2021 CFB Playoff Discussion

[zbuck]

I've been thinking along those lines. Have six major new years bowls (like today). But, they each have to pick from the top 12 teams as ranked by the AP (get rid of the playoff committee/conference affiliations). Main difference from your proposal is that I would prefer only the top two teams that emerge from the bowls advance to a single post-bowl championship game. Also, only winners of bowl games would be eligible to advance to the championship game - no 1-2 rematch games. Nothing like this will ever happen though - too much television money in an expanded playoff.

You lost me at "ranked by the AP" .....

Perhaps if that organization cleared out the unqualified pinheads (est. at about 25%+) who vote all kinds of stupid shit.

Let Vegas sort out the top 12. They'll get it as right as anyone.

 

[CincyInterloper]

You lost me at "ranked by the AP" .....

Perhaps if that organization cleared out the unqualified pinheads (est. at about 25%+) who vote all kinds of stupid shit.

Let Vegas sort out the top 12. They'll get it as right as anyone.

Guess I was being nostalgic for the old days. I'm good with Vegas doing the sorting since their success depends on getting it right. I don't want the networks, coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners, or fans having any input. The committee has been BS from the beginning.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I just had a crazy idea. What if you played all of the bowls just like it was pre bcs.
Then pick a 4 team playoff on Jan 2.
You would effectively have something where every conference champion and most of the top 10-15 teams really have a shot.
Imagine if Utah played ttun in the rose bowl with a real shot of getting in saying those early losses are ok. Or Baylor getting a swing at Bama. Cincinnati and ttun getting exposed before they took a slot. OSU, notre dama and Georgia with chances to make a statement with at large bids to a big bowl.
Almost no one in the top 15 would opt out. It’s the only way to expand access to the playoffs without killing the bowl system more. You don’t have a hard stop at 8 or 10 or 12, it’s more fluid. You get a better idea of conference strengths to help remove bias.
Damn that would be fun.

What's the mission here? Stop opt outs?

I ask because not telling teams if they have a legit shot at making the final 4 or not is a pretty shitty thing to do to players like Matt Corral for instance. Now the kid is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

Is the point to make it easier or harder for the players families to see them play?

Go play in Bowl games and we'll let you know if you are invited to Jan 2 playoffs. Make travel plans at last minute. Hope you have enough money and time off work to be flexible.

Lastly, who gets to pick?

You really want to see what ESPN can do with a month to prepare/brainwash/push their narrative? Something this arbitrary is going to lead to just as many instances of non SEC teams getting fucked over as the current system does.

All in all, there hasn't been a year yet when they have had three competitive games. Why in the hell do people want to keep expanding this?

 

[TampaBuckeyes]

What's the mission here? Stop opt outs?

I ask because not telling teams if they have a legit shot at making the final 4 or not is a pretty shitty thing to do to players like Matt Corral for instance. Now the kid is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

Is the point to make it easier or harder for the players families to see them play?

Go play in Bowl games and we'll let you know if you are invited to Jan 2 playoffs. Make travel plans at last minute. Hope you have enough money and time off work to be flexible.

Lastly, who gets to pick?

You really want to see what ESPN can do with a month to prepare/brainwash/push their narrative? Something this arbitrary is going to lead to just as many instances of non SEC teams getting fucked over as the current system does.

All in all, there hasn't been a year yet when they have had three competitive games. Why in the hell do people want to keep expanding this?

Long post, so I’ll try to respond thoughtfully.

The idea is the bowl essentially becomes the last game. They can help clear up conference strength myths vs facts. Each team has a pretty good idea of what they need to do to have a shot at the playoffs before the bowl game. Similar to the buckeyes in ‘14 we need to beat the shit out of Wisconsin. This year Baylor and Pitt would need similar performances and maybe a bit of luck. Whereas ole miss probably knows their out. Nothing is guaranteed, but there is a shot. Just like every other game of the season.

Plus it gets more teams a shot at the playoffs without destroying the bowls more.

When you say is it fair to guys like Matt Corral to waive it out there and tempt them the play? I don’t know. How many guys got injured in week 12? Should the season be 10 weeks? Conference championship games should be eliminated when the conference has no shot at the playoffs? I don’t know, the players can still decide what is worth it to them, and I won’t judge them for it. In the next decade I suspect we will see players start to leave once they think they feel locked into the first round mid season. Matt Corral played in his bowl of his own accord without a title shot.

As for travel, people manage to do it in the current format with a weeks notice. You can still plan for the bowl game just like you would the first round in any playoff series.

Who picks? I don’t know. I would hope that having the normal bowl games of inter conference matchups would clear things up a little more than how no one plays anyone out of conference after week 5, and a good OOC game isn’t even mandatory. This would make that mandatory at the end of the season. It will still be controversial, but I hope seeing top teams play other top teams would provide more data for an educated decision. You are right in that almost half of the playoff games are shit these days. I would think having the bowl games before the playoffs would help fix that a little.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Long post, so I’ll try to respond thoughtfully.

The idea is the bowl essentially becomes the last game. They can help clear up conference strength myths vs facts. Each team has a pretty good idea of what they need to do to have a shot at the playoffs before the bowl game. Similar to the buckeyes in ‘14 we need to beat the shit out of Wisconsin. This year Baylor and Pitt would need similar performances and maybe a bit of luck. Whereas ole miss probably knows their out. Nothing is guaranteed, but there is a shot. Just like every other game of the season.

Plus it gets more teams a shot at the playoffs without destroying the bowls more.

This is just making the Bowls a first round playoff game. There is no way to ever clear up strength of conference arguments with facts when those facts are just one game outcomes after a long layoff. People have opinions that are not going to be changed. Media companies have money invested in certain brands. They are going to promote based on that, not single game outcomes.

When you say is it fair to guys like Matt Corral to waive it out there and tempt them the play? I don’t know. How many guys got injured in week 12? Should the season be 10 weeks? Conference championship games should be eliminated when the conference has no shot at the playoffs? I don’t know, the players can still decide what is worth it to them, and I won’t judge them for it. In the next decade I suspect we will see players start to leave once they think they feel locked into the first round mid season. Matt Corral played in his bowl of his own accord without a title shot.

The players can still decide but you aren't giving them all the facts to make a decision with. Go play hard and I'll tell you when it's over if you are in or not isn't the same thing as knowing the game has no outcome on a potential championship. If a kid decides to sit out in this scenario, he's going to feel like he's let his teammates down and hear it x100 from all these idiots who want them to play every game no matter what. So he plays because of lack of information and obligation to his teammates and gets hurt in a game some suit was never going to allow to be a playoff lead in game and he gets hurt like Jake Butt or (nearly) Matt Corral. It's risky for the kids at best, flat out deceptive at worst.

As for travel, people manage to do it in the current format with a weeks notice. You can still plan for the bowl game just like you would the first round in any playoff series.

You are proposing an extra week as of right now minimum even if they keep it to four teams. No?

Round 1: Bowls for undisclosed number of teams
Round 2: semi finals for 4 teams a week later?
Round 3: NC Game for 2 winners another week later?

Maybe I'm not following it.

All in all, everyone has their pet format so it's all just conversation but I really couldn't ever support anything that wasn't clear for the players as to a Bowl game's impactfulness.

 

[CincyInterloper]

All in all, there hasn't been a year yet when they have had three competitive games. Why in the hell do people want to keep expanding this?

OSU won the whole thing as a four seed, so not sure how we completely avoid uncompetitive games without occasionally excluding a contender. The semis were both blowouts this year, but that is not always the case. The pre-playoff BCS Championship had a few blowouts as well.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

That a 4 seed won doesn't mean there haven't been a bunch of uncompetitive games:

2015: Oregon 59 Florida State 20
2015: Ohio State 42 Oregon 20
2016: Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17
2016: Alabama 30 Michigan State 0
2017: Alabama 24 Washington 7
2017: Clemson 31 Ohio State 0
2018: Alabama 24 Clemson 6
2019: Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3
2019: Clemson 44 Alabama 19
2020: LSU 63 Oklahoma 28
2020: LSU 42 Clemson 25
2021: Alabama 31 Notre Dame 14
2021: Ohio State 49 Clemson 28
2021: Alabama 52 Ohio State 24
2022: Alabama 27 Cincinnati 6
2022: Georgia 34 scUM 11

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

That a 4 seed won doesn't mean there haven't been a bunch of uncompetitive games:

2015: Oregon 59 Florida State 20
2015: Ohio State 42 Oregon 20
2016: Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17
2016: Alabama 30 Michigan State 0
2017: Alabama 24 Washington 7
2017: NO GAME PLAYED
2018: Alabama 24 Clemson 6
2019: Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3
2019: Clemson 44 Alabama 19
2020: LSU 63 Oklahoma 28
2020: LSU 42 Clemson 25
2021: Alabama 31 Notre Dame 14
2021: Ohio State 49 Clemson 28
2021: NO GAME PLAYED
2022: Alabama 27 Cincinnati 6
2022: Georgia 34 scUM 11

FIFY. Just from my memory though.

 

[CincyInterloper]

Even when there were only 2 teams, we had uncompetitive games. Some of these were even upsets, which shows how inaccurate the selection process can be at picking the best team. BCS Championship Bowl wins by 20+ points:

2001 Miami 37, Nebraska 14

2004 USC 55, Oklahoma 19

2006 Florida 41, Ohio State 14 (Upset)

2011 Alabama 21, LSU 0 (Upset)

2012 Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14 (Upset)

I think uncompetitive games are going to be common in the post-season regardless of how we go about it configuring it.

 

[ScriptOhio]

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE. The Southeast has absolutely dominated college football the past 15 years. Only one team has dared stand against.



And in addition to that one national title, Ohio State has also lost to a team from the southeast in three more national title games giving the Buckeyes four title game appearances in 15 years. The only other team with more than one appearance is Oregon.

So, yeah. Here's a live look at Ohio State standing against The South the past 15 years:

When you really think about it, Ohio State's survived Miami's dominance and fall in the ACC, Florida's dominance in the SEC, LSU's brief run at the throne, and Clemson's rise (and probable fall) in the ACC, and Alabama's current dynasty all while consistently maintaining its status as King in the North.

Staying this good for this long is damn impressive.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...tate-stands-against-sec-and-noah-ruggles-is-a

 

[cincibuck]

Some of our fans have been reduced to "The team who beat our asses is getting their asses kicked!"

While TTUN losing is always a good thing, this phenomenon isn't really a good sign for OSU football.

Hopefully, 2022 has even better things in store for our Buckeyes.

Hmmmmmmmmm. Change in philosophy?

 

[BB73]

That a 4 seed won doesn't mean there haven't been a bunch of uncompetitive games:

2015: Oregon 59 Florida State 20
2015: Ohio State 42 Oregon 20
2016: Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17
2016: Alabama 30 Michigan State 0
2017: Alabama 24 Washington 7
2017: Clemson 31 Ohio State 0
2018: Alabama 24 Clemson 6
2019: Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3
2019: Clemson 44 Alabama 19
2020: LSU 63 Oklahoma 28
2020: LSU 42 Clemson 25
2021: Alabama 31 Notre Dame 14
2021: Ohio State 49 Clemson 28
2021: Alabama 52 Ohio State 24
2022: Alabama 27 Cincinnati 6
2022: Georgia 34 scUM 11

That’s 16 of the 24 playoff games in 8 years with a 17+ margin of victory. So only 1/3 of the games are closer than a 3-score contest.

 

[cincibuck]

Now, this is a stitch.

Where was LaRusa in 1968? Damn, I hated seeing that Cards team lose to Detroit.

 

[cincibuck]

I just had a crazy idea. What if you played all of the bowls just like it was pre bcs.
Then pick a 4 team playoff on Jan 2.
You would effectively have something where every conference champion and most of the top 10-15 teams really have a shot.
Imagine if Utah played ttun in the rose bowl with a real shot of getting in saying those early losses are ok. Or Baylor getting a swing at Bama. Cincinnati and ttun getting exposed before they took a slot. OSU, notre dama and Georgia with chances to make a statement with at large bids to a big bowl.
Almost no one in the top 15 would opt out. It’s the only way to expand access to the playoffs without killing the bowl system more. You don’t have a hard stop at 8 or 10 or 12, it’s more fluid. You get a better idea of conference strengths to help remove bias.
Damn that would be fun.

You just condemned at least three Big Ten teams to road games. Get rid of the bowls. Period. National playoffs deserve a national setting and not to be the money cow for sunbelt Chambers of Commerce.

 

[Don Muenz]

Where was LaRusa in 1968? Damn, I hated seeing that cards team lose to Detroit.

I was a soph on the soccer team that fall and let’s just say I was not far from throwing a few haymakers in that locker room.