bish

I have come up with a playoff system that no "sports experts" have talked about. My system uses the BCS rankings and rewards the top 8 teams. Here it is:

Take the top 14 teams in the BCS rankings

Number 1 and 2 get a bye week

Numbers 3 thru 8 host teams 9-14

In the second round teams 1 and 2 host their games

The other 2 games in the second round would be the Cotton Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl

The 2 third round games would be the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl

The championship game would be the Sugar Bowl


This system only takes 4 weeks to play, which is less than the time off between the end of the regular season and the New Years Day bowl games. As for all the other teams that aren't in the top 14, they can still play in all the other bowl games. They would be meaningless, just like they are now!! I have never heard of another system better than this one. This rewards the top 8 teams by letting them play at home in their first playoff game and doesn't make the regular season any less important.

Let's see some other ideas!!

phyzix525

I think you hit the nail right on the head. That is the exact way I have invisioned it ever since BCS came out.

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gov135

Let me try to poke some holes in yours and others systems. Nothing personal, I just want to see what you think - stoke the flames a little if you will.

Who or what decides the top two? Who or what decides the top eight? Who or what decides the top fourteen?
See, playoff people are always crying about two things:
1. "Computers decide who plays for the national championship." But wouldn't computers decide who gets in the playoff? Who gets the all-important bye? Who gets the home games?
2. "The number three team is deserving. They were robbed, if there was a playoff they would get a chance." Isn't the same thing going to happen to the number nine team? The number fifteen team? You are always gonna have someone on the outside looking in, no playoff system will correct this.

Most importantly to me, the playoff system totally devalues the regular season. As it stands right now, every week is a playoff in college football. If you lose, you are eliminated. Just like a playoff. Are you gonna tell me with a straight face that a team like Texas with two bad losses deserves to play a team like Miami in the playoffs? Look, college football is popular week in and week out due to the upset potential - with a playoff system, noone would even care if they lost a game or even two. The regular season would become worthless.

I understand your playoff schedule would end at the same time - you mentioned you would use the four weeks between the end of the regular season and the January bowls. But you are still potentially adding four games to the schedule. Do you take away all the non-conference games? Do you not require each team plays every team in their conference? If you take away the non-conference games - this means all teams that do not make the playoffs series only get to play nine or ten games per year. Those that do make it would play closer to the full thirteen. Or do you have teams playing seventeen, eighteen weeks a year? That's alot from a student athlete.

Nothing against your schedule, bish. I found it very refreshing from the usual eight team presentation. I'm not even necessarily against a playoff system. I just think that the questions above need to be adequately answered before we move to a playoff.

bish

You are right, there are going to be some teams that don't get in. With this system, we have 14 teams with a chance at the title instead of 2. There will be many more happy teams this way. You can't make everybody happy.

The regular season would not be worhtless. How many teams can lose 2 games and still be in the top 14? Texas isn't in there now, so no, a team like that wouldn't be in the playoff. I bet TCU would care if they lost a game or 2. So would teams like Wash. St. and LSU.

You don't take away any of the regular season games. Some teams would end up playing 16 games or so. Yeah, 17 weeks a year, that's tough. I don't know how basketball players, golfers, wrestlers, swimmers, and track athletes can do it!!

I think we all agree that what we have now isn't fair and we need a change soon!!!

The_Dude

I'm cool with the way it is althought it could use a lil tweakin in a couple of places.

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RoadRage

1. If I'm coaching a team, I rather be eliminated by a heartless computer than a couple of sportswriters or coaches with an axe to grind or (worse) a couple of coaches who haven't seen my team play this season and eliminate my team out of sheer ignorance.

Don't think this is possible? The_Dude won't vote for non-BCS teams in his Top 20 ballots. Several of you were more than happy to eliminate Texas from your ballots because of The_Dude's overhyping of Texas. Granted, there are more voters in the human polls; but prejudice and ignorance can still shift a spot here and a spot there, and it may just be enough to get you das boot.

2. If #3 is on the outside looking in, they have a much better case for playoff expansion than #13 or #15 does. A #3 team could be undefeated and thus a legitimate complaint, whereas #15 has 2 or more losses or 1 loss while playing Kansas State's schedule and should be told STFU. Where's the line between true gripe and whiny bitching? I suspect it's somewhere between #6 and #10 (inclusive).

3. "Every week is a playoff in college football." True to an extent. If all the teams were on equal footing, this would be the case. As it is now though, Northern Illinois or Texas Christian could run the table and still be eliminated in favor of a 2-loss team. Last year, Boise State with one loss was FAR more deserving of the Sugar Bowl than Florida State with FOUR losses, and probably would have made a better game of it against Georgia.

My own proposal:

1. Major conferences are required to have 12 teams and play 8 conference and 3 non-conference games. This means the Big 11 adds one (Norte Dame) and the Pac 10 adds two. A sixth major conference is added, probably an amalgam of the Big East and the what left of the MAC after the new attendence requirements kick in.

2. The playoffs consist of eight teams. Major conference champions have nearly automatic bids, six total, revokable for that season if no team in the conference is in the Top 15. A revoked automatic bid goes to the highest ranked team not currently in the playoffs. The minor conferences have one slot guaranteed, with a second granted if there are no conference runners-up with a ranking in the top 5.

3. The championship rankings are determined as such:
Total = AP ranking + Coaches ranking + Computer poll of 20 ratings systems (7 without margin-of-victory, 7 with, other 6 at discretion) + .07 * SOS rank.

Sample scenario: an alternate 2002 season.

ACC: As was + Miami-Florida, Virginia Tech, and Boston College
Big XII: as was
Midwest XII: Big Ten + Norte Dame
Pac-12: Pac-10 + Utah and UNLV
SEC: as was
Big East: West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Syracuse, Rutgers, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, Marshall, Toledo, Bowling Green, Miami-Ohio

Championships (rankings before game):

ACC: Miami-FL (#1) defeats Maryland (#16)
Big XII: Oklahoma (#7) defeats Colorado (#13)
Midwest XII: Ohio State (#2) defeats Iowa (#5)
Pac-12: Southern California (#4) beats Washington State (#6)
SEC: Georgia (#3) defeats Arkansas (#21)
Big East: Marshall (#31) defeats West Virginia (#15)

Due to the losses, Iowa and Washington State are not in the top 5, so the minor conferences get two slots, which went to Boise State (#18) and South Florida (#23). Due to the loss, neither West Virginia nor any other Big East team is in the Top 15, so they lost their spot, which ended up falling to Iowa (who just edged out Kansas State and Norte Dame for the #6 spot in the post-conference championship rankings).

First Round Matchups:

South Florida @ Miami-Florida
Boise State @ Ohio State
Iowa (non-automatic bid) @ Georgia
Oklahoma (automatic bid) @ Southern California

Workarounds can be put in to prevent rematches. Tweaking can be done to allow a more deserving Washington State team in instead of South Florida.

I think this is one of the better frameworks. The regular season still means a whole lot. No one plays more than 15 games (you only play 11 if you don't win your conference division), and everyone plays equal number of games entering the playoffs. There is room for adjustments when needed.

But then I think rain is wet, so what do I know?

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Manwich

You are forgetting something, these are student athletes, you are potentially adding 4 more games to their schedule for no "increase in pay" and a greater increase in injury. On top of the NCAA already allowing teams to play like 15 games a year with a lot of travel. Just look at Fresno State's travel distance and schedule pretty much the past 2 years.

They have to study for finals, probably why the bowls start so late, these guys aren't just here to entertain you. Although it can't be said for all teams.

Plus, leave the PAC-10 the way it is, it leaves room for traditional and new rivals to meet each year instead of these weird (IMO) regional things.

The_Dude

the reason that i didnt include those non-bcs teams in my polls were cuz they didnt play any decent (meaning good) teams. almost all the bcs teams play grueling conference play.

northern ill could go all the way undefeated with a schedule like this. yes, there might be prejudice in the voting, but with the # of votes cast, it'll be minimal.

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Artermis

Umm NIU played and beat Maryland a BCS school. They beat Iowa State a BCS school. They played one other BCS and won (Bama at Bama?). They play BG this week, which just happens to have beaten Purdue a BCS school. Should I could continue? While I would agree that TCU is worthless when it comes to their schedule.

My playoff:

8 team playoff.

ACC, Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 all get an automatic bid and their would be 3 at large teams. You can still keep the other bowl games. You just start the playoffs in 2nd Sat in Dec and you crown the national champ the 1st weekend of Jan. ( I left out the Big East because without BC, VT and Miami they are at the same level as C-USA and Mac). I like the thought of all these conferences adding a 12th member to make it so everyone has a championship game.


In this scenario one loss in your conference could cause you major problems.

For the three at large teams I would use a combination of the computer and polls to determine the final 3. Funny thing about people talking about non BCS getting screwed but how many times has it actually happened? A truly deserving non BCS school not a non BCS who plays a crappy conference schedule and has a worthless nonconference schedule (think TCU).

As for the thing about student athelets....if you are so concerned about taking time away why are their Tues, Weds, and Thurs night football games all through the season? They have to miss time. If you do it from the middle of Dece for 4 weeks...the kids miss little school because 2 or 3 weeks will come when they have their Christmas Break. 9 bowls would be used for the games in the playoff you can fill out the rest of the bowls with other teams to keep that tradition going.


Art

Manwich

But that is right in the middle of finals for most schools. It is a commitment to be a student athlete, but I don't think it is fair to make athletes miss finals (OMG 50% of their grade) just to entertain people and make more money for their conferences/schools while not seeing a dime more.

Artermis

Who said anything about them missing finals?

Manwich answer me this...when do schools have their finals?

Last year their was a bowl game on the 17th (tues) and the 18th (wed) and the last bowl was on the 3rd of January. (not including NFL showcase bowls ie Senior and such).

This year the first is on the 16th (Tues) and 18th (thur). The final game is on the 4th. Not including the East-West Shrine game or the Senior Bowl, which are on the 10th and 24th.

If you make it so you have 2 playoff games on the 19th (Fri) and 2 on the 20th (Sat)....then you have two games on the 27th (Sat) and the national championship game on the 3rd of Jan (Sat)...what is different between the bowl the way it is set up and having a 3 week playoff system? The kids are already for the most part still practicing while finals are going on now...so saying that practice will interfere is not an answer.


Thanks

Art

Manwich

My last final is on the 19th. I don't know about other schoools. I am not saying that they will be missing finals, however it is interfering with their schoolwork. I think it is a problem that there are so many bowls now so that the team must choose between school and sports.

However, you are forcing some teams to play 2 more games, the first system had a team potentially playing 4 games. That is ridiculous. Like I said, these athletes are being payed next to nothing in a grueling and damaging sport. The NCAA and the colleges are trying to squeeze as much money out of them as possible, and a extended playoff for the number 1 to 10 teams for the "title" which is worthless doesn't make sense except to those that don't play and those that gain from it.

The bowls are just a way to reward teams for doing well. Who really cares about the #1 title except the fans. The NCAA has gotten too greedy and promotes commercialism while hitting some schools with harsh punishments for minor infractions. The BCS system in my opinion is still the best thing there is.

PS: I imagine the PAC-10 gets an automatic bid, just because of the Fiesta and the Rose Bowl are both owned by PAC-10 teams.

Artermis

4 year scholarship at U of M worth over 100 thousand dollars. Not including books, housing and other such items. After graduating from the school and being able to get a "nice" job and being able to say you went to a top 20 school in this country....please tell me how much more should be given to them?

I had to work full time while in school to pay for the CC I went to and had to pay for my apartment, car, etc. I would have killed to be offered a scholarship like the one they are recieving. It is not my fault if they do not take full advantage of what is being given to them because they run fast and tackle well.

If you do not think that the players on the teams do not care about being #1 you are being a little delusional.

I have one other problem. About the school work issue....basketball goes from Nov-April. Kids miss finals because they are off in some tournament in Hawaii or some nice place and what about all the games they play during the week and the time away from school then....why does no one say anything about this? Football Sept-Dec=4 months. BB Nov-April=4 months and tell me who misses more class time during the four months?


Art

Manwich

Basketball ends well before finals. There were no basketball games during finals week at Cal. What you guys are proposing is to intrude upon finals to get some sort of playoffs.

Granted a scholarship at a private university would be worth more, however, at a state school ... much much less. The car is irrelevant. You just count tuition, housing, food, and books.

Given it is 4 or more traditionally 5 years with a red-shirt, that comes to an athlete being payed 20k a year from U of M. Football is a rough sport, injuries abound, and I think the compensation is too little if you expect them to go a 17 game season.

Artermis

2 teams will play 17 games...

BTW about your basketball thing...the cal bears played on the 10th and 20th of Dec a tues and fri....that is 9 days....they still practiced in that nine day span and BB practices are as long as FB practices.
Michigan played on the 14th and 21st of Dec a Thur and sat...that is 6 days....I am sure they practiced during this time...

Football games usually are 7 days apart. Sure they have to practice but are you telling me that the BB shuts down so that players can just concentrate on studies? It is not like football is played during the week when finals are going on.


The BCS does not work.

Anyways we will agree to disagree but I will agree that the BCS works better than just using the polls...I grant thee that point.

Art