CFP Going to 8?

[Techster]

As some of us predicted, the rumblings toward a more inclusive college football playoff is starting...even before the very first game has even kicked off. Our very John Swofford is leading the charge:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/notebook/_/p...john-swofford-push-eight-teams-3-point-stance

1. ACC commissioner John Swofford broke from the party line Wednesday and declared his personal support for an eight-team playoff, laying responsibility for the 12-year, four-team playoff at the feet of the presidents. Swofford said the presidents don't want a two-semester sport. That sets up the obvious trade: Swap the conference championship games for the quarterfinals. An additional playoff round would recoup the money the conferences give up. It's also addition by subtraction. No championship games means one more bye week. That should keep players healthier. And that's how the proponents of the eight-team format should sell it.

I don't get the argument that it would turn into a 2 semester sport (nevermind CBB is a 2 semester sport), when going from quarter-semi-final only takes 3 weeks, and if you have a conference championship (basically automatic play-in for P5 conferences), 4 weeks. Most BCS bowls take place during the entirety of the first week of January...so there goes that argument.

You can go a step further and say teams that lose in the quarterfinal round can still go to bowl game.

I think the 8 team playoffs will happen sooner rather than later.

 

[00Burdell]

Awesome! Can't wait to see 4 SEC teams in the field of 8.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Goint to 8 was always just a matter of when not if. The when is still up in the air. A screwed up first year playoff will expedite the process. Gonna root for that to happen since GT isn't likely involved this year.

 

[Animal02]

Ending the conference championships will just corrupt the process more. Just take the ten conference champions.....bottom four (by ranking play-in,) then 8 team playoff.....get rid of the politics of polls etc.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Ending the conference championships will just corrupt the process more. Just take the ten conference champions.....bottom four (by ranking play-in,) then 8 team playoff.....get rid of the politics of polls etc.

So logical, so clear, so easy to understand, they'll never go for it.

 

[☠CaptainBuzz☠]

Heard talk of a 12 team playoff. Top 4 getting a bye in the first round.

I would love to see them expand the playoffs. If we really are trying to find the best team, more folks having to face non-conference powers in the first round would clear up the picture a bit.

 

[Animal02]

Heard talk of a 12 team playoff. Top 4 getting a bye in the first round.

I would love to see them expand the playoffs. If we really are trying to find the best team, more folks having to face non-conference powers in the first round would clear up the picture a bit.

I think the idea of "finding the best team" is nonsense......it is a tournament.....no different than the basketball tournament. The "best" team wns the tile as often as it doesn't

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Awesome! Can't wait to see 4 SEC teams in the field of 8.

Precisely. The move to 8 teams will be driven by the Power 5 conference (or two) that get frozen out this year. But the unintended consequence of expanding the field will be, just as you say, the opening up of more slots for the SEC to fill. I can readily see an 8 team field where one of the Power 5 conferences would still be passed over. That is, unless they mandated that the 8 teams must consist of the five conference champions plus 3 at large.

 

[ClydeBrick]

We would have an eight-team playoff this season if GT beat UNCheat and Fluke.

Think about it, the world would spin off its axis with two undefeated ACC teams and zero SEC ones in late November.

Watching the committee rep squirm in his interviews as he justifies SEC team's "quality losses". The electrons wasted on the internets lamenting this situation and demanding more playoff spots. It would have been epic.




Dammit.

 

[GTJason]

Would be great if they took the P5 champions and 3 at large. It would decrease the weak OOC scheduling because those games won't matter. It would be to our advantage to schedule teams like tOSU, Texas, UGA etc because all that really matters to us is winning the ACC. It would produce a good on the field product and would help us prep for in conference games. I also think it would balance out recruiting a bit...

 

[southernhive]

8 is not enough. Soon it will go to 16. 2 teams from each power 5 conference and then 6 at large bids. JMHO.

 

[WreckinGT]

Would be great if they took the P5 champions and 3 at large. It would decrease the weak OOC scheduling because those games won't matter. It would be to our advantage to schedule teams like tOSU, Texas, UGA etc because all that really matters to us is winning the ACC. It would produce a good on the field product and would help us prep for in conference games. I also think it would balance out recruiting a bit...

This is the obvious best way to do things. Im not sure it will ever happen though. The SEC will see it as a threat to their perceived dominance, and it will be much less controversial which ESPN will not like at all.

 

[takethepoints]

If the costs weren't already sunk, I could see an argument against an 8 team playoff, "It'd cost too much, ect. ect.!"

But they are. I can guarantee that the extra time would not – repeat, not – be a concern for the players and coaches. But who knows about the presidents? The people who run Div 2 and 3 colleges don't seem to have any trouble with a 16 team round. I get the feeling that most Div 1 presidents think that college sports is quite big enough on their campuses as it is, thank you very much, and they would like to keep it in its place as much as is possible. Given the recent revelations about UNC, I can certainly see their point. You go to school to get educated, supposedly; sports are for the alums.

But that ship has sailed, imho, and, since an 8 or 16 team playoff using the championship games as a first round is an easy way to get to a real national champion, I'm pretty sure that we'll see at least an 8 team playoff next year.

 

[DaddyBill]

Just wait until one of the power5s does not get a team in this first year playoffs and the screaming begins. Say GT beats GA and Auburn gets another miracle over 'Bama. Things could get shaky for ESECPN and they will go to 8 or 16 right away.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Like DB said, it will happen sooner rather than later. It does not have to go into January. One week off after the regular season and go for it. all sports now are two semester sports. They have fall baseball, golf, etc. and don't get me started on Basketball. It goes from October until April.

 

[Squints]

Precisely. The move to 8 teams will be driven by the Power 5 conference (or two) that get frozen out this year. But the unintended consequence of expanding the field will be, just as you say, the opening up of more slots for the SEC to fill. I can readily see an 8 team field where one of the Power 5 conferences would still be passed over. That is, unless they mandated that the 8 teams must consist of the five conference champions plus 3 at large.

There's no way they'd go to 8 playoffs without giving the conference champions a guaranteed berth. I can't see anybody agreeing to it without that. I think the issue would be whether the G5 conferences would have a seat at the table.

 

[Blumpkin Souffle]

What about conferences that don't have a championship game? IIRC the committee said they would treat both Baylor and TCU as champions if they tie.

 

[Squints]

I think that's where it gets tricky. I would imagine that it'd be similar to how bids for the BCS games have worked with the B1G and more recently the Big 12 using tie-breakers to determine who gets the nod but it's anyone's guess at this point. I think the committee tried to pass the buck to the Big 12 a couple weeks ago on that front and the Big 12 basically said "No way. That choice is on you guys."

 

[AE 87]

I think the Big12 should send their champ to a conference championship week game against the highest ranked G5/Independent. Then the 4 teams be chosen from the winners of the conference champions and that game.

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

Just my opinion, but I hate the idea of any system that can result in a national championship without a conference championship.