Give me a playoff
If the NCAA would adopt my playoff plan — an 11-team playoff, with only conference champions involved — think how great would be not just the playoff, but the regular season. That’s the problem with all the 16-team or 8-team playoffs. When you bring in the wild cards and at-large berths, you’ve got just as big a mess as we’ve got now, and you’ve watered down the regular season.
But if only conference champs were involved, we would hit December with still seven conference titles to be determined: Big 12, ACC, Pac-10, SEC, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt. Talk about a royal Saturday. Do-or-die is what makes for great theater, and that’s what we’ve had the last couple of weeks, and what we would have Saturday, and then what we would have in the ensuing playoff, in which five teams would get first-round byes and the other six champs would fill out the bracket.
My plan is the best combination of protecting the regular season while also creating a post-season buzz.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Comments
I’m not sure about a blanket statement of using conference champions. Particularly as conferences handle this differently. Only using conference champions could allow for an unranked team to play in the playoffs, if you consider the conference championship games and how a five-loss team can mathematically make it and stage an upset. Maybe that’s OK. But consider that currently two-loss Georgia is ranked above LSU and Tennessee but not playing in the SEC championship game.
I’m not sure about a blanket statement of only using conference champions. Particularly as conferences handle this differently. Only using conference champions could allow for an unranked team to play in the playoffs, if you consider the conference championship games and how a five-loss team can mathematically make it and stage an upset. Maybe that’s OK. But consider that currently two-loss Georgia is ranked above LSU and Tennessee but not playing in the SEC championship game.
I whole heartedly agree with your plan of a playoff with conference champions – it’s the only apples to apples way of deciding who the best team in the country is. A team wins a conference championship by having a better record against the same competition as every other team in the conference. It eliminates a teams inflated national ranking that is induced by a “soft” non conference schedule. I believe each team should play everybody in their conference, filling out the remaining games with non-conference opponents to get to 12 total games, eliminate the conference championship, and then start the playoff. If need be, toss in 4 -6 wild cards, and then watch the fur fly. This would add excitement, legitimacy and intrigue to the entire season. At the end of the playoff – there would be very few arguments about the “true champ”
When OU gets uset by Colorado, or any of the other top teams gets upset, everyone crys. Imagine what would happen if the top team all year gets uset by the bottom seed? Everyone would be crying and saying that the best team did not win!! LEAVE THE SYSTEM ALONE, JUST HAVE FEWER BOWL GAMES, PERIOD!!
Until we get a playoff its all mythical. The other divisions like div 2 are already playing theirs and have for years. To say it cant be done is a joke. In a 8 team playoff we will be worrying about about whos 8-9 instead of like now where its arguments for 1-2. The fans and coaches andd media should revolt together. Its talked about every year. What does that mean? No one is satisfied with the current system
What about independents, Notre Dame being the prime example? The Irish may be down now, but they won’t stay there forever.
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Berry,
You aren’t going to see a play-off. I explained it earlier. I would invite you to check in with the folks in the athletic department who plan, coordinate and facilitate the team moving from one detination to another. Unless it is planned well in advance, its tough to do. it isn’t just moving a football team, its cheerleaders, the band, all the staff and peo-ple associated with the team. It is all the equipment that goes with all of these folks. But the biggest reason is this:
Money! Each school has built in revenue sources under the current system. They know what to expect from each game. They plan the breakdowns and go forward. It is the same with the bowl game. They also have 3-5 weeks to prepare the move to the site. Not just a week.
The fan base cannot travel that readily as well. Students only have so much money. This is going to effect revenue along the way and schools are not going to go for that. Not when they have a system in place that ensures finances and has a bonus system in the way of the higher paying BCS games.
Could a season have been better than this one? Well, yes, Oklahoma could win it all again. But really, there is so much parody. People are talking about it, it is always on the radar, so what would motivate school officials to change it…….only higher revenues. If a play-off system guarranteed this then you would have already seen it.
It is simple on paper and makes so much sense to do…..to have a play-off. It works in any other sport. So why then, have they not adopted it by now? They have something figured out that the average Joe doesn’t…….and it always revolves around revenue and they simply aren’t going to change that. It isn’t about sport in this case….colleges are businesses first. Having a winning team is just a marketing tool. I don’t approach it that way….but consider the point.
ps. The NFL has locked up important Saturdays in the coming weeks as well. They aren’t going to want to have competition for their viewing audience with College Football.
oh, and I certainly missed the Tuberville guess. I am glad, I think he is a great coach…..and I love that he is going to be a thorn in Saban and Meyer’s sides for the near future.