Two problems that need to get fixed:
- Need to get to 8 teams, with auto bids for power 5 champs, 1autobid for group of 5, and the last 2 spots for indies/ non champs. Committee picks the non P5 rep and the other 2, and does the seeding.
- Need to have all playoff games prior to the college super bowl at home field of higher seeded team. Too much travel for fans as it is. Only the title game at a neutral site.
Yes, good idea. I'd propose a subtle change. The 1st round of 8 teams, 4 games, are played at the home field of the higher seed, as you proposed. And play it within the timeframe of the current "season", which is always 14 weeks, sometimes 15 weeks, and ends the last Saturday in December. You could fit it into this timeframe by either playing it in place of the conference champ game, or if you wanted to continue the conference champ game, then just eliminate one of the usually 2 bye weeks in the usual 15 week "season". Occasionally, in "seasons" with just 14 weeks, you wouldn't have a bye week, but so what?
The winners of the 1st round of the playoffs would then be assigned to the 2 of the 6 "playoff" bowls, just as they are doing now, with one extra game for the final two, as now, for the championship.
And the 4 teams that lost in the initial playoff round would still be eligible for the bowl games, just as they are currently structured. And they would have just as much time to prepare, since the 1st playoff round was completed within the normal "season", ie. by the 1st Saturday in December.