Play Offs to be brought into College Football

** can this be a sticky***

The College Football landscape looks to be changing, talks are ongoing about brining in a play off format to determine the BCS Champion.

There are several propositions

1. Top 4 Conference winners with best record to qualify, this format appeals to the conferences outside of the Power 4 (SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac 12) the likes of the ACC and Big East favour this format, as this really the only chance that would get to qualify but would a team like Pitt, or Clemson with say a 9-1 record be worthy of a play off spot when their opposition might not have been that strong.

2. Best 4 teams favoured by the Big 12 and SEC, this is based on the best 4 teams regardless if they finish runners up in their own division but they have an equal record of a division winner, but would be deemed to be ranked higher due to strength of schedule.

3. Decision by committee this is almost going back to pre BCS days in which a Committee of maybe 12-13 people decide who the best 4 are due to strength of schedule and how well they have played, and how strong the appeared, this is an idea favoured by the Big 10, who also favour a plus 1 schedule

4. Keep the current format.

IMHO I think it will be 2nd option as the final 4 will be picked due to the strength of opposition and playing record a 8-2 team from the SEC will have had a stronger schedule than a Winner in the Big East or ACC even if they have a better win/loss ration say a 9-1 or 10-0

there is a meeting next week and everything will probably be sorted out by this time next month I think

I think I favor the conference winners only rule. I know it rules out some of the potentially better teams (i.e. an SEC fest) but that is the only way to give some of the smaller conference unbeaten team a way in without being blown out of the water by a one loss Bama.

crazy_dave23 wrote:I think I favor the conference winners only rule. I know it rules out some of the potentially better teams (i.e. an SEC fest) but that is the only way to give some of the smaller conference unbeaten team a way in without being blown out of the water by a one loss Bama.

I see what your saying but why reward a team that has an easier conference

Lat years conference winners with the best records were

SEC LSU 13-1
BIG 12 Oklahoma 12-1
BIG 10 Michigan State 11-3
BIG EAST Cincinnati 10-3

No offence to Cincinnati but teams such as Wisconsin, Alabama, Clemson, and Michigan all had equal or better records that Cincinnati but were not Conference winners

I know very little about college football, however how many times in the NFL do we see teams with worse records than others reach the playoffs because they won their division? (The Seahawks a couple of seasons back for example)

In my eyes, if they've won the conference they should make the playoffs, regardless of the toughness of schedule. Otherwise these teams will play year after year knowing there is next to no chance of making them.

Just my thoughts, albeit with very limited knowledge!

Leedscowboys wrote:

crazy_dave23 wrote:I think I favor the conference winners only rule. I know it rules out some of the potentially better teams (i.e. an SEC fest) but that is the only way to give some of the smaller conference unbeaten team a way in without being blown out of the water by a one loss Bama.

I see what your saying but why reward a team that has an easier conference

Lat years conference winners with the best records were

SEC LSU 13-1
BIG 12 Oklahoma 12-1
BIG 10 Michigan State 11-3
BIG EAST Cincinnati 10-3

No offence to Cincinnati but teams such as Wisconsin, Alabama, Clemson, and Michigan all had equal or better records that Cincinnati but were not Conference winners

and teams like Boise perennially have better seasons than all of the extras listed, but would just get squeezed out as per usual. It would just be the current BCS with all its problems... just with an extra final

I think we will eventually see around 4-5 Super Conferences within the next 7-10 years, this way it will allow teams a chance to get into the BCS Play Offs, teams like Boise, Notre Dame Army/Navy plus minor conference teams that were once well known SMU, Houston, Marshall will all want a chance to play for the BCS. You will get maybe the top 100 teams split into 5 conferences, but you will get these conferences split into 2 like SEC East/West say with 10 teams in each, you would then have the top divsion winners in each conference play each other (like PAC and SEC) for the chance to be in the final 4 spot

dancingweeman wrote:I know very little about college football, however how many times in the NFL do we see teams with worse records than others reach the playoffs because they won their division? (The Seahawks a couple of seasons back for example)

In my eyes, if they've won the conference they should make the playoffs, regardless of the toughness of schedule. Otherwise these teams will play year after year knowing there is next to no chance of making them.

Just my thoughts, albeit with very limited knowledge!

I would have to agree with this view, seems like the "fair" thing to do, just the same as how the Seahawks made it with a 7-9 record (I think) and they upset the Saints so it could happen that one of the teams from a weaker conference could go all the way. They shouldn't be punished because of their conference because if they're going to be is there really any point in having them involved in the process?

I can see you point re conference winners, but the major difference is strength of schedule, in the NFL all teams are strong, the same cannot be said of College Football sure you have the SEC and PAC but there are other conference not as strong, that's why you have to go with strength of schedule, a few years back Cincinnati won the Big East 12-0 went to one of the Premier bowl games and were beaten by 27+ points. If you go with Conference winners colleges will chose weaker teams to play against in order to top their league and make the play offs.

Who is worthy of a play off spot, the team that beats Duke, Villianova, Troy, Wake Forest and Toledo, or the team that beat Alabama, Georgia, Florida LSU & Auburn