16 team expansion begins.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

Then Ohio State never would have won the championship 2 years ago.

OK??? Are they obligated to be eligible every year or something??

 

[GeauxBigRed]

Why does Georgia deserve to be in the playoffs? They got blown out by LSU and was even given a 2nd Chance already and they lost to alabama.

Oklahoma got revenge on their only lost and won their conference. Let’s not make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Alabama vs. Oklahoma in Arlington and Clemson vs ND in Miami. Easy

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

This will end with a political tint so I apologize in advance, but it doesn't matter how many teams are invited, the arguments just shift down to lower ranked teams as to who should get it. I'm tired of the "Everyone has to have a shot, nobody can be left out because somebody's feelings will get hurt"...train of thought. For all the crap the BCS got, it usually got it right, and it would have gotten it right again this year, and it isn't like doubling the amount of eligible teams at the end of the year did a damn thing to ease all those hurt feelings, you think going to eight is going to solve anything?

 

[SilentCommit]

This will end with a political tint so I apologize in advance, but it doesn't matter how many teams are invited, the arguments just shift down to lower ranked teams as to who should get it. I'm tired of the "Everyone has to have a shot, nobody can be left out because somebody's feelings will get hurt"...train of thought. For all the crap the BCS got, it usually got it right, and it would have gotten it right again this year, and it isn't like doubling the amount of eligible teams at the end of the year did a damn thing to ease all those hurt feelings, you think going to eight is going to solve anything?

This is all absolutely correct. However, the elephant in the room (for me) is that this season has been, well, boring. The 4 team playoff is giving us nearly the same 4 teams every damn time. I understand that's not the fault of the system, to be sure. But what College Football needs now, more than ever, is an element of the chaos that College Basketball can provide. Right now, unless your team name is Alabama, your second loss of the season is the end of it for you. That was fine before, but the sport has evolved. It's time to do away with some of the framework that's no longer needed, and add some new elements.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

This is all absolutely correct. However, the elephant in the room (for me) is that this season has been, well, boring. The 4 team playoff is giving us nearly the same 4 teams every damn time. I understand that's not the fault of the system, to be sure. But what College Football needs now, more than ever, is an element of the chaos that College Basketball can provide. Right now, unless your team name is Alabama, your second loss of the season is the end of it for you. That was fine before, but the sport has evolved. It's time to do away with some of the framework that's no longer needed, and add some new elements.

Those 4 teams you say are the same every year, are going to change. It will not stay this way, don't over react, we're famous for this as football fans.

 

[newAD]

OK??? Are they obligated to be eligible every year or something??

No. I’m saying they were the 4 seed that year. Everyone just assumed FSU and Bama would meet in the final,

 

[bmb81664]

I am not against an 8 team playoff, but 5-8 would get smoked most likely every year. OU at 4 will probably get smoked. Four teams almost seems like too many.

 

[SilentCommit]

Those 4 teams you say are the same every year, are going to change. It will not stay this way, don't over react, we're famous for this as football fans.

Yeah, I get it. I think I just am Alabama'd out. I wonder if this is how folks felt about Nebraska (or Florida State) in the 90's.

 

[Native Nebraskan]

ESPN says they have a 10 year contract for 4 teams. No money in the bank I guess

 

[saluno22]

ESPN says they have a 10 year contract for 4 teams. No money in the bank I guess

Any word on the buyout conditions?

 

[hemightbejeremy]

I am not against an 8 team playoff, but 5-8 would get smoked most likely every year. OU at 4 will probably get smoked. Four teams almost seems like too many.

They should just do away with the games altogether and have a champion based on recruiting rankings and FPI. After all Alabama would smoke everyone so why even waste the time money and effort to have the games? 11 men and 1 woman can argue about who gets the mythical national championship.

 

[meo1960]

They need to even the playing field across conferences BEFORE making any changes to the playoff.

 

[Redscarlet]

They need to even the playing field across conferences BEFORE making any changes to the playoff.

Which means 9 conference games for the SEC and ACC and only one FCS game scheduled..

 

[GeorgeFlippin]

Find a way to make it work like lower division does:


https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/11/19/16645786/fcs-playoffs-2017-format-bracket-dates

 

[Redscarlet]

Find a way to make it work like lower division does:


https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/11/19/16645786/fcs-playoffs-2017-format-bracket-dates

I will say this we don’t need a 16 team playoff when we have CCG which in eccesence is a playoff game

- 5 power5 conference champions
- highest rated non Power 5
-2 at-large berths

-Highest seeded team gets a home game
- Final 4 on a neutral site location..

 

[1 nu rugby_rivals]

no, we don't need 8, this year it's 2 and all others are fighting for 3rd, the weed-out process already happened, nobody you add would win anything, in fact how close do you think OU and ND will be? if Georgia wants in then finish the job - Saturday, that was their round of 8! and UCF? that's why HCSF is here now, remember, UCF isn't getting N.

 

[GeorgeFlippin]

I will say this we don’t need a 16 team playoff when we have CCG which in eccesence is a playoff game

- 5 power5 conference champions
- highest rated non Power 5
-2 at-large berths

-Highest seeded team gets a home game
- Final 4 on a neutral site location..

Lower divisions have CCG’s, those champions get a first round bye. Personally, I’d like to see something like what they do, or make 8 super conferences with 4 divisions each, with playoffs and CCG’s within each, get 8 conference champions who go at it to decide the true champion.

I think about the best it’s going to get is the expansion from 4 to 8 teams in the near future. Oh well.


“The FCS playoffs, on the other hand, feature a field of 24 teams, who then play in a single-elimination tournament through the championship game. Ten of the 13 conferences participate in the playoff race, with the 10 conference champions receiving automatic bids into the tournament — those teams also get a first-round bye. Depending on whether a team has a bye, there are four or five wins required to come away with the title.”

 

[gw2kpro]

8 would not solve anything OUTSIDE OF the Boise States / UCF type teams no longer being shut out.

In fact, I think there would be a whole lot MORE complaining about who got left out of an 8 team playoff than who got left out of a 4 team playoff.

The NCAA tourney includes 68. ESPN schedules hours of programming annually in order to analyze who got "snubbed" and "left out".

Of a field of 68.

 

[KentJorg]

8 be nice so ucf not left out but should be ranked number 1 probably anyway cfi very corrupt

 

[9and4_rivals188421]

“The FCS playoffs, on the other hand, feature a field of 24 teams, who then play in a single-elimination tournament through the championship game. Ten of the 13 conferences participate in the playoff race, with the 10 conference champions receiving automatic bids into the tournament — those teams also get a first-round bye. Depending on whether a team has a bye, there are four or five wins required to come away with the title.”

One other note about FCS: They play 11 regular-season games. So if an at-large team has to play a first-round game and makes it to the title game, that's a 16-game season. Most teams in the title game will be playing their 15th game, which is the same for an FBS team that plays in its conference title game and then advances to the CFP title game.

 

[HuskerO58]

I put this in another thread, but I think a 6 team playoff where the bottom 4 of that list play-in to make the final 4 is a good compromise.

Add in some rules to structure it - e.g., no 2 teams from the same conference. 1 or 2 Non-P5 teams or 1 non-P5 and a toss-up of next best P5 team or ND and you have a good structure.

I still think GA should not get in. You lose your conference and lose another game besides (by a big margin), and you aren't in.

The top 2 seeds would have an enormous advantage. I believe there'd be even more controversy figuring out the Top 2 teams than the current system of figuring out the Top 4 teams.

 

[t7w0c1_rivals]

Stop messing around and go 16. No conference championships. Take all power 5 division winners. That will leave the next top six for the AAC, Conference USA, Independents, MAC, MW, Sunbelt + eyeball tests. The last six would not be automatic but they would also have a shot at getting a bid if one of their teams like UCF made a great run. In fact I'd make one or two auto bids for those conferences combined and the rest could be eyeball tests or whatever metric they'd want to use.

 

[HuskerO58]

I’m all for 8. Top 5 seeds go to conference champs of the P5 (that could change in the future). 3 at large bids. The only way an at large bid gets a top seed is like a UCF situation where they win their conference.

Any non-conference champion must be a 6-8 seed.

If the criteria becomes the “top 8 teams” the SEC/ESPN machine would lobby for 3-4 SEC teams.

Isn't the goal to figure out the best teams?

Could you imagine the 2008 season with Texas Tech having 1-loss & being ranked #7 being left out of the playoffs because the Big XII would have already had 2 teams in the playoffs (Texas & OU)? Who would they have been replaced by? #19 ranked Virginia Tech who had a 9-4 record... That most definitely does not make college football better.

 

[Sporty]

Really not sure about the conf champions automatically getting bids. This year perfect example. Northwestern beating Ohio State puts them in for sure? So the whole season no longer matters? Just like I have no problem with Georgia being left out. They finished very well but they lost to LSU handily. People think OU should not have been in but they beat every single team on their schedule and had one 3 point loss to a team they later defeated. Ohio St losing to a 6-6 Purdue team by 29 points? I just like every game mattering. Not just how a team finishes or how they do in conf! Others have said Notre Dame should not be in but they played an okay schedule and went undefeated. Not sure how or why you want to leave them out other than they are Notre Dame. Almost enough for me. If I had my druthers neither Alabama or Clemson would ever get in. No tbecause of their recent success but because they beat my huskers in bowl games when the huskers should have won!

 

[Redscarlet]

Really not sure about the conf champions automatically getting bids. This year perfect example. Northwestern beating Ohio State puts them in for sure? So the whole season no longer matters? Just like I have no problem with Georgia being left out. They finished very well but they lost to LSU handily. People think OU should not have been in but they beat every single team on their schedule and had one 3 point loss to a team they later defeated. Ohio St losing to a 6-6 Purdue team by 29 points? I just like every game mattering. Not just how a team finishes or how they do in conf! Others have said Notre Dame should not be in but they played an okay schedule and went undefeated. Not sure how or why you want to leave them out other than they are Notre Dame. Almost enough for me. If I had my druthers neither Alabama or Clemson would ever get in. No tbecause of their recent success but because they beat my huskers in bowl games when the huskers should have won!

Then why play a CCG if it means nothing to gain by..

Once you’ve in the CCG, records do not matterw ho ever wins is the confernce champ..

 

[KentJorg]

8 team playoffs look like this aac best so they have most teams

1. UCF (bestest team and undefeated)
2. Memphis (two close losses to ucf)
3. Cincinnati (tough team but ucf beat)
4. Temple (elite offense beat maryland caused trouble for ucf)
5. Houston (good team defense bit suspect)
6. USF (hate them but they deserve spot)
7. Alabama (undefeated but play in weak conference)
8. Clemson or Notre Dame (also undefeated but weaker schedule than ucf and bama debatable who is number 8 but ucf easily beat both so no matter)

what other fans think?

 

[BleedHuskerRed]

Sometimes you can pick 64 teams for a tournament and somebody will still complain that they were left out. Maybe 68 is the magic number...

 

[1 nu rugby_rivals]

8 be nice so ucf not left out but should be ranked number 1 probably anyway cfi very corrupt

Welcome Kent, guessing you don't own Knights gear from say 8-12 years ago? unless you went to that commuter school.......we have one of those in Omaha, they won 3 Natty's in a row, and cancelled the wrestling program, careful what you wish for mate!

 

[Sporty]

Conf champs used to mean everything. Did not need to be a means to an end other than in the Big Ten and Pac Eight where the winner went to the Rose Bowl. The bowl tie ins started. Then the BCS championships and now the playoff. Add whatever one wants but do not try to make it where every game does not count. No team that loses to a team like Akron (and not picking on Akron) should have a chance to play for the National Chamoionship in football. I want and many others do also for every game to still mean something. If they played more games than 12 then it may change but that is not happening.

 

[CDMXHusker]

Most people are conceding that Georgia is one of the best 4 teams but will still likely be left out, and UCF has gone 2 straight seasons without a loss yet still can't get a chance in the playoff. Let's just bite the bullet and go to an 8 team playoff (but never 16). Limit each school to 11 scheduled regular season games and play conf championship games the week of TG. Take the power 5 conf champions, then have 3 at large spots for independents, smaller conferences, and at-large bids, based on final ranking in the playoff poll. Play the first round at the home stadiums of the higher seed Dec 1 week and distribute revenue from the games.
Round 1) Washington at Alabama, UCF at Clemson, Ohio St at Notre Dame, Oklahoma at Georgia

I like 6, 8 is too may. Also no automatic conference champ unless all conferences determine their champ like the B12 no divisions, top two teams play in the CCG. Otherwise you will get a 9-4 Northwestern or an 8-5 Pittsburgh in some years and nobaidy wants to see that.

But the real leveling factor is to force the SEC/ACC to play with the same set of rules the other conferences do. They play eight games whereas the other P5 conferences play 9. Now in this day and age, until the SEC/ACC is forced to play 9 conference games it is absolutely stupid for the other conferences to put their teams at a competitive advantage against the other two leagues. This is a big deal and it means one less loss for half the SEC and ACC than they would normally have which then inflates the rankings compared to the other conferences.

 

[KentJorg]

8 team playoffs look like this aac best so they have most teams

1. UCF (bestest team and undefeated)
2. Memphis (two close losses to ucf)
3. Cincinnati (tough team but ucf beat)
4. Temple (elite offense beat maryland caused trouble for ucf)
5. Houston (good team defense bit suspect)
6. USF (hate them but they deserve spot)
7. Alabama (undefeated but play in weak conference)
8. Clemson or Notre Dame (also undefeated but weaker schedule than ucf and bama debatable who is number 8 but ucf easily beat both so no matter)

what other fans think?

anyt hought on rankings?