College Playoff

[Gatorubet]

Maybe I'm going too philosophical here, but does anyone else ever think that the immediate and macroscopic nature of our society, something that has evolved over the last few decades, contributes to our desire to find "perfect" solutions to imperfect problems and inhibits us from being content with simply making the best of what we've got?

While I repped Sloop when I read it, I neglected to add publicly that I thought his comment was spot on and applicable to a wide number of topics.

 

[Muck]

I'd argue a top-4 would be more useful barometer of the best team than an overly inclusive format like a conference tournament or the ridiculously accessible NCAA tournament.

This is pretty much where I stand.

My preference has long been to go back to the old bowl system & then tack a +1 on the end.

A 16 (or more) team tournament holds absolutely no interest for me at all.

 

[zincfinger]

Maybe I'm going too philosophical here, but does anyone else ever think that the immediate and macroscopic nature of our society, something that has evolved over the last few decades, contributes to our desire to find "perfect" solutions to imperfect problems and inhibits us from being content with simply making the best of what we've got?

Maybe in part, but notions like "the perfect as the enemy of the good" go back a lot farther than a few decades, and aren't novel to our society. People have been destructively pursuing various unrealistic (or even undesirable) ideals across the depth and breadth of human history. I'd agree that the quest for a college football playoff is an example of that, but it's minor, and the principle is not unique to our time or society.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Denard Robinson doesn't tie his shoes.

fify

 

[SloopyHangOn]

Maybe in part, but notions like "the perfect as the enemy of the good" go back a lot farther than a few decades, and aren't novel to our society. People have been destructively pursuing various unrealistic (or even undesirable) ideals across the depth and breadth of human history. I'd agree that the quest for a college football playoff is an example of that, but it's minor, and the principle is not unique to our time or society.

What's your point?

The notion isn't the culprit, it's the practice. Wasn't it Voltaire who also said something along the lines of "let us work without theorizing, as it is the only way to endure this life"? The availability of information in the internet age has crippled us (society as a whole) in the area of problem solving and emboldened us in the area of "know-it-alling". Your response, as an example, is less about my point, that there may be value in embracing a compromise rather than pursuing perfection, and more about how that idea is not new or a solution to the issue.

It wasn't meant to be. I assumed my use of words like "evolved" and "contribute" made that clear. :ohwell:

A lot of the "points" in this thread are based upon statistics, which in many instances provide the levelest of playing fields, but in this case can be tooled with to elicit a justifiable result either way. That's just a single example of how Occam's Razor may be partially in effect here.

 

[BUCKYLE]

What's your point?

The notion isn't the culprit, it's the practice. Wasn't it Voltaire who also said something along the lines of "let us work without theorizing, as it is the only way to endure this life"? The availability of information in the internet age has crippled us (society as a whole) in the area of problem solving and emboldened us in the area of "know-it-alling". Your response, as an example, is less about my point, that there may be value in embracing a compromise rather than pursuing perfection, and more about how that idea is not new or a solution to the issue.

It wasn't meant to be. I assumed my use of words like "evolved" and "contribute" made that clear. :ohwell:

A lot of the "points" in this thread are based upon statistics, which in many instances provide the levelest of playing fields, but in this case can be tooled with to elicit a justifiable result either way. That's just a single example of how Occam's Razor may be partially in effect here.

So...in summation..."haters gonna hate"? That's what I been done said.

 

[zincfinger]

What's your point?

The notion isn't the culprit, it's the practice. Wasn't it Voltaire who also said something along the lines of "let us work without theorizing, as it is the only way to endure this life"? The availability of information in the internet age has crippled us (society as a whole) in the area of problem solving and emboldened us in the area of "know-it-alling". Your response, as an example, is less about my point, that there may be value in embracing a compromise rather than pursuing perfection, and more about how that idea is not new or a solution to the issue.

It wasn't meant to be. I assumed my use of words like "evolved" and "contribute" made that clear. :ohwell:

A lot of the "points" in this thread are based upon statistics, which in many instances provide the levelest of playing fields, but in this case can be tooled with to elicit a justifiable result either way. That's just a single example of how Occam's Razor may be partially in effect here.

I thought my point was fairly clear. The inclination to destructively "fix" some modest situation is far older than would be implied by a decorative description such as "the immediate and macroscopic nature of our society".

 

[SloopyHangOn]

I thought my point was fairly clear. The inclination to destructively "fix" some modest situation is far older than would be implied by a decorative description such as "the immediate and macroscopic nature of our society".

So, like I said, your point is that you have no point.

Fair enough.

 

[jayamazin]

I don't get why people don't see why a playoff system will heightened the importance of the regular season. I think it will only make the regular season more intriguing because teams will be jockying for position. I think that it will make the college game more competitive like the NFL when it comes to parity. It will create a lot more matchups against teams that you'll never get to see paired up against. I think the bowl system can still be factored into the playoff system where you can still rotate the championship game among the 4 major bowl games and leaving the other 3 thats leve for earlier rounds. I can see that happening.

 

[SloopyHangOn]

I don't get why people don't see why a playoff system will heightened the importance of the regular season. I think it will only make the regular season more intriguing because teams will be jockying for position. I think that it will make the college game more competitive like the NFL when it comes to parity. It will create a lot more matchups against teams that you'll never get to see paired up against. I think the bowl system can still be factored into the playoff system where you can still rotate the championship game among the 4 major bowl games and leaving the other 3 thats leve for earlier rounds. I can see that happening.

Boils down to fans who like things the way they are and peddlers who like their paychecks the way they have been.

 

[Bucknut24]

This is pretty much where I stand.

My preference has long been to go back to the old bowl system & then tack a +1 on the end.

A 16 (or more) team tournament holds absolutely no interest for me at all.

not really sure how that would make it that much better, you're still asking a system to pick 2 teams that you think would be best...sure in some seasons you may get lucky where you 2 obvious ones after a bowl season (same with the current) but i think that way it could only make it a biggest clusterfuck....

i think you gotta go either 8 (with homefield adv for first 2 games) or just a 4 team

 

[Saw31]

Congratulations to your 2011 NCAA basketball National Champion, University of Connecticut Huskies with a 9-9 Big East conference record and 9th place finish.


"Regular season - Feel it, baby!"

 

[Buckeye86]

Congratulations to your 2011 NCAA basketball National Champion, University of Connecticut Huskies with a 9-9 Big East conference record and 9th place finish.


"Regular season - Feel it, baby!"

I had a thought during this year's basketball tournament: I would rather guarantee good (or at least interesting) match ups in bowl games by selecting the two teams artificially than throwing sixteen teams (or whatever) together and hoping for good games to occur organically.

Maybe I am wrong, but VCU versus Butler had to be one of the least interesting, least watched final four game in a long time. Cinderella's are fun, but only if they are playing a juggernaught that everyone can root against.

I guess the bottom line is that I am just not that interested in a bunch of shitty teams from the WAC or MWC going undefeated and crashing a playoff system and creating a bunch of uninteresting match ups. I just DO NOT give a fuck about those teams playing in important bowl games, particularly when it is well established that they game the system to get in in the first place.

 

[jwinslow]

I don't get why people don't see why a playoff system will heightened the importance of the regular season.

Because losing now can cost your team everything, hence every game means everything. With a playoff system, not only might that loss not matter, but you could sneak into the playoffs with losing over 25% of your games (if a 16 team field is ued).

It greatly reduces the consequences, excitement and importance of the games with a 16 tm playoff bracket behind it.

I think it will only make the regular season more intriguing because teams will be jockying for position.

Teams aren't magically going to start playing harder because they're in the title hunt.

Actually, I'd argue that a team like Ohio State could sleepwalk through a game like Purdue and know they are still in the title hunt afterwards.

I think that it will make the college game more competitive like the NFL when it comes to parity.

The NFL is competitive because of the salary cap, disposable contracts and results based draft positioning.

Iowa, Boise St, Rutgers, West Virginia will still be second-class teams because of the disparity in talent. There is no draft to help them with their lesser recruiting.

It will create a lot more matchups against teams that you'll never get to see paired up against.

That depends. An 8 team playoff would be like the current system. A 16 team playoff could do this, but would also reward a lot of mediocrity.

I think the bowl system can still be factored into the playoff system where you can still rotate the championship game among the 4 major bowl games and leaving the other 3 thats leve for earlier rounds. I can see that happening.

are you proposing an 8 team field? I've always been a fan of this (though I think 4 is a better cutoff for "elite"), and it would help protect the importance and talent of the other bowl games. If CFB stretched to 16, it would cripple the prestige and rankings of the teams invited to the non-playoff bowls.

 

[matcar]

Because losing now can cost your team everything, hence every game means everything. With a playoff system, not only might that loss not matter, but you could sneak into the playoffs with losing over 25% of your games (if a 16 team field is ued).

It greatly reduces the consequences, excitement and importance of the games with a 16 tm playoff bracket behind it.
Teams aren't magically going to start playing harder because they're in the title hunt.

Actually, I'd argue that a team like Ohio State could sleepwalk through a game like Purdue and know they are still in the title hunt afterwards.
The NFL is competitive because of the salary cap, disposable contracts and results based draft positioning.

Iowa, Boise St, Rutgers, West Virginia will still be second-class teams because of the disparity in talent. There is no draft to help them with their lesser recruiting.
That depends. An 8 team playoff would be like the current system. A 16 team playoff could do this, but would also reward a lot of mediocrity.
are you proposing an 8 team field? I've always been a fan of this (though I think 4 is a better cutoff for "elite"), and it would help protect the importance and talent of the other bowl games. If CFB stretched to 16, it would cripple the prestige and rankings of the teams invited to the non-playoff bowls.

I'm just a curmudgeon I guess because I hate the thought of losing what I love about the bowls and also the loss of the valuable regular season...starting with that first game in early Sept. Having said that, if a playoff HAD to happen...4 teams would make it pretty darn elite. I could accept that MUCH easier than 8 or 16.