That’s a trade-off I wouldn’t want to make. That would suck.
FWST: An elite eight in college football? The case for and against expanding the playoffs.
- Thread starter TopFrog
- Start date
That’s a trade-off I wouldn’t want to make. That would suck.
I agree, And remember the LSU Alabama Championship game. LSU had beaten ALA during the season but ALA won the championship. An 8 team playoff could consist of the 5 conference champions and 3 at large
And give up our annual opening game scrimmage? What a loss.
Dogfrog
Active Member
The reason is to keep everybody in the mix longer which keeps it more interesting. BTW any P5 conference that already plays every other member should not be required or pressured to play a CCG. We were pressured to do this by the CFP .org. not because it made for a fairer team comparisons but for the additional $revenue$ it represented. Which is what drives every decision and IMO is the only possible reason anyone would argue endlessly about it. To those who argue endlessly for the status quo, schools are mere brands that vary in value. I’ll take the basketball approach where a Gonzaga can emerge as a national power and create high interest in their region. That kind of thing is impossible in football.
JockO de Frog
Active Member
Okay, it's time to get a real expert to comment about this.....
It's impossible in football because of the nature of the sport and there being 85+ players on a team instead of 12-15. Football just doesn't lend itself to the kind of parity seen in other sports.
I agree that the Big 12 CCG is kind of dumb and it's completely money driven. But it's also dumb for teams like Georgia, Baylor, and WIsconsin this year to make a playoff (and even more to dumb to argue that they deserve to be in the playoffs) when they just lost to a playoff team in their last game of the season. And that would happen ALL THE TIME, every year. It'd be even more dumb for a team sitting at home on CCG weekend passing up a team that lost in their CCG and thus making the playoffs, but that would happen sometimes too.
I think everyone has this pollyanna vision concerning a 8-team playoff (or god forbid 16-team) and that the reality is it's not going to turn out anything like they thought it would. Just my opinion.
Dogfrog
Active Member
Not impossible to anybody except TV or CFP people. You’re right about less parity in football but the system reduces parity by having the same usual suspects in the playoff year in and year out, which skews recruiting in a way that absolutely kills parity.
Hemingway
Active Member
I didn’t know that. Orlando is a very international city. People flying in to those parks 24/7. That feeds a lot of businesses.
And the same usual suspects will still be in the playoffs. Ohio State would have been 6 for 6 instead of 3 for 6.
If there was more parity before any playoffs existed, a little less after the BCS format, and even less once they went to a 4-team playoff, why do people think there will be more if it goes to 8.
The divide will only get wider because EVERYTHING will be about the playoffs, the bowls will be even further marginalized if they don't go away, and instead of 4 blue-blood teams hogging all the spotlight at the end of the year, you'll have a few more of them in most years with a very occasional party crasher and a token G5 team that gets their ass handed to them most every year.
Dogfrog
Active Member
Sorry but you state ridiculous stuff as though you actually believe it, which kills your credibility. For example, a three round playoff is going to ruin the regular season? It is the regular season that determines the playoff participants. Would be interesting to know why you work so hard at grinding that axe.
It wouldn't "ruin" the regular season. It would make it less compelling over time. Just my opinion.
flyfishingfrog
Active Member
And you ignore that as many 15 teams that have never been would also have made it....
flyfishingfrog
Active Member
What ruins the regular season is when 7 out of 10 teams in a conference are not even a candidate to make it after 7 weeks of the season or 7 of 8 teams in a division have never even been mentioned in the discussion...
Dogfrog
Active Member
Yea the current system is great for parity.
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-playoff-same-teams-national-signing-day-052140424.html
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-playoff-same-teams-national-signing-day-052140424.html
It’s not. I’m arguing that expanding it will just result in less parity. There was more parity in college football when there was no playoff at all. Why was that?
Dogfrog
Active Member
Because there were no hand picked cigars sitting in a room getting to decide what was in their own best interest. Yea there were a bunch of sports journalists doing it before, but that was a slightly better. The more it is determined on the field the better.
Bizarro Frog
Active Member
I think there is a pretty good argument for an 8 team playoff I will cover the objections below. Forgive me if the Start Telegram article covers all of this since I cant access it. I am assuming the 1st round games are played on the campus of the teams seeded 1-4. Also assuming all Power 5 Champs get an auto-bid with the committee selecting the last 3 with no auto-bid for the Group of 5 (I think an auto-bid for Group of 5 is what fuels half the people against expanding).
Too Many Games for the Players - Expanding the playoff would only push 2 teams to 16 games. Currently the 4 playoff teams that have also played in their conference championship games play 14 games and the winners play 15. Now 8 teams would play 14 games, 4 or 8 would play a 15th game (depends on if the losers of the 1st round games play in a bowl game), and 2 would play a 16th game. TX State High School finalist play 16 games, the NFL teams play 19 to 20 games. Not sure why 2 college teams can't play a 16th game.
It Will Hurt The Regular Season - You hear it every year - Every game is a playoff, that is what makes it great. Horse manure. If every game was a playoff then only undefeated teams would make the playoff. 2014 - FL St is the champ and the playoffs are cancelled. 2015 - Clemson is the champ and the playoff is cancelled. 2016 - Alabama is the champ and playoffs are cancelled. 2017 - no champ and playoffs are cancelled. See where this is going?
Non Conference Games Will Suffer - Argument - Every one will schedule Liberty, Tarleton St and Colorado School of Mines. Horse Manure again. Two ways into the playoff means you can play top caliber teams and it not wreck your season if you lose. Win your Power 5 conference or have a resume worth being included. Teams that schedule a tough non-conference would be rewarded and those that don't are left out if they don't win their conference. TCU could play Ohio St, Michigan and SMU and not worry about a loss ending their season, they have another way in. The best strategy to get in would include playing top caliber teams to hedge your bet in-case you do not win your conference.
Conference Championship Games are De Facto Playoff Games - This statement is mathematically and scientifically false no matter how you spin it. One Power 5 conference champ is left out every year and maybe 2 or more if Notre Dame goes 12-0 or if Bama drops 1 game and does not even play in their championship game.
Fans Will Lose Interest If Too Many Teams Are In The Playoff - What scenario would make fans lose more interest? A - Losing a game in September or October and your whole season is wrecked with regards to winning a title? B - Every Power 5 team alive for their conference title in late October or November knowing they can make the playoff? If your answer is not A then you need help with reality. I understand the excitement of living or dying on every game played. It's a huge rush but there is no real reason for a season to really end with 1 loss in some cases. Not fair to the players, coaches or fans.
Too Many Teams In The NCAA Basketball Tournament Have Ruined The Regular Season And Will Happen To Football - Triple Horse Manure - Football and Basketball are apples and oranges, the basic nature of the amount of regular season football games played assures that. How many people really ever got up on Saturday and said they are going to watch every Top 25 basketball game before they expanded the field to 64? Or that they can't wait for an un-ranked Boston College vs Virginia Tech on a Tuesday night? I have a feeling most fans have just watched and followed their basketball teams during the regular season unless they are at a bar and another game is on.
This is just my opinion and I might be wired different than most so have fun.
Go Frogs!!!
Too Many Games for the Players - Expanding the playoff would only push 2 teams to 16 games. Currently the 4 playoff teams that have also played in their conference championship games play 14 games and the winners play 15. Now 8 teams would play 14 games, 4 or 8 would play a 15th game (depends on if the losers of the 1st round games play in a bowl game), and 2 would play a 16th game. TX State High School finalist play 16 games, the NFL teams play 19 to 20 games. Not sure why 2 college teams can't play a 16th game.
It Will Hurt The Regular Season - You hear it every year - Every game is a playoff, that is what makes it great. Horse manure. If every game was a playoff then only undefeated teams would make the playoff. 2014 - FL St is the champ and the playoffs are cancelled. 2015 - Clemson is the champ and the playoff is cancelled. 2016 - Alabama is the champ and playoffs are cancelled. 2017 - no champ and playoffs are cancelled. See where this is going?
Non Conference Games Will Suffer - Argument - Every one will schedule Liberty, Tarleton St and Colorado School of Mines. Horse Manure again. Two ways into the playoff means you can play top caliber teams and it not wreck your season if you lose. Win your Power 5 conference or have a resume worth being included. Teams that schedule a tough non-conference would be rewarded and those that don't are left out if they don't win their conference. TCU could play Ohio St, Michigan and SMU and not worry about a loss ending their season, they have another way in. The best strategy to get in would include playing top caliber teams to hedge your bet in-case you do not win your conference.
Conference Championship Games are De Facto Playoff Games - This statement is mathematically and scientifically false no matter how you spin it. One Power 5 conference champ is left out every year and maybe 2 or more if Notre Dame goes 12-0 or if Bama drops 1 game and does not even play in their championship game.
Fans Will Lose Interest If Too Many Teams Are In The Playoff - What scenario would make fans lose more interest? A - Losing a game in September or October and your whole season is wrecked with regards to winning a title? B - Every Power 5 team alive for their conference title in late October or November knowing they can make the playoff? If your answer is not A then you need help with reality. I understand the excitement of living or dying on every game played. It's a huge rush but there is no real reason for a season to really end with 1 loss in some cases. Not fair to the players, coaches or fans.
Too Many Teams In The NCAA Basketball Tournament Have Ruined The Regular Season And Will Happen To Football - Triple Horse Manure - Football and Basketball are apples and oranges, the basic nature of the amount of regular season football games played assures that. How many people really ever got up on Saturday and said they are going to watch every Top 25 basketball game before they expanded the field to 64? Or that they can't wait for an un-ranked Boston College vs Virginia Tech on a Tuesday night? I have a feeling most fans have just watched and followed their basketball teams during the regular season unless they are at a bar and another game is on.
This is just my opinion and I might be wired different than most so have fun.
Go Frogs!!!
Last edited:
The Frog to be Named Later
Active Member
Successfully avoided clicking on this thread until today. How did I know wex would be a beating in this thread even though he’s on ignore.
