College football moving back to 11 game seasons? Kirk Herbstreit says that's an idea being discussed in order to expand CFB Playoff
For teams that make their conference championship game and the College Football Playoff, the reality is they most likely face a 15-game season to win a title. Any discussion of expanding the College Football Playoff has to consider that asking two college teams to potentially play a 16-game season, which seems borderline cruel.
Well, apparently, that’s something at least one college football power broker has considered and may have come up with a solution to that problem.
During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN program “Championship Drive,” college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was asked to share his thoughts on Playoff expansion after Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany noted that an expansion to eight Playoff teams isn’t as imminent as many are making it out to be.
According to Herbstreit, the conference championship games across the nation would be a hurdle in any expansion discussion.
“I think it’s tricky because you have the conference championship games,” Herbstreit said. “I’ve talked with somebody who is very influential in that room and he brought up the idea of maybe going down to 11 regular season games, holding on to the conference championship games and still being able to eventually get to eight (College Football Playoff teams). That might be an idea.”
Is that something Herbstreit would support?
“I would love eight (teams in the Playoff), I wouldn’t have a problem with that,” he added.
Based on Herbstreit’s comment, it’s unclear how many power brokers actually support this idea, or if it’s just one person throwing out an idea, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
This may be an idea worth exploring if an expansion of the Playoff is inevitable, as asking teams to play 16 games in a single season may be too big of a hurdle to cross for the NCAA. Expect numbers to be run across the nation regarding the financial figures that may come if a regular season game is lost but the College Football Playoff is expanded.
As with every decision made by the NCAA, follow the money and you’ll have an outstanding idea of which way the organization is leaning.
So, 130 teams give up their 12th RS game so that 8 can go to the playoff? I expect some push-back there. A lot, actually. Especially from FCS and G5 schools who get huge paydays to play at a P5 location, as those are most likely to be the games dropped.
No doubt. The little guys would never go for this unless they were getting guaranteed money to not play.
That 130 is exactly the problem. There are too many teams in the highest division of College football. The competition is too watered down.
Just give up the conference championship games. Conferences already aren’t the same size and determine the participants differently anyway…
The loser of that game is usually just punished with bowl selection. It had a time and place with the BCS but the playoff has made it less important IMO.
Yep, get rid of the conference championship game and replace it with a more meaningful national championship playoff round.
For sure… If they go to 8 conferences will get multiple teams in and the conference championship games won’t do anything but know out a possible deserving team… There will be teams getting in more often that didn’t play in the CCG so no point in it…
Knock out*
I agree.
I don’t think that that is a very good plan. Look at all of the teams that are going to lose all that revenue for one less game. It is not only the teams that would lose, think of the cities and merchants in the towns that will lose revenue from a game. A football game in a town brings in tax revenue for the city and for all of the retailers as well as the people who earn money from working at a game. If they want to elimninate a game, eliminate the Conference Championship Games and that would still have an effect on the cities where those games would not be held, but that is far less than losing games all across the board.
Personally, I don’t think that they need to go to an 8 game playoff.
SEC isn’t giving up the SECCG. If we have to have playoffs, four is plenty.
Sure they would, as long as the greedy SOB’s in the SEC Headquarters somehow get the cash payout from it (via more playoff games or some other arrangement).
While UGA fans may love it, you’ll find that the appetite for playing the SECCG drops off significantly for the fanbases of teams more than a short car ride from Atlanta.
You’ve got be joking.
No, I’m not joking. Maybe you should get out more, maybe travel outside the state. I assure you there wasn’t much excitement about LSU having to play against UGA in a UGA home game to win a conference championship that we’d already rightfully won during the regular season.
Why, why is sixteen games too many? Maybe a month off is the problem. Kids in highschool play 15 and 16 games to win championships and they do it without byes.
Same in FCS. ND State and James Madison will be playing their 16th games later this month for the championship.
If it means we get a 8 team playoff…I would be ok with no more conference championship games…I’m thinking the sec would do it because they would almost sure have two playoff team’s every year…
This year, there were only 3 worthy playoff teams. Most years there are two or 3 that are truly on top. I cannot imagine expanding the group. I actually enjoyed today’s bowl games. Not every game has to be for a natty to be fun to watch.
For every overrated team (Oklahoma) there’s a dark horse (Minnesota). The dark horses deserve a chance but rarely get one because of perception and strength of schedule issues. We must move to 8 teams in the playoff to determine a true champion.
I meant Wisconsin, but Minnesota looked pretty good too. UGA, Baylor, Oregon, and Wisconsin could’ve rounded out a really fun championship tournament.
If we are truly only interested at the end of the season, in determining which team IS the BEST team for that year. A four team playoff of what is perceived as the four best teams will likely be the result 9 times out of 10.
The only issue being the number 5 team that is left out being a true issue maybe every other year. But the number 6 team deserving to be in the playoff mix….really!
Number 4 is usually dispatched handily in the first round. By chance they make it to final and win it….they were still determined to be one of the four best, so good for them.
An 8 team playoff dilutes not enhances, a method to truly determine which team should be designated National Champions.
Why not add ANOTHER bye week so teams can rest? That might push the last game into early December, but would that interfere that much with bowl practices??
Finals are the issue.
How is a 16 game schedule borderline cruel? That’s what the NFL plays and college players are hoping to make it to the pros
Absolutely agree. NFL players spend a 15 year career playing 16 games, not including preseason or playoffs. It’s literally the worst argument I’ve ever heard.
They are also making millions. Big difference
^^^
Why are so many people enchanted with the idea of creating a welfare program for 2nd tier teams?
I like the idea of expanding the playoff to 8 teams. What I don’t understand is why is it ok for FCS teams/athletes (Who have a 24 team playoff tournament) to potentially play 16 games in a season (if they make it to the championship game) but it’s not ok for FBS teams/athletes? Yes they normally only play 11 games, but there are seasons they play 12 regular season games… personally I think this is just another example of the hypocracy of the NCAA