Why expand past 4 teams in the playoff?

DT4248

Senior
Apr 22, 2025
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The 1966 season was perfect. We got a great Packers vs. Cowboys game. The best two teams played a tight game and then the winner of that got a championship. It was perfect.

1967 just ended up with a waste of a round before Packers Cowboys again. 6 teams and two blowouts before just repeating the 1966 formula. Stop having charity let poverty teams in the playoffs.

Then tweaking it every year - expanding to 7 was a waste in 1968. And that 7th team? Scored 6 points. Pointless.

This expansion stuff is stupid. Next you know they'll have a 10th+ rated seed make it and ruin a team's perfect season on a fluke run full of fluke plays. And people will justify because it has a "cool - semi subjectively bad call rule breaking play".

Stop watering down football or it's never gonna reach new heights.
 
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HotMop

All-American
May 8, 2006
7,731
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The 1966 season was perfect. We got a great Packers vs. Cowboys game. The best two teams played a tight game and then the winner of that got a championship. It was perfect.

1967 just ended up with a waste of a round before Packers Cowboys again. 6 teams and two blowouts before just repeating the 1966 formula. Stop having charity let poverty teams in the playoffs.

Then tweaking it every year - expanding to 7 was a waste in 1968. And that 7th team? Scored 6 points. Pointless.

This expansion stuff is stupid. Next you know they'll have a 10th+ rated seed make it and ruin a team's perfect season on a fluke run full of fluke plays. And people will justify because it has a "cool - semi subjectively bad call rule breaking play".

Stop watering down football or it's never gonna reach new heights.
sign yolo GIF by Monstercat
 

Crazy Cotton

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Aug 26, 2012
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A past NFL commissioner once said that a perfect season would be every team in the league goes 8-8. Every team is in it to the end, and every fanbase has a dream of the Superbowl.

Second best - add wildcards, division playoffs and the like so that you keep as many teams as possible in the hunt until the end. The NFL is a business and they want to make money, and that happens through fan interest. They also make divisional winners play each other the next year - I think 3 games are set like that every year
 

ronpolk

All-Conference
May 6, 2009
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The 1966 season was perfect. We got a great Packers vs. Cowboys game. The best two teams played a tight game and then the winner of that got a championship. It was perfect.

1967 just ended up with a waste of a round before Packers Cowboys again. 6 teams and two blowouts before just repeating the 1966 formula. Stop having charity let poverty teams in the playoffs.

Then tweaking it every year - expanding to 7 was a waste in 1968. And that 7th team? Scored 6 points. Pointless.

This expansion stuff is stupid. Next you know they'll have a 10th+ rated seed make it and ruin a team's perfect season on a fluke run full of fluke plays. And people will justify because it has a "cool - semi subjectively bad call rule breaking play".

Stop watering down football or it's never gonna reach new heights.
I’ve never understood people who seem to want less football to watch. The NFL playoffs is typically competitive in every single game.
 

onewoof

Heisman
Mar 4, 2008
14,830
12,910
113
I’ve never understood people who seem to want less football to watch. The NFL playoffs is typically competitive in every single game.
Under the current lawlessness of college football, only 2-4 teams will be good enough to win it all.

The rest is just selling false hope to the customer base. Like what Ole Miss just did.
 

MSUDC11-2.0

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
8,775
13,656
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In the 12 team playoff era, the national title game last year was the 7 vs 8 seed and this year’s game featured the 10 seed. Indiana is the only Top 4 seed in either year to win ANY games in the new format.

The new format has been a massive upgrade. The 4 team playoff era was mostly a dud for the sport.

If we are talking NFL, I think you can argue that going from 12 to 14 was kinda pointless because the 7 seeds have not fared well to this point. But there’s enough of a track record of teams getting to the SB from the wild card to say it’s been a good thing for the league.
 

mcdawg22

Heisman
Sep 18, 2004
13,135
10,664
113
Under the current lawlessness of college football, only 2-4 teams will be good enough to win it all.

The rest is just selling false hope to the customer base. Like what Ole Miss just did.
I think the exact opposite is true. Prior to the NIL free transfer, the Bama’s of the world hoarded talent. 2017 Alabama is a perfect example. They had Sophomore Bo Scarborough Sophomore Damien Harris and Freshman Josh Jacobs. Today one of not two of those players are transferring. I mean we had 4 teams in the final four where 3 had never won a title this year and the other hadn’t in 25 years.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,605
25,895
113
To be fair, this is the first Super Bowl in a long time we’ve gotten the 2 best teams.
 

OG Goat Holder

Heisman
Sep 30, 2022
12,216
11,300
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The 1966 season was perfect. We got a great Packers vs. Cowboys game. The best two teams played a tight game and then the winner of that got a championship. It was perfect.

1967 just ended up with a waste of a round before Packers Cowboys again. 6 teams and two blowouts before just repeating the 1966 formula. Stop having charity let poverty teams in the playoffs.

Then tweaking it every year - expanding to 7 was a waste in 1968. And that 7th team? Scored 6 points. Pointless.

This expansion stuff is stupid. Next you know they'll have a 10th+ rated seed make it and ruin a team's perfect season on a fluke run full of fluke plays. And people will justify because it has a "cool - semi subjectively bad call rule breaking play".

Stop watering down football or it's never gonna reach new heights.

 

DT4248

Senior
Apr 22, 2025
560
704
93
To be fair, this is the first Super Bowl in a long time we’ve gotten the 2 best teams.
The broncos were the AFC one seed and under a 4 team structure wouldn't have had to play a game against a Bills team who didn't even win their division which caused their QB to be injured for the real playoffs - the top 4 teams games.

Imagine if we didn't expand. We could have a Broncos Seahawks 43-8 SB rematch. Instead of a Patriots Seahawks 24-28 rematch.
 

The Cooterpoot

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
6,844
11,945
113
The 1966 season was perfect. We got a great Packers vs. Cowboys game. The best two teams played a tight game and then the winner of that got a championship. It was perfect.

1967 just ended up with a waste of a round before Packers Cowboys again. 6 teams and two blowouts before just repeating the 1966 formula. Stop having charity let poverty teams in the playoffs.

Then tweaking it every year - expanding to 7 was a waste in 1968. And that 7th team? Scored 6 points. Pointless.

This expansion stuff is stupid. Next you know they'll have a 10th+ rated seed make it and ruin a team's perfect season on a fluke run full of fluke plays. And people will justify because it has a "cool - semi subjectively bad call rule breaking play".

Stop watering down football or it's never gonna reach new heights.
Here, go get you some and stop complaining about nonsense

IMG_0652.jpeg
 

Perd Hapley

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Sep 30, 2022
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The 1966 season was perfect. We got a great Packers vs. Cowboys game. The best two teams played a tight game and then the winner of that got a championship. It was perfect.

1967 just ended up with a waste of a round before Packers Cowboys again. 6 teams and two blowouts before just repeating the 1966 formula. Stop having charity let poverty teams in the playoffs.

Then tweaking it every year - expanding to 7 was a waste in 1968. And that 7th team? Scored 6 points. Pointless.

This expansion stuff is stupid. Next you know they'll have a 10th+ rated seed make it and ruin a team's perfect season on a fluke run full of fluke plays. And people will justify because it has a "cool - semi subjectively bad call rule breaking play".

Stop watering down football or it's never gonna reach new heights.

Sir, this is a Pizza Hut
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,605
25,895
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The broncos were the AFC one seed and under a 4 team structure wouldn't have had to play a game against a Bills team who didn't even win their division which caused their QB to be injured for the real playoffs - the top 4 teams games.

Imagine if we didn't expand. We could have a Broncos Seahawks 43-8 SB rematch. Instead of a Patriots Seahawks 24-28 rematch.
I get there’s an argument for that. But both were 14-3 in regular season, Pats were 17-3 to Broncos 15-4, & Pats win head to head in Denver. But I do agree those are the top 3 teams.
 
Nov 16, 2005
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Seven wild card teams have won the Super Bowl.

More teams is more eyeballs and more interest from fans. It would be idiotic to have 4 teams in the playoffs.

ETA: And sometimes the two best teams in a conference might be in the same division. You could make that case this year with the Seahawks and Rams.
 
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onewoof

Heisman
Mar 4, 2008
14,830
12,910
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Seven wild card teams have won the Super Bowl.

More teams is more eyeballs and more interest from fans. It would be idiotic to have 4 teams in the playoffs.
I would agree with you if there was a salary cap, draft rules, etc etc.

Wild lawlessness of college football limits the realistic chance to less than 4 teams. There isn't an infinite pool of talent. By the 6th game you can pretty much tell who the 4 teams will be in college. The rest have no chance and never will until rules are put into place. Making the 12 team playoffs doesn't at all mean a team has a realistic chance to win it. Half the teams this year didn't even need to be there.
 

DT4248

Senior
Apr 22, 2025
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Seven wild card teams have won the Super Bowl.

More teams is more eyeballs and more interest from fans. It would be idiotic to have 4 teams in the playoffs.

ETA: And sometimes the two best teams in a conference might be in the same division. You could make that case this year with the Seahawks and Rams.
Then just vote in the 4 best teams and have 2 or 3 from the NFC West. No reason for the Rams, a top 4 team, to have had to play on the road at a G5 division Carolina Panthers just because that Panthers team won an easy division.
 
Nov 16, 2005
27,425
20,303
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I would agree with you if there was a salary cap, draft rules, etc etc.

Wild lawlessness of college football limits the realistic chance to less than 4 teams. There isn't an infinite pool of talent. By the 6th game you can pretty much tell who the 4 teams will be in college. The rest have no chance and never will until rules are put into place. Making the 12 team playoffs doesn't at all mean a team has a realistic chance to win it. Half the teams this year didn't even need to be there.
He’s talking about the NFL in the OP.
 
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Nov 16, 2005
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Then just vote in the 4 best teams and have 2 or 3 from the NFC West. No reason for the Rams, a top 4 team, to have had to play on the road at a G5 division Carolina Panthers just because that Panthers team won an easy division.
I totally get that argument about who host playoff games but voting on NFL teams is asinine.
 

DT4248

Senior
Apr 22, 2025
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I totally get that argument about who host playoff games but voting on NFL teams is asinine.
I'm gonna guess you don't realize that I'm mocking the people against playoff expansion in college football. I feel like the ridiculousness of what this thread is shouldn't need to have the sarcasm disclaimer but here we are.
 

Villagedawg

All-Conference
Nov 16, 2005
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Simple. It makes more money even though you’re right and don’t know it.