"Whining about people whining about 'Relative Conference Strength' regards 2 playoff

[Dryden]

College football fans on every board I've visited seem to think that they're always getting the shaft and everyone else is an ass. It's really tiring.

Amen.

Like how every AP poll voter that had us ranked fifth instead of fourth this week is obviously a douche.

It has gone beyond absurd and into the territory of laughable.

 

[scooter1369]

Amen.

Like how every AP poll voter that had us ranked fifth instead of fourth this week is obviously a douche.

It has gone beyond absurd and into the territory of laughable.

Does the AP even mean anything anymore? Why would people be upset about our ranking in a completely worthless and irrelevant poll?

 

[matcar]

Does the AP even mean anything anymore? Why would people be upset about our ranking in a completely worthless and irrelevant poll?

Because it's an excuse to get upset.

On the flip side, I do understand why college football fans are the absolute worst about this...it's the system of crowning a champ. (Which I'm a defender of because I love the bowls...) But because the system doesn't crown a champ through the playing of championships and series', fans take every comment that isn't praise as a chink in their armor and a potential slight that could cause them to slip in mental polls.

This causes all this "hatred" towards other conferences (see all the SEC isn't that good and the Big EAST/ACC/B12/PAC 10/ etc suck threads). If we had a normal crowning of a champ, I believe much of this lack of respect bit would die down. I don't think it would ever go away as we always have people looking for a reason to "hate", but I think it would be reduced substantially.

All that said, the whole lack of respect bit is really played out...

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

This causes all this "hatred" towards other conferences (see all the SEC isn't that good and the Big EAST/ACC/B12/PAC 10/ etc suck threads). If we had a normal crowning of a champ, I believe much of this lack of respect bit would die down. I don't think it would ever go away as we always have people looking for a reason to "hate", but I think it would be reduced substantially.

Oh, I disagree. If there were a 4 or 8 team playoff, I think it would be much, much worse. Cries of "Shenanigans!" when the Big 10 gets 2 teams and the Big East gets just 1. Moaning about being ranked number 9 and how your favorite team that has 2 losses could win it all, but you got left out because you don't get enough respect because your conference is under-rated.

I look at all the nonsense leading up to the NCAA selection show in March and how every conference thinks their middle-of-the-pack teams deserves that last #9 seed.

Ugh. I can only imagine.

 

[sandgk]

BK - Exactly right.

 

[BrutusBobcat]

That's very insightful. College football is the only major sport where the champion isn't 100% determined on the field of play. The bile towards ESPN doesn't exist nearly to the same degree among NFL fans, NHL fans, NASCAR fans, etc. because what the talking heads say has no relevance. The winners aren't picked in a beauty pageant.

The sport would be vastly improved, and the fan bases radically civilized, by incorporating a sensible playoff. Include the winner of each BCS conference, plus some method of allowing one or two mid major reps in (or a wildcard from one of the BCS conferences) and call it a day. Keep all of the minor bowls as consolation prizes, and use the major bowls as playoff sites. Everyone gets their money, the sport is improved, and the champion is actual.

 

[Bucklion]

That's very insightful. College football is the only major sport where the champion isn't 100% determined on the field of play. The bile towards ESPN doesn't exist nearly to the same degree among NFL fans, NHL fans, NASCAR fans, etc. because what the talking heads say has no relevance. The winners aren't picked in a beauty pageant.

The sport would be vastly improved, and the fan bases radically civilized, by incorporating a sensible playoff. Include the winner of each BCS conference, plus some method of allowing one or two mid major reps in (or a wildcard from one of the BCS conferences) and call it a day. Keep all of the minor bowls as consolation prizes, and use the major bowls as playoff sites. Everyone gets their money, the sport is improved, and the champion is actual.

People have made good points here. My argument for a 16 team playoff that is against the "but there will always be controversy" argument is that if you are #17, you have absolutely no reason to bitch that you aren't playing for the NC, because you lost 2 games, and probably 3. As it is now, you have all the 1-loss teams most years staking a claim for the BCS title game. With a playoff, all of those teams are in, and a few with 2 losses and maybe even 3. If you are not in that group, STFU, because you don't deserve to be there.

 

[matcar]

Oh, I disagree. If there were a 4 or 8 team playoff, I think it would be much, much worse. Cries of "Shenanigans!" when the Big 10 gets 2 teams and the Big East gets just 1. Moaning about being ranked number 9 and how your favorite team that has 2 losses could win it all, but you got left out because you don't get enough respect because your conference is under-rated.

I look at all the nonsense leading up to the NCAA selection show in March and how every conference thinks their middle-of-the-pack teams deserves that last #9 seed.

Ugh. I can only imagine.

The only reason you disagree is that you're cutting the field way too short in your playoff scenario. I agree, you couldn't have 4 or 8 teams either. You'd have to have a third of the teams involved (like professional sports do) and clear, defined means of determining the teams (once again, as pro sports do). There is much less bitching about who's best when your ability to be in the playoffs is determined in that fashion. But, that's not how the system is set up since there are appox 120 teams. Not necessarily feasible. And then there are idiot buffoon bowl diehards like myself who like the system as it is...

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I love Spurrier and wish more coaches were like him.

Not afraid to hurt someone's feelings.

:topic:

The only reason you disagree is that you're cutting the field way too short in your playoff scenario. I agree, you couldn't have 4 or 8 teams either. You'd have to have a third of the teams involved (like professional sports do) and clear, defined means of determining the teams (once again, as pro sports do). There is much less bitching about who's best when your ability to be in the playoffs is determined in that fashion. But, that's not how the system is set up since there are appox 120 teams. Not necessarily feasible. And then there are idiot buffoon bowl diehards like myself who like the system as it is...

But with 64 in the basketball field (33 at-large) you'd think that there wouldn't be too much whinging there, either, but there always is. I agree that the amount of belly-aching will decrease as the number of teams in a playoff increases, but, regardless of number of teams, I'm not sure the amount of bitching will be any less than it is now.

 

[BB73]

:topic:

Right. How dare he make a comment about Spurrier in a thread with the coach's name as the title, and divert the conversation away from the 1000th duscussion of a playoff system in a BP thread.

Fuckin' Thump. Always hijackin' threads and shit.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Fuckin' Thump. Always hijackin' threads and shit.

Exactly!

Although, it wasn't really a playoff discussion, it was really more of a:
"Whining about people whining about 'Relative Conference Strength' and how that whining becomes more or less relevant in the context of a playoff system" type of discussion. Please direct me to THAT conversation. :p

 

[BB73]

I had to shorthen the thread title a little. :tongue2:

 

[BB73]

Some folks are never satisfied. Here you go.

bp.thread

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I had to shorthen the thread title a little. :tongue2:

Nice thread split, you fuckin' elitist!

 

[matcar]

:topic:



But with 64 in the basketball field (33 at-large) you'd think that there wouldn't be too much whinging there, either, but there always is. I agree that the amount of belly-aching will decrease as the number of teams in a playoff increases, but, regardless of number of teams, I'm not sure the amount of bitching will be any less than it is now.

Dunno how you can say that when the bitching associated with college basketball isn't even remotely in the neighborhood of football. Yeah, there are a few whiners about not getting a #9 seed, but the complaining is miniscule compared to the bitching and 'ain't gettin no respect' whining that occurs in football....in July. Much less what continues to go on all the way through January. It's not even close. Yeah, there's always SOME belly-aching simply because in college sports, there are SO many teams, but the whole thing would be reduced massively with a large scale playoff (which obviously isn't feasible.) And yeah, this needs to be split from the Ol Ball Coach thread. Poor Spurrier, this thread getting thrashed by this crap.