The ultimate CFP solution

[18IsTheMan]

Saw this proposed and it makes way too much sense to ever actually work.

Each of the P4 conferences has a 4-team playoff at the end of the regular season between the top four teams in the conference. That’s two games. The winner of each conference playoff advances to the national CFP for a four team playoff. That’s two more games. A total of four games and 16 teams. So you get your 16 team playoff distilled down to four teams for a national champion.

This gives teams the opportunity to prove they are unquestionably the best team from their conference. Then by having the conference champions favce off against one another, you settle the debate about which one is the best.

It gives every P4 team who finished in the top four of their conference a shot at the title, and let’s face it, if you can’t finish in the top four your own conference, you don’t deserve a shot.

It would necessitate an equitable scheduling process so you don’t end up with teams like Texas who had a cakewalk SEC schedule this year compared to other teams. It would also render national polls basically meaningless, but there’s already so much dissatisfaction and angst with those anyway due to the vast differences and level of play between conferences that they’re basically meaningless as it is.

 

[HI Cock1]

So none of the G5 teams get a chance at all? That just won't fly. The only thing this system has going for it is that it's not the same 4-6 teams playing for the NC. We get to see some matchups that we've never seen... and that's good for college football.

 

[18IsTheMan]

So none of the G5 teams get a chance at all? That just won't fly. The only thing this system has going for it is that it's not the same 4-6 teams playing for the NC. We get to see some matchups that we've never seen... and that's good for college football.

Why do G5 teams need a chance? There's just no merit their inclusion.

 

[Uscg1984]

Another thing that would help the CFP, and requires no adjustment to the structure whatsoever, is to nix the weekly poll and TV show. There's no need to give a weekly update on where things stand. Just be like the basketball selection committee and make the reveal on Selection Sunday. That way, the committee doesn't paint themselves into a corner based on their statements and rankings from the week prior. Just get together at the end and take a "holistic" approach to building the playoff.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Why do G5 teams need a chance? There's just no merit their inclusion.

Absolutely true. I pull for a G5 team that's pretty good, but no way should they be considered for the top championship. If you put in a G5 team it would have to be because the data says they are that good, not because they got 9-10 wins.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Another thing that would help the CFP, and requires no adjustment to the structure whatsoever, is to nix the weekly poll and TV show. There's no need to give a weekly update on where things stand. Just be like the basketball selection committee and make the reveal on Selection Sunday. That way, the committee doesn't paint themselves into a corner based on their statements and rankings from the week prior. Just get together at the end and take a "holistic" approach to building the playoff.

it does pose problems that their criteria seem to shift from week-to-week.

 

[will110]

It's an interesting idea with merit. The FBS should split into two divisions, like you used to have 1A and 1AA back in the day. Power 4 and Group of Five, each with their own playoff. Why do we pretend that the MAC, Sun Belt, American, Conference USA, and Mountain West are playing the same game? Sure, there are a handful of good teams that can be competitive with the big boys (see Boise State as exhibit a), but overall they're inferior.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Regardless of the structure or number of the teams, the best solution is to do away with the freaking committee entirely. Create a transparent, data driven, rule based formula, and apply it to all teams. DONE.

There would be a lot of argument over the formula, but as long is it transparent and equally applied, it would be fair.

 

[18IsTheMan]

It's an interesting idea with merit. The FBS should split into two divisions, like you used to have 1A and 1AA back in the day. Power 4 and Group of Five, each with their own playoff. Why do we pretend that the MAC, Sun Belt, American, Conference USA, and Mountain West are playing the same game? Sure, there are a handful of good teams that can be competitive with the big boys (see Boise State as exhibit a), but overall they're inferior.

It has 2 main things going for it: 1) there would be an undisputed champion for each P4 conference 2) each conference then gets a seat at the table in the CFP with a chance to prove head-to-head which conference is the best.

It raises some other questions: what do you do about non-conference matchups in the regular season, as they would not impact conference standing?

 

[HI Cock1]

Why do G5 teams need a chance? There's just no merit their inclusion.

Same reason they went to 12 teams. No one cared if Bama, UGA, or OSU (or Clemson - yeah that made me throw up in my mouth) won the dang thing anymore. There should be a path for G5 teams, as unlikely as it may seem that they would get very far. It makes CFB more interesting. I can't wait to see Boise State play winner of PSU/SMU.

If conf champs get byes, then there needs to be better criteria for being a conf champ. And/or seeding needs to be re-examined.

 

[DeBoer31]

Same reason they went to 12 teams. No one cared if Bama, UGA, or OSU (or Clemson - yeah that made me throw up in my mouth) won the dang thing anymore. There should be a path for G5 teams, as unlikely as it may seem that they would get very far. It makes CFB more interesting. I can't wait to see Boise State play winner of PSU/SMU.

If conf champs get byes, then there needs to be better criteria for being a conf champ. And/or seeding needs to be re-examined.

Right... because we want to award a seat at the table AND give them a bye the first round for playing:
Georgia Southern
Portland State
Washington State
Utah State
(this is their real schedule by the way...omitting Oregon in week 2)
Hawaii
UNLV
San Diego State
Nevada
San Jose State
(we aren't done yet!)
Wyoming
Oregon State
and.... that pesky UNLV team again for the "conference championship?"

As much as I wanted an expanded football playoffs....I didn't think the committee would be such a crooked outfit and offer up this sham of a "tournament"

 

[DeBoer31]

I am hearing great things about the Portland State program though. Big time stuff.

 

[Yard_Pimps]

It has 2 main things going for it: 1) there would be an undisputed champion for each P4 conference 2) each conference then gets a seat at the table in the CFP with a chance to prove head-to-head which conference is the best.

It raises some other questions: what do you do about non-conference matchups in the regular season, as they would not impact conference standing?

Nix them for more conference games.

 

[HI Cock1]

Right... because we want to award a seat at the table AND give them a bye the first round for playing:
Georgia Southern
Portland State
Washington State
Utah State
(this is their real schedule by the way...omitting Oregon in week 2)
Hawaii
UNLV
San Diego State
Nevada
San Jose State
(we aren't done yet!)
Wyoming
Oregon State
and.... that pesky UNLV team again for the "conference championship?"

As much as I wanted an expanded football playoffs....I didn't think the committee would be such a crooked outfit and offer up this sham of a "tournament"

Listen, I'm not saying they're a great team. We'll find out. They should have a chance - probably not a bye, that part is stupid.

Interesting that you left out their only loss at Oregon that they lost on a walkoff FG... and Oregon had 2 tds on kickoff returns. They deserve a spot in the playoffs this year. I don't think they should have a bye. At least they're scheduling schools like Oregon for their out of conference games.

 

[Maccmaine12]

My solution would be that it would be no auto bids, G5 team would have to earn a spot, which mean they should be undefeated. Obviously you need to win games but you shouldn’t be what your record say. The committee ranking teams should be public with a reasoning for each rank team positioning after every week. The P4 would have a face off every year like basketball and you’re not rewarded only by wins but also by your schedule. Indiana paying Louisville to be taking off their schedule, which caused them to only play 2 teams with a winning record should’ve cost them a spot in the playoffs. In no way shape or form should the SEC have 3 teams in the 13 team playoff when their schedules are the hardest. We beat the team that won their conference and they finished the regular season with the same amount of losses but they got into the playoffs. That’s a flaw format.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Nix them for more conference games.

Had that same thought. Every conference go to 9 or 10 conference games (really need to do away FCS matchups, but that's a different topic).

If that happened, an alternative to the above could be taking the top 4 teams from each conference for a 16-team CFP. That way you get a lot of the interesting non-conference matchups. That would be ultimate conference showdown.

 

[rockingamecock]

No automatic bids from any conference! Especially the All Cupcake Conference.

 

[Blues man]

Absolutely true. I pull for a G5 team that's pretty good, but no way should they be considered for the top championship. If you put in a G5 team it would have to be because the data says they are that good, not because they got 9-10 wins.

What the NCAA ought to do is reclassify them and problem solved. They really shouldn't be looked at or included as D1. Make them D2 and turn D2 into D3 and so on. Have a class unto themselves and the can have their own National Champion. Simple solution but the problem is the powers that be dont do simple solutions.

 

[Yard_Pimps]

Had that same thought. Every conference go to 9 or 10 conference games (really need to do away FCS matchups, but that's a different topic).

If that happened, an alternative to the above could be taking the top 4 teams from each conference for a 16-team CFP. That way you get a lot of the interesting non-conference matchups. That would be ultimate conference showdown.

I like it

 

[Yard_Pimps]

No automatic bids from any conference! Especially the All Cupcake Conference.

This is blinded bias, and the very reason why AQs should exist. We shouldn’t make assumptions when deciding a champion. The decision should be made on the field. If they truly are that inferior, they will be knocked out. However, considering that the ACC and SEC are ranked first and second in championships, this raises doubts in the assumption that the acc doesn’t belong.

 

[Yard_Pimps]

What the NCAA ought to do is reclassify them and problem solved. They really shouldn't be looked at or included as D1. Make them D2 and turn D2 into D3 and so on. Have a class unto themselves and the can have their own National Champion. Simple solution but the problem is the powers that be dont do simple solutions.

Problem is then they miss out on a ton of money. I don’t say that to disagree. I have long said the cupcake games and group of 5 need to go.

 

[Anon1704296804]

It's an interesting idea with merit. The FBS should split into two divisions, like you used to have 1A and 1AA back in the day. Power 4 and Group of Five, each with their own playoff. Why do we pretend that the MAC, Sun Belt, American, Conference USA, and Mountain West are playing the same game? Sure, there are a handful of good teams that can be competitive with the big boys (see Boise State as exhibit a), but overall they're inferior.

The only problem is you cant tell me Boise, BYU, Utah are not worthy of a chance in the playoff but Vandy, Duke , WF are

 

[will110]

The only problem is you cant tell me Boise, BYU, Utah are not worthy of a chance in the playoff but Vandy, Duke , WF are

BYU and Utah are in the Big XII so they'd have as good a shot as Vandy, Duke, or Wake. Boise State always could move to a different conference, but they're the only legitimate program in the mountain west these days.