Conference Realignment

[Root4GT]

You won't avoid this by only having P5 schools. UGA would have played Ole Miss this year, who they already beat by 35. The vast majority of P5 teams are going to get blown out, even in their in their best years if they take on the elite programs. In reality we need a subdivision with about 10-15 teams that can actually compete for championships. Then the rest of us can have a real playoff.

Ole Miss has a chance against Georgia. The champs of the G5 conferences don’t have a chance against Ole Miss.

Get good games. That’s what makes it interesting.

 

[yeti92]

Not true. No one wants to see 45-14 games. That would be the results. People want games like we had Monday.

People love to see an underdog pull off an upset

 

[WreckinGT]

Ole Miss has a chance against Georgia. The champs of the G5 conferences don’t have a chance against Ole Miss.

Get good games. That’s what makes it interesting.

Not really. Their game this year wasn't really competitive at all. UGA is in a different league than they are. Most years of the 12 team playoff the 5 seed is going to be the second best SEC or Big 10 team. That team is usually going to blow out the 12 seed whether it is a G5 team or the 5th or 6th best team in the SEC. Pretty much the same for the 6-11 game. You might get good games for the 7-10, 8-9 games. That will be hit or miss.

 

[cpf2001]

Having some first round matchups that the top seed wins 95% of the time or more is a feature, not a bug. Gives the at large a chance for a miracle but also rewards excellence in the regular season.

 

[CEB]

The attached may be of Interest concerning FSU and ACC. Florida Attorney General's public records Request to ACC.

Interesting they request the “Executed Grant of Rights dated 2013” and the 2016 “Extension.”
We’ve been under the impression that 2013 and 2016 were similar but different agreements… or at least I think we were.

 

[roadkill]

Interesting they request the “Executed Grant of Rights dated 2013” and the 2016 “Extension.”
We’ve been under the impression that 2013 and 2016 were similar but different agreements… or at least I think we were.

They are separate documents, but the 2016 one is an Amendment to the 2013 document and is primarily just a term extension. Not sure why they are requesting copies, since they both seem to be in the public domain now (I have copies).

If this is a typical "demand letter", it is designed to appear more threatening than it actually is.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

You put it in Other Professional and College Sports, where it belongs.

Where no one sees it

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Not true. No one wants to see 45-14 games. That would be the results. People want games like we had Monday.

I beg to differ. Tech beating uga in a playoff game 45-14 would very much be something I would want to see.

 

[forensicbuzz]

The attached may be of Interest concerning FSU and ACC. Florida Attorney General's public records Request to ACC.

They can ask all they want. The ACC doesn't have to give the Florida AG squat.

 

[Richard7125]

What I believe or what Bill Hancock believes is the problem with the current system, and with the 2024 system.

If this year were a system in which every conference champion got in, and Boise State ended up winning the tournament would you argue that they aren't the champions because the fourth team from the SEC was left out? It goes back to what people are asking in this thread. Do we want a national championship or a TV event for the best viewership? In an actual championship tournament, Ole Miss could argue that they might had won if they had gotten in. However, they would have had the opportunity to guarantee a spot by winning the game against Alabama and the rematch with the mutts. They would have known exactly what it takes to earn a spot. Even with the 12 team playoffs it is possible for a team to schedule very tough OOC, go undefeated, and still not make it in to the playoffs. Maybe Liberty would have lost as bad in the playoffs as they did in the Fiesta Bowl. But that is only a belief, it isn't a fact.

What I would like to see is a system where every single team knows exactly how they can qualify for the playoffs before the season begins, instead of only depending on Bill Hancock's feelings in the matter.

Having 5 of the 12 teams in a playoff from G5 schools is not compelling. If the choice was to include all G5 conference winners or none of the G5 conference winners, I would choose none. That being said, I’m OK with throwing a bone to the “prettiest” G5 winner - and that's what it would be, throwing them a bone.

 

[CEB]

They are separate documents, but the 2016 one is an Amendment to the 2013 document and is primarily just a term extension. Not sure why they are requesting copies, since they both seem to be in the public domain now (I have copies).

If this is a typical "demand letter", it is designed to appear more threatening than it actually is.

One would think they’d have a copy of what they signed… maybe records retention policy needs to be examined.
Hey FSU- you CAN pay these guys now. No need to shred everything.

Not an attorney, but given the nature of GOR, if they sue over it, wouldn’t they have to sue all of the 14 other signing parties (not just ACC)? This all feels like a bunch of posturing.

 

[stinger78]

What I would like to see is a system where every single team knows exactly how they can qualify for the playoffs before the season begins, instead of only depending on Bill Hancock's feelings in the matter.

This is the key point to me. There are a few ways that teams can be determined for a playoff, but leaving out a top-shelf conference undefeated champ is not in that domain. Otherwise it is simply an illegitimate beauty pageant. If that’s what they want it to be, that’s OK, but then simply unhook the national championship from it and use whatever game results transpire as evidence for determining a national champ. What you have there is no more than an invitational tournament involving a small handful of bowl games.

 

[stinger78]

Not really. Their game this year wasn't really competitive at all. UGA is in a different league than they are. Most years of the 12 team playoff the 5 seed is going to be the second best SEC or Big 10 team. That team is usually going to blow out the 12 seed whether it is a G5 team or the 5th or 6th best team in the SEC. Pretty much the same for the 6-11 game. You might get good games for the 7-10, 8-9 games. That will be hit or miss.

I don’t think this is true. We lost to Ole Miss by multiple scores and to UGA by one score. On any day the margin of victory for competitive teams might be large or small depending on multiple interrelated factors.

 

[stingerman]

Everybody knows how to correctly organize a championship tournament. The pro organizations all do it based on division champions plus some win/loss scenarios to select remaining teams. All other NCAA sports do it based on conference champions plus some committee determined alternates. Even football in every level, except FBS, does it by conference champions plus remaining teams determined by a committee. FBS is the only NCAA sport, and only sport that I know of, that determines which conference champion to leave out based on a biased committee.

With the PAC12 imploding, there will be 9 actual conferences next year. Use every conference champion plus 3 or 7 at large teams. That would be a real championship instead of a pageant. Instead it looks like we are headed towards the five best conference champions, as determined by a committee, plus seven at large teams decided by the same committee. It will still be possible to have an undefeated G5 conference champion left out, even if they beat a team on the field that makes it in.

It will still be a totally biased process that will select teams based on politics. It will not be a championship. @slugboy I prefer a system based on pre-defined rules that everybody understands before the season starts to something driven on stats and models. For the at-large teams, I have stated before that IF conference champions are guaranteed a spot, then a committee isn't deciding who to exclude, they are deciding which non-qualifying teams get a second opportunity. Such a committee would not have been able to exclude FSU, Liberty, SMU, Miami OH, Boise State, or Troy. For those who say that an 8-5 Boise State would "deserve" to be in the playoffs, I would ask if the 9-7 Giants were the 2011 NFL champions or not. If you don't exclude those teams who do everything that is asked of them to get into the playoffs, then the only controversy is about teams who couldn't actually qualify to get in.

We used to be told that in the regular season, every game is a playoff game. Every game matters. This simply isn't true, as this season's selection process showed us. If we were to have a system where conference championships are the path to the playoff, almost every regular season game becomes a lot more interesting. Playoff implications will be at stake in many, many games as we get to mid-season. I would start watching G5 games where playoff implications were at stake. Dozens of teams would still have hope as the end of the regular season neared. Their fans would be highly engaged. Putting aside the fundamental fairness of giving every team a clear path to a championship, there is a TV ratings case for setting up the system in this way. The powers that be seem to have missed that hope draws fan interest and is good business.

 

[WreckinGT]

I don’t think this is true. We lost to Ole Miss by multiple scores and to UGA by one score. On any day the margin of victory for competitive teams might be large or small depending on multiple interrelated factors.

If we are being honest, if UGA wanted to blow us out that day then they would have blown us out that day.

 

[Richard7125]

We used to be told that in the regular season, every game is a playoff game. Every game matters. This simply isn't true, as this season's selection process showed us. If we were to have a system where conference championships are the path to the playoff, almost every regular season game becomes a lot more interesting. Playoff implications will be at stake in many, many games as we get to mid-season. I would start watching G5 games where playoff implications were at stake. Dozens of teams would still have hope as the end of the regular season neared. Their fans would be highly engaged. Putting aside the fundamental fairness of giving every team a clear path to a championship, there is a TV ratings case for setting up the system in this way. The powers that be seem to have missed that hope draws fan interest and is good business.

I'm not sure what you are saying in the second half of your post. There's a reason ESPN, Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc pay the Power Conferences a ton of money and pay the G5 conferences relatively no money. The general public is much more interested in the teams in the power conferences versus the G5 teams. I don't think the powers have missed that at all. UGA and Ohio State were the #2 teams in their conference this year. I don't think a game between Michigan and SunBelt Champion Troy would generate the same interest as Michigan v UGA. (or Bama v OSU).

 

[Root4GT]

This is the key point to me. There are a few ways that teams can be determined for a playoff, but leaving out a top-shelf conference undefeated champ is not in that domain. Otherwise it is simply an illegitimate beauty pageant. If that’s what they want it to be, that’s OK, but then simply unhook the national championship from it and use whatever game results transpire as evidence for determining a national champ. What you have there is no more than an invitational tournament involving a small handful of bowl games.

That is what the BCS and CFP have been the whole of their existence. It will be the same with a 12 team CFP, however no O4 Conference Champion will be left out so the fuss will be basically noise.

 

[CEB]

If we are being honest, if UGA wanted to blow us out that day then they would have blown us out that day.

If who is being honest?
Maybe we oughtta give that a shot.

 

[stinger78]

That is what the BCS and CFP have been the whole of their existence. It will be the same with a 12 team CFP, however no O4 Conference Champion will be left out so the fuss will be basically noise.

As long as the fuss is about the #8-12 teams, that would accomplish the main need, no matter how sketchy the thing is.

 

[WreckinGT]

If who is being honest?
Maybe we oughtta give that a shot.

The collective fanbase. Only losing to UGA by 8 looks great on paper but im not sure we should convince ourselves that it means we are a significantly better team than Ole Miss or Tennessee who got the UGA full court press.