CFP Discussion

[forensicbuzz]

Well, Washington is in the B1G next year and Texas is in the $EC. Doesn't that make it a B1G v. $EC playoff?

 

[stinger78]

If I read this correctly, this costs the ACC $6 million

If FSU goes to the semifinals, then Louisville goes to the Orange Bowl. That’s $6 million for the semifinals and $4 million for the Orange Bowl

With FSU going to the Orange Bowl, the ACC just gets $4 million

The publicity and other effects are bigger—the ACC is cast as little league

College Football Playoff Payouts

How much do teams make for the College Football Playoff? We've got the 2023-24 revenue distribution plan plus payouts from past years.

businessofcollegesports.com

And so many of our folks justify it and laugh, and talk about how we should give more and buy more tickets.

 

[Randy Carson]

It's almost as if the SEC and the B1G are being granted some sort of premier status while the ACC and the Big 12 are in a second-tier category...



What if teams moved up or down from based on their actual W-L records each year? Seems like that would make EVERY game count and not just the conference championship game.

 

[yellajacket20]

A lot of folks talk about a relegation model, but I don't see how that can coexist with the transfer portal. If that isn't changed, what's to stop players from jumping from every team that gets relegated downwards? I would also think that there has to be equal revenue (at least from the media contracts) among the schools in each tier. Otherwise, the schools that jump up won't be able to stay there while being outspent by their competition.

 

[Vespidae]

Interesting take from Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports:

“It wasn’t though, mainly because the system that was set up back when these players were in elementary school didn’t account for — or care about — what played out in 2023.

The people who designed a four-team playoff back then really didn’t want to design a four-team playoff — or any kind of playoff. So they did a terrible job.

They knew they needed to move past the two-team Bowl Championship Series. However, too many of their motivations had little to do with determining a champion on the field or setting up the most exciting postseason. Instead they were focused on protecting the bowl industry, maintaining the Rose Bowl’s late-afternoon New Year’s Day television window (and second-half sunset over the San Gabriel Mountains) and making a glacial move from two to four when a bold one was needed and inevitable.

Florida State was further impacted by the misplaced emotions of the commissioners of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and, yes, its very own ACC in the summer of 2021. Plans to expand the playoff to 12 teams before the 2023 season were nearly complete at the time. Then Texas and Oklahoma called the SEC and asked about leaving the Big 12. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey got the deal done, and his league will expand to 16 teams next season.

The other leagues began saber rattling and acting like every other league wouldn’t have done the same thing the SEC did.

They formed the so-called “Alliance,” which supposedly would create stability against SEC aggression. It was comical and ridiculous. Within a year, the Big Ten raided the Pac-12 for USC and UCLA starting in 2024. Later, it finished the league off by grabbing Oregon and Washington. The Big 12 and ACC then picked off the rest.

The ACC got played a fool. In the process, the playoff expansion was tabled until everyone calmed down. By the time the original expansion plan was finally agreed upon it was too late for this season. It'll start in 2024, with automatic bids for top conference champions. It's one year too late for Florida State.

That left the Seminoles — or anyone else — exposed to the exact situation that played out.

They won all their games and it wasn’t good enough.

They scheduled aggressively in the non-con, beat LSU and Florida, and it wasn’t good enough.

They saw the ACC go 6-4 against the SEC and it wasn’t good enough.

They survived an injury to their star player and it wasn’t good enough.

Florida State got screwed.

Not so much by a committee that had to screw someone, but by its own leadership booth in 2021, and more than a decade ago, that focused too much on politics and business and everything except assuring that something like this couldn't happen.”

 

[ibeattetris]

Aside from a brief historical blip known as the BCS, this has always been the process. Even in the BCS, it was a factor.

I hope the playoff is able to provide transparency and “fairness” but I’m not overly optimistic. Backroom handshakes seem to be engrained in the process.

The bcs selection criteria was far and away better than a closed council with no oversight.

All they had to do was say “top 4 in bcs rankings advance” and we would not have had this scenario. ESPN knew they would want to pull this **** and forced the format we have.

 

[stinger78]

Interesting take from Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports:

“It wasn’t though, mainly because the system that was set up back when these players were in elementary school didn’t account for — or care about — what played out in 2023.

The people who designed a four-team playoff back then really didn’t want to design a four-team playoff — or any kind of playoff. So they did a terrible job.

They knew they needed to move past the two-team Bowl Championship Series. However, too many of their motivations had little to do with determining a champion on the field or setting up the most exciting postseason. Instead they were focused on protecting the bowl industry, maintaining the Rose Bowl’s late-afternoon New Year’s Day television window (and second-half sunset over the San Gabriel Mountains) and making a glacial move from two to four when a bold one was needed and inevitable.

Florida State was further impacted by the misplaced emotions of the commissioners of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and, yes, its very own ACC in the summer of 2021. Plans to expand the playoff to 12 teams before the 2023 season were nearly complete at the time. Then Texas and Oklahoma called the SEC and asked about leaving the Big 12. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey got the deal done, and his league will expand to 16 teams next season.

The other leagues began saber rattling and acting like every other league wouldn’t have done the same thing the SEC did.

They formed the so-called “Alliance,” which supposedly would create stability against SEC aggression. It was comical and ridiculous. Within a year, the Big Ten raided the Pac-12 for USC and UCLA starting in 2024. Later, it finished the league off by grabbing Oregon and Washington. The Big 12 and ACC then picked off the rest.

The ACC got played a fool. In the process, the playoff expansion was tabled until everyone calmed down. By the time the original expansion plan was finally agreed upon it was too late for this season. It'll start in 2024, with automatic bids for top conference champions. It's one year too late for Florida State.

That left the Seminoles — or anyone else — exposed to the exact situation that played out.

They won all their games and it wasn’t good enough.

They scheduled aggressively in the non-con, beat LSU and Florida, and it wasn’t good enough.

They saw the ACC go 6-4 against the SEC and it wasn’t good enough.

They survived an injury to their star player and it wasn’t good enough.

Florida State got screwed.

Not so much by a committee that had to screw someone, but by its own leadership booth in 2021, and more than a decade ago, that focused too much on politics and business and everything except assuring that something like this couldn't happen.”

I agree with everything but his conclusion. Yes, all those things add up to a good screwing, but none of them were aimed directly at FSU. What the committee did was screw FSU directly. Yea, somebody had to be screwed, do to prior stupidity, but they wove their tale to make that team/conference FSU/ACC.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

This game is very depends on who opts out for both teams and how motivated either team is to play the game. Both think they should be in the CFP.

As a result, this becomes an almost impossible game to pick. FSU looks faster and more athletic to me but not sure if that team will show up. Georgia blew their one big game this year so they either will have a chip on their shoulder or we saw exactly who they are against a competitive team.

I still lean FSU.

 

[Techster]

I have no idea if someone I'm ignoring has already pointed this out, but the CFP this year is two B1G teams against 2 $EC teams. Next year Washington is in the B1G and Texas is in the $EC. So, it all kind of makes sense.

One of the talking heads pointed that out while hinting at a conspiracy.

 

[cpf2001]

The bcs selection criteria was far and away better than a closed council with no oversight.

All they had to do was say “top 4 in bcs rankings advance” and we would not have had this scenario. ESPN knew they would want to pull this **** and forced the format we have.

The BCS criteria were hardly some fixed impartial thing. They were changed when people complained about the computers for a few years in a row and we got another split title because of SOS-y shenanigans causing a “the wrong two out of three teams were picked” perception in 2003. And then changed more after that.

 

[CEB]

The BCS criteria were hardly some fixed impartial thing. They were changed when people complained about the computers for a few years in a row and we got another split title because of SOS-y shenanigans causing a “the wrong two out of three teams were picked” perception in 2003. And then changed more after that.

All true, of course, and yet none of that disproves the point that it was still the best system we’ve ever had.
Hopefully that’s about to change… but I suspect that when the new system proves to be too transparent, it will get “fixed.”

 

[Northeast Stinger]

And so many of our folks justify it and laugh, and talk about how we should give more and buy more tickets.

Yeah, I feel unusually bitter about this. I try to reflect on why and it’s no one thing. But possible reasons include……

1. The idea that if Tech just wins then all will be right with our program in the current climate, which just isn’t true.

2. That we should give up on leaving the ACC because it’s a perfectly good fit for us, or we don’t deserve anything different.

3. The constant ESPN narrative that runs down our conference and disincentivizes potential recruits, good TV contracts or sidewalk fans.

4. When money is more critical than ever, the powers that be keep hitting us in the wallet.

Yeah, I’m still more butthurt about this than I would have predicted and it has little to do with any affection for FSU.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

FSU may have been hoisted on its own petard, but the CFP selection committee pulled the pin and dropped it at FSU's feet.

 

[Yaller Jacket]

Northeast, I have no idea how the opting out will fall out. But i' m thinking two teams furious about being left out will play their butts off. Like you I think FSU will win. Neither Georgia nor Alabama looked as good as they often do.

 

[Root4GT]

Northeast, I have no idea how the opting out will fall out. But i' m thinking two teams furious about being left out will play their butts off. Like you I think FSU will win. Neither Georgia nor Alabama looked as good as they often do.

UGA has 7 potential top 100 draft picks and FSU has 6 potential top 100 draft picks. How those players decide to play/not play will have a huge baring on the game.

 

[ibeattetris]

The BCS criteria were hardly some fixed impartial thing. They were changed when people complained about the computers for a few years in a row and we got another split title because of SOS-y shenanigans causing a “the wrong two out of three teams were picked” perception in 2003. And then changed more after that.

There was always a problem with selecting 2 out of 100+ teams. Any format would have broken down when only two teams could be chosen. Let’s say FSU qb was healthy this year, the bcs picking two would be a nightmare.

I’m not saying the bcs was perfect, but the bcs formula was better than a closed council.

 

[MusicalBuzz]

If Patrick Mahomes gets injured tomorrow, Kansas City is still in the playoffs. No other self-respecting sport would do this.

Yes, but also at this point — and with its starting QB —the Atlanta Falcons would also be in the playoffs. And no other respectable league would do this.

 

[MusicalBuzz]

This seems a good time to remind that a Committee — subject to any manner of influence and bias and unaccountable — to determine CFB is another in a steady line of disruptive decisions by NCAA and power players (which was then closely followed by NIL and Transfer Portal), and is fundamentally un-American.

Although not so long ago so many were complaining about inaccuracies of the AP, the Coaches and various computer polls, where inexplicably some one person would list, for example, Liberty as #1 ranked — I would be very enlightened for a perspective on how 100+ AP, and 60+ coaches, and several computer models don’t balance out outlier influencers. Which is exact opposite of the status quo. The BCS had it rights and always did. And fans and the power players screwed it up as they continue to do (see: NIL, TP).

If my existence is going to be decided out of my control, I sure as hell don’t want that decision by some all-powerful, and very likely directed and compromised,“Committee”. (that’s what Britain does, no?)

 

[slugboy]

Yes, but also at this point — and with its starting QB —the Atlanta Falcons would also be in the playoffs. And no other respectable league would do this.

What are you talking about? Every one of the big leagues puts teams like that in the playoffs. Baltimore won a superbowl with a QB that couldn’t hit the water from the dock.

 

[MusicalBuzz]

The bcs selection criteria was far and away better than a closed council with no oversight.

All they had to do was say “top 4 in bcs rankings advance” and we would not have had this scenario. ESPN knew they would want to pull this **** and forced the format we have.

I probably shoulda read through this last page before posting my own agreeing thought about BCS! But I’m 100% agreement with you — Top 4 in BCS formula is the way to go -