Running CFB playoff thread

I always thought six or eight teams was about right.

 

You'd have to get rid of the automatic bids for that to work, in theory. Your only at-larges under this scenario would be Texas, Penn State and Notre Dame. Counterpoint, go to 16, but give each league an auto bid. You'd still have the seven at-larges that you have now, so all you're doing is eliminating the byes and giving the minnow leagues a seat at the table. More people would be invested in Ohio-Miami U. if it was for a playoff spot. You can keep the same rules for the top four seeds going to the top four conference champs, getting guaranteed home games.

16 Jacksonville State* at 1 Oregon*
9 Tennessee at 8 Ohio State
13 Army* at 4 Arizona State*
12 Clemson* at 5 Texas
15 Ohio* at 2 Georgia*
10 Indiana at 7 Notre Dame
14 Marshall* at 3 Boise State*
11 SMU at 6 Penn State

Alabama/South Carolina/Ole Miss still don't get in, and that's fine. It'll never happen, because imagine the TV exec's horror if some upsets happen and Marshall is playing SMU in the Peach Bowl. But it would be fun.

 

This is an idea I can get behind

 

Only changes I’d like to see are make the top four seeds the top four teams regardless of conference and no neutral sites until the championship.

 

It’s not called Poolsville and run by a guy named Matt, is it?

 

They are not giving a new PAC an auto-bid. No way. Most of the time they should slot in as the No. 5 conference anyway, but they will never be allowed back at the big kids’ table.

 

OK, 1-16. This year that would be...

16 Jacksonville State at 1 Oregon
9 Boise State at 8 Indiana
13 Army at 4 Penn State
12 Clemson at 5 Notre Dame
10 SMU at 7 Tennessee
15 Ohio at 2 Georgia
14 Marshall at 3 Texas
11 Arizona State at 6 Ohio State

 

Which is the crappiest "bowl destination" for the first round losers - Austin, Columbus, South Bend or Happy Valley? I mean some of these also-ran teams are going to Hawaii, the Bahamas, South Beach, New Orleans, getting some fun in the sun, Disneyland. I have to think with the importance of the playoffs, the teams won't be having much fun during their bowl weeks, even the ones that do advance.

 

A few years ago, when the 16-teamer was being floated based on the final AP rankings, USC beat UCLA in the last game of the season, 50-0. When the rankings came out the next day: 1-USC, 16-UCLA. I think Whicker wrote that it was rather pointless to have them play again a couple of weeks later.

 

Nope. But the industry that is pools is impressive. Aside from the high-profile gambling sites, there are ones like runyourpool.com and splashsports.com, which even collects entry fees, holds and then distributes the money afterward. Definitely ain't your father's gambling process.