First and 10: College football is at a crossroads. Solution? Expanding the Playoff
1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …
Long ago, when college football was fat and happy, SEC commissioner Roy Kramer came up with a crazy idea to play a conference championship game and sold controversy over continuity.
Controversy, he said over and over, is a good thing.
Now controversy has officially crossed over to counterproductive damage.
“What we have now is not sustainable,” an FBS commissioner told me this weekend about the current setup of the College Football Playoff.
And that was before Ohio State played 6 games and was awarded a spot in the CFP, giving Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State 16 of the 28 available CFP spots in the 7-year history of the postseason.
Add Oklahoma, and it’s 20 of 28 – or a whopping 71%.
“We won’t be at 4 teams much longer,” a Power 5 athletic director told me Sunday.
When asked if the CFP would finish the initial 12-year deal that runs through the 2025 season, the P5 AD said, “We’d like to, but I’m not sure it’s feasible. We can’t keep selling the same thing over and over, year after year, and expect our fans to stay interested.”
Nearly 30 years ago when he instituted the SEC Championship Game, Kramer said the league can’t get complacent and must continue to grow – even at the expense of an upset that might cost the SEC’s best team to miss out on a national title.
In the long run, he said, it would benefit the conference. The long run is here again, and there are no shortcuts this time around.
The CFP can’t get complacent. It’s time to grow.
There’s too much television/streaming money available for the Playoff to not expand. Programs are losing money and eliminating Olympic sports at a drastic pace because of this COVID season and will likely continue to do so well into 2021.
Change shouldn’t happen because Texas A&M got hosed in this year’s selection process, or because Ohio State was gifted (again) a spot in the Playoff. Or because SEC commissioner Greg Sankey — the sport’s most powerful commissioner — decides he’s ticked off about the Texas A&M snub and wants to set the wheels in motion (which he absolutely could and may do).
It should arrive because without change — without an expansion of the CFP — college football risks damaging its brand and ignores potential billions in broadcast revenue.
“I think we’re all on the same page there. University presidents, athletic directors and coaches,” a Power 5 athletic director told me last weekend. “It’s not that we’re avoiding change, it’s when and how it’s accomplished.”
One FBS commissioner told me in November that the CFP management committee – the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick — has talked about expansion for “a while now,” though nothing necessarily specific.
The sport can’t keep selling every game matters when, after 7 years of the Playoff, it really doesn’t. Both Alabama and Ohio State have made the Playoff without winning their conference championship, and Ohio State this season made it after playing 5 fewer games than the other 3 playoff teams (Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame).
That’s not selling controversy. That’s pushing away fans (and eventually advertisers and revenue) when the inevitable of who plays in the postseason is a reality before the season begins.
There is no secret sauce, no drama, to the selection of the 4 Playoff teams. And it’s getting old, quickly.
2. The future format
The only question now: How do they expand?
It begins with preserving the P5 conference championship games – and specifically, the SEC Championship Game. The other P5 conferences can take or leave their championship games.
It’s an identity for the SEC, and the conference is never backing off.
“It’s a non-starter for them,” a P5 AD told me. “Not even a discussion point. Greg (Sankey) and their university presidents have made that very clear.”
To that end, any change to the Playoff more than likely has to take into account collateral damage to the championship games. So forget about 16 teams; that’s a pipe dream.
Expansion could be as small as 2 more teams or as many as growing to 8. A 6-team Playoff – with 2 teams earning first-round byes – is the favored model now. But there’s a long time between now and actual execution.
Six teams and 2 first-round byes allow the Power 5 to retain the importance of their conference championship games (and the revenue). While 8 teams further expands the field and gives Group of 5 teams more potential access, it also moves the championship games closer to having no impact on the Playoff.
“We don’t want to eliminate the idea that winning a conference is a big deal,” another Power 5 AD told me. “If anything, there are some in the room who believe it needs to be more important.”
What it would look like:
— A 6-team format (with current CFP rankings):
- Byes: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson
- No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (at Columbus, Ohio).
- No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Texas A&M (at South Bend, Ind.)
- Semifinals: Alabama vs. lowest remaining seed, Clemson vs. highest remaining seed (in bowl games).
— An 8-team format:
- No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Cincinnati (at Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
- No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 7 Florida (at Clemson, S.C.)
- No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (at Columbus, Ohio.)
- No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Texas A&M (at South Bend, Ind.)
- Semifinals: Highest vs. lowest. No set bracket.
3. QBs battle for Heisman
For some reason, the push is on for a non-quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.
Exhibit A: the Alabama trio of QB Mac Jones, TB Najee Harris and WR DeVonta Smith. All three elite players, all three All-Americans.
But to think that Alabama would be the same team without Jones is absolutely laughable. Alabama isn’t in the Playoff without Jones.
Alabama is more than likely still the No. 1 seed in the playoff with Brian Robinson at tailback, and John Metchie III as its No. 1 receiver. I’m not minimizing what Harris and Smith accomplished; they’ve had record-breaking seasons.
I’m underscoring what Jones did.
The Heisman hasn’t become a quarterback award, it’s just that the quarterback has become the most important player on the field in today’s game. That means a majority of the Heisman winners will be quarterbacks, who are given so much responsibility and deal with so much play by play pressure, any other option in the Heisman race would have to be a truly rare and elite player.
The closest thing to rare and elite outside the quarterback position this season was Florida TE Kyle Pitts – but he didn’t play a full season (see how that works for teams, but not players?) and can’t realistically win the award.
There are 3 players who can realistically win the award: Jones and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask on their rare seasons alone, and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence – because he’s the best player in the game, no matter the numbers.
Statistics alone, Trask had the better season but Jones did more within the framework of his unbeaten, No. 1-ranked team. Jones has his team in the CFP; Trask’s team lost on a last-second field goal, a last-second missed field goal and by 6 points to No. 1 Alabama.
My best guess: Jones wins the Heisman.
4. Big Orange mess
Nobody does dysfunction quite like Tennessee.
Think about this all-time kneecap performed on Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt by someone – wink, wink – close to the athletic department.
Over the last few days, that “someone” let it slip (see: leaked) to Fox Sports Radio in Knoxville that Tennessee’s NCAA compliance department was investigating potential NCAA improprieties with players the Vols recruited under Pruitt, and with players currently on the team.
Now, being the gracious soul that I am, I’m going to connect the dots on this developing story since the first month of the season:
— Tennessee loses in Week 3 after winning 8 straight dating to last season, manhandled by rival Georgia in a game that showed, without a doubt, this program isn’t ready to make a significant step.
— Tennessee is beaten by rivals Georgia, Alabama and Florida by a combined 123-57, making Pruitt 0-9 vs those three teams.
— Tennessee ties a school record with 6 straight losses, before routing undermanned Vanderbilt (49 scholarship players available).
— Tennessee is embarrassed by Texas A&M in Knoxville to finish a 3-7 regular season.
Add that up (and that’s the abridged version), and understand that Tennessee owes Pruitt nearly $13 million if he’s fired without cause.
Now here’s the key: Tennessee owes Pruitt nothing if he’s fired for cause.
What’s cause, you ask? NCAA violations.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
If you’re wondering who’s the leaker, all I know is “someone” led a coup 3 years ago to get another person fired to gain power.
And since we’re dealing in irony, think about this: Tennessee could fire Pruitt for cause because of NCAA violations and hire Hugh Freeze – who had NCAA issues at Ole Miss.
5. The Weekly Five
The 5 most impactful games of 2020.
1. Alabama 52, Florida 46: The new wave SEC: points, points, points – and a service break by a defense. Alabama got one more than Florida.
2. Florida 44, Georgia 28: After 3 straight losses to the Bulldogs, Gators win the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party again. Leads to an East Division title and recruiting momentum.
3. Texas A&M 41, Florida 38: A crushing loss for the Gators; a reaffirmation of a $75 million investment for the Aggies with coach Jimbo Fisher.
4. Alabama 63, Ole Miss 48: The Week 3 moment when Lane Kiffin announced that Ole Miss, despite not playing a lick of defense, would be a tough out for anyone. In 2020 – and beyond.
5. Texas A&M 31, Auburn 20: The Alabama loss for Auburn was bad enough, but you don’t get rid of a coach (and pay him almost $22 million to walk away) who has beaten Nick Saban 3 times. You do get rid of a coach whose team gets outscored 17-0 in the 4th quarter in an 11-point home loss to Texas A&M.
6. Your tape is your résumé
An NFL scout breaks down a draft-eligible SEC player. This week: Florida DE Brenton Cox:
“I just don’t know where he plays. Is he a Will (linebacker) in a 4-3, or does he play on the outside in a 50 front? He hasn’t played linebacker, so you’re going to have to invest time to teach him the position, or hope he grows into a guy that can come off the edge at end.
“He’ll go to the Combine and knock it out of the park, and he has some good tape. He’s got a quick burst off the edge, but he’s not consistently the strongest guy. He’ll get swallowed by bigger (offensive tackles) with good feet. He’s a lot like K’Lavon Chaisson, who scared me to death last year. He scared me because I didn’t know where he played, but also because I was concerned that passing on him could come back to bite you.”
7. Powered Up
This week’s Power Poll – and one big thing.
1. Alabama: How much will potentially losing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian to Auburn impact the CFP run?
2. Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher told his Texas A&M team during the postgame at Tennessee that, “This is as good as I’ve been around. You’ve got something special going on here.” Fisher won 29 straight games at FSU at the end of the BCS era, and into the first CFP season.
3. Florida: Three seasons, three New Year’s 6 bowls for the Gators under coach Dan Mullen. Is that the ceiling, or can Florida recruit the lines of scrimmage well enough to move forward?
4. Georgia: There’s too much importance to the Peach Bowl for Georgia to do anything but ball out. JT Daniels can set up this team for a huge 2021 with a big finish.
5. LSU: An awful season comes to an end with 2 key wins: on the road against East Division champion Florida, and at home against rising rival Ole Miss. A nice save by Tigers coach Ed Orgeron.
6. Auburn: If you’re willing to pay a guy $22 million to walk away, you absolutely take your time and get the coach you want – no matter what it costs.
7. Missouri: An ugly loss at Mississippi State can’t overshadow what Missouri accomplished in Year 1 under Eliah Drinkwitz. Beat Iowa in the Music City Bowl game, and build momentum for 2021.
8. Ole Miss: No matter what it takes: recruiting, the transfer portal, walk-ons from the student body. Get bodies that can stop the other team.
9. Kentucky: Really like the hire of Liam Coen as new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He’s exactly what QBs Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen need: a young coach in the profession who has NFL culture in his background and has been given free rein to expand and improve the offense.
10. Arkansas: The Hogs must decide what they want to be on offense. I’m not sure KJ Jefferson is the answer as a thrower, and if he’s not, 1 of 2 quarterbacks in this year’s recruiting class might be.
11. Tennessee: No matter how impactful a potential NCAA investigation may be (you’re not holding out players if there aren’t issues), Vols must decide soon on starting over. Again.
12. Mississippi State: Bulldogs got exactly what they needed: a big win to finish the season, and positive momentum to push through the long offseason.
13 South Carolina: After the worst recruiting class in school history (through no fault of his own), Shane Beamer says he has as many as 16 scholarships remaining and he’s shopping the NCAA transfer portal. It’s going to get worse in Columbia before it gets better.
14. Vanderbilt: Clark Lea got his first huge win at Vandy: he kept together a surprisingly strong recruiting class (ranked 49th by 247sports).
8. Ask and you shall receive
Matt: Will Florida have a new defensive coordinator by the time we play our bowl game against Oklahoma?
Chris Fenton
Ft. Lauderdale
Chris: There could be plenty of new faces on the field in Arlington, Texas, when Florida shows up to play Oklahoma. Star TE Kyle Pitts has already declared for the NFL and said he will not play in the bowl game to concentrate on preparing for the NFL.
If I were advising QB Kyle Trask, I’d tell him to do the same. There’s no way Trask should be doing anything other than preparing for the Senior Bowl and for the NFL Combine. Those are the most important things in his football future – not a meaningless bowl game.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there are others, too. It has been a long season for players, and the physical and mental grind of battling each other, opponents and COVID has taken a toll. If you can get out and rest an extra week before preparing for the Senior Bowl or the Combine, you do it.
Save your health, save your body.
As for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, if something is going to happen, it will happen early this week. If he’s not philosophically Mullen’s man, Mullen must move on and find his coordinator. If that means a defensive assistant takes over the play-calling for the bowl game, so be it.
9. Numbers: 11
Alabama beat 11 of the SEC’s 13 other teams this season – and didn’t lose once. That’s it. Nothing else. Eleven SEC wins.
10. Quote to note
LSU coach Ed Orgeron: “Throughout the season our team became tougher. Our coaching staff became closer. We continued to fight. Went through a lot of adversity. There were some games we didn’t play very well, but we came back and we fought and we finished strong.”
LSU had a very nice finish to the season, but we shouldn’t be ranked ahead of Auburn. They have a better record and that blowout loss still happened.
Good points, but I think it comes from judging the entirety of the season. LSU finished strong, beating the SEC east champs, and top 10 team, as well as a difficult Ole Miss team. AU got trounced by Bama and TAMU and struggled mightily against lowly Miss State. Though I have seen nowhere that either team is ranked, I could see why he rankings were this way.
Tamu did not struggle against a miss state? There offense only crossed the 50 yard line once. Aggs fumbled it and they ran it back. Also Aggs decided to take a knee instead of going up 3 scores.
Tidefan said LSU had problems with Miss. State, AggsFF, not us. Our biggest rust after beating Florida came during the 2 weeks between SC and LSU.
I said AU not LSU or TAMU.
I think LSU became at least as good as Auburn toward the end of the season. At the time we played Auburn, we weren’t there yet.
I agree.
I would so bold to say if they had an 8 team playoff right now the Committee would suddenly be willing to rank Cincinnati, for example, up around 4 or 5 and OSU probably 5 or 6. It pretty clear the Committee is ranking teams even a week or two in advance based on the Playoff cut-off and who they already like for reasons of bias, pre-season hype whatever, as opposed to who has deserved it along the way of the season. It still wont effect the top 2 or 3 but I bet the 4-8 range would suddenly start getting ranked the way it should and then you’ll start to see them rank and hold teams below that line, 9, 10, 11 for weeks on end deliberately.
It’s totally “bowl masters” holding 8-team playoff back. There would be fewer complaints: champions from power5, playoff for one spot to “not power5”, and 3 spots at large. One extra week (two if you count little guy’s play-off) and two other bowl games used. Reduces media/committee chaos. But unfortunately money talks and teams&fans get the shaft.
“It’s an identity for the SEC, and the conference is never backing off.”
Here is perhaps a sign of the most dangerous misnomer with the pro-expansion push that I can identify. It’s true that, circumstantially, the SEC champion has never missed the playoff, but in every case, their champion was a top-4 team. A lot of the noise in this is that we now have conferences like the PAC wanting to auto-bid their champion into the playoff because “conference champions should matter like it does for the SEC.” That isn’t how this should work, and caving into this will really hurt the sport.
*by my statement about SEC champions, they were all within the top 4 going into the penultimate CFP ranking (and a lot of that was Bama)
I look forward to when the playoffs expand to 10 teams and six of them are from the SEC.
Heck, just declare whoever wins the SEC National Champs.
However, it will increase national interest, which ultimately, is better for the game.
Make it direct acceptance for the top 8 teams. No automatic bids based on conference titles.
Unless the Pac-12 champ is like Oregon in 2014 (who wasn’t even a great team, only a good team), then they should not even be considered ever. That conference is a dumpster fire.
Expand it to 10 games and let #1 and #2 wait and avoid injuries for the others to compete find their best, and those winners then face the top two in playoffs.
Playing games doesn’t matter, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
No way you’ll see 10 teams. No way #1 and #2 will get a double bye in any playoff scenario. It will never happen. NEVER!
Yeah, I was saying it jokingly. Expand it to 8 teams and then 9 and 10 complain. Expand it to 40 and 41 and 42 complain.
I’d entertain the idea of a non-NC championship, though. You’d have to sign up for it and agree that you weren’t eligible for the actual NC. Then teams like Cincinnati might face Ole Miss for the non-NC NC. That would be fun.
Every extra round of playoffs is problematic, only one extra round is at all feasible and then only if that makes the first round much earlier in the season. The only real net positive to come out of expansion will be the early games to watch in the bowl season being better than the normal crap. In the end the same Bama-Clemson-tOSU teams will be the ones playing for the CC, it’s really not going to change the outcome only the means of getting there.
Trask may be considering coming back? After all, Fields, Lawerance and maybe Jones are heading to the NFL. If he decides to come back he could have another shot at the Heisman & push his draft stock way higher. He may want a second go at AL too. Florida has them scheduled in Gainesville next year.
Or, he could be passing up his “high value” window like Fromm did. There’s no guarantee he’s going to be as good next year as he was this year, or ever again tbh.
true that, but obviously this guy has patience and is not the conventional QB player in college football. I’m not sure he’s even peaked as a QB..but who knows. Just a thought.
There’s still room for improvement, I know that much.
Booches, Fromm didn’t pass up his high value window. Fromm went to the NFL as early as possibly could based on the rules in place.
I don’t see the kid increasing his value much. He is a first rounder and it does not get any better than that.
I don’t think Trask can improve his stock very much. I think he goes top 10.
Pretty ridiculous to say “Bama isn’t in the playoff without Jones.” That’s really discrediting how good Harris, Smith and the rest of the supporting cast actually are. This is a program that went undefeated with Greg McElroy, won back to back titles with Aj McCarron, won titles with Jake Coker and a true freshman getting his first legit game experience. As long as Saban is on the sideline, Bama will be in the playoffs 98% of the time no matter who is at Qb. Jones is a great Qb, but don’t kid yourself, they would’ve made it with Young too.
Comparing this version of Bama to the McCaron, McClerroy, and Coker versions of Bama is not a valid argument. Bama has to have a “dude” at quarterback now. They aren’t winning championships holding teams to less than 20 points anymore. If they don’t have a really good quarterback this year they have at least 2 games they could have lost: Ole Miss and Florida.
Don’t try to use facts… Florida fans will run out of ways to constantly put Mac down if you keep using facts..
Considering the performance of his back up. Without Jones, Bama does not even win the west.
I do have to agree with this. Not taking away from how good Jones is, but even with a lesser QB, Bama is just dominant and would still be in the CFP.
Any expansion is going to include an autobid for the Power 5 conference champions. There will be insistence by at least 3 of the 5 if not 4 of the 5 conferences to make this happen. ND will be the other “no” on that criteria.. For the G5 why should they participate? There is nothing stopping them from making their own playoff. If they roll with the P5 they will insist on some clear criteria on how to select which one gets in. Then you have the wildcards so to speak.. Whomever gets snubbed there will be just as angry. Bowl tie ins? Which bowls will close shop? Will the schools be willing to give up that bowl money?
No way the P5 Conference Champions should get an auto bid. There are too many ways a subpar team jumps ahead of way too many deserving teams.
This year would have included #25 Oregon (4-2) with both losses to unranked teams.
Bingo. or years ago when UCLA played in their CCG with a 6-6 record. What if they had upset the other team? Would they be deserving?
Perfect way to state the flaw.
Would it come as any surprise at all if Fulmer was the guy behind leaking the NCAA investigation so he could kick Pruitt to the curb? This is the same guy who helped pushed Johnny Majors out in 1992 so he could get the job, was the “secret witness” against Alabama in the Albert Means case when he had recruited Means himself and was also trying to make his own NCAA inquiry go away (which it did), and now somehow got himself in as AD so he can be kingmaker in Knoxville. The only surprise I have about Fulmer is that he hasn’t made himself HC…but then again, I guess he figures it’s safer letting someone else he can control be in that position to take the fall as the dumpster fire burns rather than put his neck out there himself.
JFC. Another year where there aren’t even 4 teams worthy of calling themselves the best team in th country and the midwits are pounding the drum to expand a playoff the already houses too many teams.
The purpose of the CFP is to help arbitrate who the best team in the nation is, not to run a welfare program for 2nd and 3rd tier teams.
You should probably revisit the real reason for the CFB Playoffs.
As an Alabama fanboy you just don’t want to face the talented SE teams that get left out with a 4-team playoff.
I just don’t see the point of a welfare program for Florida.
Florida lost to 3 teams from the west… The East isn’t scaring anyone..
JONES
1st in QB Rating
1st in Completion %
1st In YPA
TRASK
1st in Total Touchdowns (46)
1st in Touchdown Passes (43) (Leads by 11)
1st in Total Passing Yards (4,125)
1st in Passing Yards per Game (375)
The choice is clear.
And Florida still lost 3 games to the west… Can you not keep up with your posts?
Yep, just like Florida did when Tebow won the Heisman. Your point? LMAO.
My point is you posting stats on every article isn’t helping Trask or even on topic with your Original Post.
You just look like a dumba$$ that figured out how to copy and paste..
You’re just pithed off I knew and you didn’t know that when Tebow won the Heisman Florida had 3 losses. Now you have to think of another lame argument.
Why would I be pissed that Florida finished a season with multiple losses?
The CFP is for teams to PROVE they are the best in the country. The selection committee is in charge of determining who those 4 teams are but those 4 teams still have to show up and prove it. We always know who the best teams are in any sport. But the playoffs either shake out and bear it true or they don’t because a team slips up or another teams plays above their ability. It’s why you play the games. Because what you want it for the champion to be able to PROVE that they were the true champion and not have Cincinnati in a corner saying “Oh yeah, we woulda smoked Bama”
Until your last sentence I assumed you were arguing for my point. Teams have an entire season to prove they are worthy of being called a champion. The playoff is just a dispute resolution mechanism.
If your argument is that a Cincinnati team can say they would have beat Bama, then we don’t have any concerns.
Then let’s do away with the playoff entirely and go back to the way it was before the BCS and just crown Bama now. And you’ll have 7 other teams claim a title.
Let’s be honest, the real purpose for the CFP is more viewership and more money. Expanding follows this principle and they’ll do whatever brings more revenue whether it aligns with “true old fashioned competition” or not.
They’ll make the rules of the expanded field to favor whatever schools/leagues will offer the largest comparative increase in viewership whether that entails subjectively choosing weaker but more popular teams or letting every conference in to pull the numbers.
Either way, we’ll likely end up seeing 3 SEC schools annually in an 8 team field since the SEC is both strong and has such a huge bottom-line fan-base.
Expanding the play off beyond 4 teams is an awful idea. Win and you’re in, pretty simple. The controversy and different opinions as to who is #1 are unique to college football…go watch basketball, baseball, hockey if you want something different.
All that win and your in crap is garbage. How many games does Cincinnati need to win before they get an honest ranking? The playoff committee caters to the teams that have the biggest fan bases. They is why Notre Dame got in over A&M and Cincy.
Cincinnati only has to win one or two games, but they have to be against quality opponents in the P5. Instead, they have a bunch of wins against nobody teams.
Which is different from Notre Dame’s ACC schedule? They beat a Clemson team in overtime that was down at least 5 defensive starters by the end of the game, and with their backup quarterback.
Ok….take a step back. Who said I was vouching for Notre Dame? Buehler?
V@ls1998 check the recruiting of those teams in the ACC. Cincinnati will out recruit few of them and none of the ones they are likely to play in a playoff. They do not play the schedule of a P=5 team week after week. Thus they would be playing against teams that are deeper, more battle tested, and more talented in a playoff. The playoffs do not exist to make everyone’s feeling be placated. If they want to play with the big boys, no one is stopping them from becoming an independent and scheduling 6-7 P-5 teams a year. They can bet on themselves, or play a lower level of foot ball and whine about what might have been, just like Boise State did for years.
Florida and aTm are both better teams than Ohio State and Notre Dame – both of whom looked terrible in their conference championship games. But Florida and aTm were not preseason over-ranked media darlings, which is the surest ticket to the playoffs: get a high preseason over-ranking, play a weakling schedule, get into the playoffs.
Florida was a media darling and properly ranked in the preseason. they also have 3 losses..
UF is where they deserve to be, maybe even higher than they deserve to be. They are ranked lower than their talent and abilities, but you have to use those to win games and they failed 3 times.
UF lost 3 games. Your offense is definitely better but your offense isn’t the team. Your defense and 3 losses makes OSU, ND & A&M better teams.
I’ve said it before, but the playoff is broken because 4 of the 5 P5 conferences are broken. Every year Clemson and Ohio State are going to sleepwalk through a pathetic conference schedule and get half the spots. There is nobody in their conferences that are anywhere close to their talent level. To a lesser extent this even applies to Oklahoma. If they had been able to play a few cupcakes early in the season to work out the kinks of a new quarterback they would have dominated too.
Then you have the PAC 12 where there isn’t an elite team in the whole conference.
The big problem is the SEC is the only conference where you have more than 1 team in the top 10 of recruiting. Until someone gets it together at Michigan or Miami or somewhere like that, you can count on a combination of the same 8 teams playing every year (Bama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, A&M, and maybe a PAC school that runs the table).
Sorry but your take feeds right into what’s wrong with the system. Most colleges don’t have the budget to compete with the likes of Alabama or OSU. The problem is the number of teams that are allowed to make it in and the subjective criteria used to choose them.
What a riot. The SEC has sent 3 different teams to the playoffs. That shows it’s possible to compete. Adding teams that don’t compete as well on & off the field is nothing but a participation trophy.
Total side note: how proud are you of the Big14 now. The health of our players are the most important thing. Okay, since everyone else is playing so will we. We are going to be harsher with the protocols though since the health of the players are paramount. Okay, after changing the rules for OSU they are in the playoffs. Wait, OSU will miss several important players due to our protocols? Since player health is paramount we will change the protocols so they can play.
I would say A&M is interchangeable with LSU and Auburn, on a rotating basis, of course.
Only 11 different teams have qualified for the CFP since its inception 7 years ago. The system is beyond flawed, it sucks. The current process is horribly unfair, grossly inadequate and it’s in the process of destroying the competitive balance of upper-end Division 1 football. The BCS may have been a joke but it was far better than this despicable charade.
Maybe your team should get better? I thought the point behind competition was to get better. If your looking be rewarded for mediocrity you should the NFC east where a team with a losing record will play in and host a playoff game.
You can really tell who the vile, disgusting leftists are.
Couldn’t disagree more on expansion. Might as well just give everyone a participation trophy. Everyone can’t be number one. The regular season is played to determine the top four, there will always be someone crying they should be included. You could expand to 64 teams just like BB and teams still cry about being left out.
The minute percentage of teams that have qualified out of the number of teams that have participated, tells you how sorry the CFP actually is.
Bama, Clemson, OSU, and OU have been in the playoff the most. What do they all have in common? They each dominate their respective conferences year in and year out. If other teams want to make the playoff then step up and start competing with those top teams more consistently. Recruit better, coach better, play better.
Bama 3 headed offensive Monster eliminates all 3 from Hiesman. Take any one out and they don’t miss a beat. Hence replacing Tua with Jones and Waddle with Smith and no drop off. Take out Trask and the entire offense has to change.
As far as playoff expansion to 8. To keep Championship games relevant. All Championship game winners recieve auto bid. Highest G05/independent recieves bid if above 10. Final 2 spots go to top remaining teams regardless of conference affiliation. Applied to this season you would have
1. Bama
2. Clemson
3. OSU
4. ND
5. aTm
6. Oklahoma
7. Cincy
8. Oregon
This leaves Championship game with value. Gives G5 a chance to prove they belong. Makes it unlikely to have more than 3 from one conference, though not impossible.
If CU is in do you think Coastal and San Jose State belong in the CFP, or not?
Oregon only played 6 games, 2 of which were losses to unranked teams. Automatic bids for P5 conference champions is a loser. Too many opportunities to put a subpar team in based on a single game.
So you are for the give everyone a trophy mindset. Cincy does not measure up.
Maybe the playoffs should be expanded to 6 or 8 teams, but the only reason it was so messy this season was because of the all conference schedules. Another solution is to expand it to 6 teams,but the P5 play other P5 teams for their non-conference games, instead of schools like Sam Houston State, UTEP, etc..
Get rid of the committee. People are idiots and shouldn’t be the ones deciding. Formulating a BCS type model with both humans and computers is best. The human polls water down each individual vote and computers don’t have opinions.
It is asinine to even talk about expanding the playoffs. If you keep trying to make things perfect you will have a 48 team field, and still be arguing about the last 8. There is no objective way to rank college football teams. This year, after Bama and Clemson, people are trying to come up with the 2 teams that suck the lest.
So high school football can have 32 teams in the playoffs and the NFL can have what 14 teams in the playoffs but college can only have 4 maybe 6, because 16 is a pipe dream? Please explain the logic… and no money is not an excuse, tickets can be sold to playoff games and bowls can be included. Something doesn’t add up here.
High school does not play a 12-13 game regular season, and then the playoffs. The NFL plays a 16 game season. College players that make the championship game play 1 game short of an NFL season. Anyone that think they should be play the equal of a NFL season has no credibility when they start talking about being fair to college players and their teams.
High school KIDS play a 10 game regular season and then 5 games in the playoffs if they make it to the championship… KIDS!
Not men old enough to vote making more than what 30k a year after tuition food and housing that the football scholarship provides… yeah anyone that thinks it’s a disservice to the young men playing a game to make them play a couple more games is sheltered beyond belief. FUBAR
College kids play a 13 game schedule if they are in contention for a conference title. They do not play 5 game playoffs here, I do not think. They are also not having to keep up with a college course load. Sheltered is not the word, though you obviously are not educated to come up with the word. It is consistent. You can not be for a player quitting on his team to prepare for the NFL AND ask him to risk injury playing a 16 game season against P-5 competition. You are one of those mental midgets I came into contact with during my years of living in Louisiana, Usually as I was taking them to jail.
I notice Cincy didn’t make the 6 team cut but a 2 loss OU did. How do you say people are tired of the same teams but still put OU in? If games are important than how does a 2 loss CC make it over an undefeated CC? Automatic bids for CCs means less deserving teams can get in over those more deserving. Oregon won the Pac12 this year even though they didn’t qualify for the game. Would/should they be in.
Pick a side. Either every game matters or being CC matter.
I personally would want this 6 team method as shown here:
Bama and Clemson would get byes
3 Ohio St hosts 6 Cincinnati (ik OU finished here but they shouldn’t be in with 2 losses)
4 Notre Dame hosts 5 Texas A&M
Pros to this system: 3-6 teams get to show what they’re made of (since they generate the most controversy over who gets in), Go5 teams have more of a shot since generally there’s usually a good Go5 team near this range
Cons: more games for 3-6, of course there will be debate over who finishes 6-7
What the 6 team system would’ve looked like last year:
1 LSU, 2 Ohio St. with byes. 3 Clemson plays 6 Oregon, and 4 Oklahoma plays 5 Georgia.
What it would’ve looked like in 2018:
1 Alabama and 2 Clemson get byes. 3 Notre Dame plays 6 Ohio St., and 4 Oklahoma plays Georgia.
I don’t think six teams is enough. Should be eight teams, especially if you’re going to include at least one team from every P5 conference. I like the model a lot of people here are throwing around, where you have the P5 conference champions, one G5 team, and two at large teams.
BTW, this model certainly makes the regular season important, as well as the conference title games.
No it doesn’t make the regular season important. That means you only have to win the correct games to win your division. OCGs become meaningless. Win your division with 4 losses but play the game of the year and you win your conference. Now your in the playoffs with 4 losses.
Playoff expansion is a perception thing so more fans think their teams have a chance but the reality is the 1 vs 4 matchup has pretty much been a bloodbath. Wait until you get 1 vs 8. The controversy will only increase because the more teams the harder it is to chose the final team. There will be a lot more teams that think they deserve the 8th seed than teams that think they deserve the 4 seed in the current format. Does anyone really think an 8 seed can win it all.
How about this. A six team playoff with all P5 CC’s guaranteed a spot as long as they are in the top eight. A G5 can be guaranteed a spot as long as they are in the top eight. A good at large may get left out, but they should have won their conference. Of course, the committee could still manipulate the system based on who they choose to put in the top eight.
MATT HAYES wrote:
“Change shouldn’t happen because Texas A&M got hosed”
This comes from a writer that wrote several articles to why A&M was not a playoff team and did not deserve a spot.
You have no cred on your writings ever. If you are going to take a stand , stick with it after the fact. Don’t flip like a pancake, the 1 game of Clemson-Nd and A&M-Tenn did not change your mind.
Lol at Sark leaving for Auburn. Is never and was never happening. Just lazy reporting.
This is some weird end of the regular season analysis. I gotta quit readying one guys summations.
16 teams. Every conference winner and at large bids from the next however many. Easy solution.
Horrible solution.
Blow me
Not my thing. To each his own though.
Sounds like you know from experience.
No, it just sounds like you’re a perverted idiot. Double whammy.
No matter how many teams you expand it to, there will always be someone saying it’s “not enough” and team X+1 of X will be unfairly left out. The really odd thing is people saying this year of all years is the proof to the exception, because teams that played a total of 4 or 5 games are somehow being unfairly treated. This year is NOT AT ALL the year you want to base anything on.
LSU: 3 wins including a great, well talented and 2021 recruiting class coming in for Orgeron.
Matt, look me in the eye and tell me that if you had your wish this year and the playoffs had eight teams and one of them were Cincinnati that you would not still be beating the drum because Coastal Carolina was left out. Tell me that you would not still be couching this in terms of a national emergency with an inevitable conclusion that you are just waiting for everyone else to realize. The media’s job is to report the news and not to make it.
JONES
1st in QB Rating
1st in Completion %
1st in YPA
TRASK
1st in Total Touchdowns (46)
1st in Touchdown Passes (43) (leads by 11)
1st in Total Passing Yards (4,125)
1st in Passing Yards per Game (375)
The choice is clear.
JONES
8.0 TD-INT Ratio
TRASK
8.6 TD-INT Ratio
Not with coaches eye test it isn’t.
Mac is better. You must accept the intangibles he has more of over Trask.
Phillip Pilsbury Doughboy Fulmer has always been a snake in the grass.
“When asked if the CFP would finish the initial 12-year deal that runs through the 2025 season, the P5 AD said, “We’d like to, but I’m not sure it’s feasible. We can’t keep selling the same thing over and over, year after year, and expect our fans to stay interested.”
This quote speaks volumes. In my opinion, as college football fans, we’ve all been sold a bill of goods. First of all, let’s call the CFP what it is-an invitational. It is by definition, you can’t argue with that. If you’re ok with that, then you really don’t have an argument as to what teams are in. Expanding the “playoff” under the current situation will only bring more of the same. Until there is a true playoff, by this I mean putting every team in a conference and letting conference champs duke it out, it will always be open to argument. Major realignment of the conferences would be needed as well as mixing P5 and G5 teams in those conferences to make it fair. Under the current system, the teams that bring in the most viewers/money will always be invited, with the others on the outside looking in.