ESPN reporting that playoffs will expand to 12 teams in 2024

[RamblinRed]

I've trashed the cash cow conference 'championship' games from the beginning. There have been years when not one of them had any bearing on playoffs. This year, Georgia and Michigan are in no matter if they win or lose. Last year, Alabama blew out Georgia only to lose enough key starters which made the difference when they played the '2nd championship' game.
The only way we're going to get rid of them is to make those stadiums playoff sites. Those folks aren't going to give up their $$$.
Eight playoff teams are more than plenty. All 12 does is let the Big Ten pack in more teams that the media rubber stamps in the pre-season top 10 polls every year.
However, Ohio State won't have to do their annual whining that they deserve to be the team blown out in the playoffs.
Ten or eleven regular season games are more than enough to determine playoff teams.
In theory, adding the 12th and 13th games allows teams to play competitive games around the country. But the reality has been for schools to add two or three assumed automatic wins that few fans want to see.

I don't see the number of regular season games being reduced.
That would likely mean a lost home game for most programs, who won't want to do that and give up on the revenue from that home game.

AA's are completely drunk on money and will not do anything to reduce the amount of revenue generated.

 

[takethepoints]

Well, if the FCS can figure this out with a much larger field, then I think the FBS can too. An 8 - 12 team scheme similar to what Red lays out above would work just fine, I think. And the bowls would fall right in; with the stakes in each game higher both in-person and tv interest would be greater. Also, the minor bowls would probably continue without change.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Just don’t do it like pro sports. I still like the old bowl system where everyone argued over who was number 1 after the final game. But those days are gone.

 

[TheTechGuy]

If only they had done it originally in 2014… we would’ve snuck in as #12 that year.

Not only would we have made it in, but we would have knocked uga out, who was at #13 in the final CFP ranking.

 

[ibeattetris]

I still like the old bowl system where everyone argued over who was number 1 after the final game. But those days are gone.

I respect you opinion, but this comment legitimately triggered me

 

[leatherneckjacket]

The conference championship games will stay because they are a huge part of the TV Contracts and bring in millions of dollars in both TV revenue and gate for the conferences.
The reason they have always existed is primarily to increase the revenue for the conferences.

The new CFP is basically designed to get the conference champions from the P5 (and the top ranked G5 champion) team and then the next 6 highest ranked CFP teams.

If you used this week's CFP rankings and assumed the conference championship games are all won by the higher ranked team than a 12 team playoff this year would be (listing the conference champions in CFP order first and then the top 6 remaining CFP teams)
1.UGA -CFP #1, SEC Champ
2. Mich -CFP #2, B10 Champ
3.TCU - CFP #3, B12 Champ
4. USC - CFP #4, PAC Champ
5. Clemson - CFP #9, ACC Champ
6. Tulane - CFP #18, AAC Champ
7. Ohio St - CFP #5
8. AL - CFP #6
9. TN - CFP #7
10. Penn St - CFP #8
11. Kansas St - CFP #10
12. Utah - CFP #11

Washington and FSU would be the first 2 left out.

I believe the idea for the 12 team is that the top 4 get buys so I believe the structure would be

1. UGA - Bye
2. Mich - Bye
3. TCU - Bye
4. USC - Bye

5. Ohio St - 12. Tulane - winner plays USC
6. AL - 11. Utah - winner plays TCU
7. TN - 10. Kansas St - winner plays Mich
8. Penn St - 9. Clemson - winner plays UGA

I'm pretty sure the 12 teams picked will be seated based on their CFP rankings, not whether they are conference champions.

Clemson, Utah, and Tulane would be the only teams that would be in danger of missing the CFP with a conference championship game loss.
Clemson would be replaced by UNC (who would likely be the #12 seed, might be the #11 seed ahead of the G5 conference champ)
If UCF beats Tulane in the ACC Championship game they would get the G5 bid.
If Utah loses to USC then the committee would have to decide whether to keep them above Washington or move them behind them. Would be an interesting decision as dropping them would effectively be punishing them for playing in the Championship game, so there may be reason to keep them where they are.

If UNC beats Clemson, wouldn;t they either be #5 or #6 depending on the ranking of the AAC Champ?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

The downside to that is that it penalizes EVERY school/fanbase with one less game just so two teams can go to the playoffs.

I don't think that's going to fly. Consequently, the top teams will be playing 15-16 games a season.

That's NFL-level mental and physical stress for <ahem> student athletes.

Can we agree that they’re actually semi pro athletes?

 

[awbuzz]

NIL has made it that for sure.

 

[Randy Carson]

Can we agree that they’re actually semi pro athletes?

Yeppers.

And once we go to an English football-style pyramid with relegation, the transformation will be complete.

 

[bke1984]

The conference championship games will stay because they are a huge part of the TV Contracts and bring in millions of dollars in both TV revenue and gate for the conferences.
The reason they have always existed is primarily to increase the revenue for the conferences.

The new CFP is basically designed to get the conference champions from the P5 (and the top ranked G5 champion) team and then the next 6 highest ranked CFP teams.

If you used this week's CFP rankings and assumed the conference championship games are all won by the higher ranked team than a 12 team playoff this year would be (listing the conference champions in CFP order first and then the top 6 remaining CFP teams)
1.UGA -CFP #1, SEC Champ
2. Mich -CFP #2, B10 Champ
3.TCU - CFP #3, B12 Champ
4. USC - CFP #4, PAC Champ
5. Clemson - CFP #9, ACC Champ
6. Tulane - CFP #18, AAC Champ
7. Ohio St - CFP #5
8. AL - CFP #6
9. TN - CFP #7
10. Penn St - CFP #8
11. Kansas St - CFP #10
12. Utah - CFP #11

Washington and FSU would be the first 2 left out.

I believe the idea for the 12 team is that the top 4 get buys so I believe the structure would be

1. UGA - Bye
2. Mich - Bye
3. TCU - Bye
4. USC - Bye

5. Ohio St - 12. Tulane - winner plays USC
6. AL - 11. Utah - winner plays TCU
7. TN - 10. Kansas St - winner plays Mich
8. Penn St - 9. Clemson - winner plays UGA

I'm pretty sure the 12 teams picked will be seated based on their CFP rankings, not whether they are conference champions.

Clemson, Utah, and Tulane would be the only teams that would be in danger of missing the CFP with a conference championship game loss.
Clemson would be replaced by UNC (who would likely be the #12 seed, might be the #11 seed ahead of the G5 conference champ)
If UCF beats Tulane in the ACC Championship game they would get the G5 bid.
If Utah loses to USC then the committee would have to decide whether to keep them above Washington or move them behind them. Would be an interesting decision as dropping them would effectively be punishing them for playing in the Championship game, so there may be reason to keep them where they are.

This looks so exciting too me...I would watch so many more post season college football games in this scenario.

 

[UgaBlows]

Has there ever been one year where there were really more than 3 legit contenders? every year I remember there is only 3 teams that really stand out. I am not sure expanding will do much.

Give us more football, that’s a win in my book!

 

[laoh]

Geez just rip off the band-aid and make it 16 teams already