The Annual College Football Playoff Post

lukekohler.com: Latest post

Since I began my career in the sports media covering the Arizona State Sun Devils on the radio in Phoenix, I’ve been as big a proponent of a college football playoff as anyone in the country. In my efforts to get this implemented, I drew up a college football playoff scenario that I still think is flawless.

The results of this playoff scheme would be more interest, more money and most importantly, a true champion. I would love to hear a rebuttal from anyone at the BCS or the sponsors that actually make the decisions for the BCS, but I’ve never had that luxury.

I have written about the idea more in-depth before, as well as with a summary of criteria, and I have also updated with recent season’s playoff trees to see it in action.

Now that President-elect Obama is behind a playoff, I can only hope that someone on his staff will get this in his hands. Politics aside, I would gladly serve this nation his Secretary of College Football Playoffs. If this isn’t “change we can believe in,” then I don’t know what he plans to do for the next four years. What’s his other line, “yes we can”? Well, Mr. President-elect — yes I can provide change we can believe in in college football.

Here, I will provide a summary once again of my genius plan, and once again, I invite anyone to find where it won’t work.

If you try to tell me that it takes away from the best regular season in sports, don’t bother because I already know you’re an idiot if you believe that. College football’s regular season is arguably the worst in all of sports, due to the fact that you don’t control your own destiny, no matter how good you are, and losses at different times of the year have different weight and value. It’s the most ridiculous idea ever to believe that college football has the best regular season in sports.

Here is my copy-and-paste of the bullet points I outlined in my original writing. As always, I challenge anyone to tell me where it won’t work.

REGULAR SEASON FORMAT

  • 12 Game Maximum Schedules
  • All teams must finish regular season play by the Saturday after Thanksgiving. In 2007, that makes for 14 Saturdays from September 1 to December 1
  • Any conference championship game must be played within this time frame as well, even if that means cutting the regular season schedule to 11. This would be up to each conference. They could also choose to scrap the conference title game and determine a winner through standings.
  • To be bowl-eligible, you must have at least six wins vs. I-A opponents
  • To be eligible for the National Championship, you must have at least nine wins vs. I-A opponents (can include conference championship, if applicable)

POSTSEASON FORMAT

  • 16 teams in playoff to play in National Championship Playoff
  • 16 teams in Second Tier Tournament similar to college basketball’s NIT
  • 32 teams in 16 Bowl Games to reward players and schools and to keep small bowl-hosting cities in the mix
  • Total of 64 teams in postseason (64 in 2006-07)
  • Total of 48 postseason games (32 in 2006-07)
  • Same number of teams in postseason, with 16 additional games.

Teams to play in National Championship Playoff

  • Six major conference champions (must be ranked in BCS top 20)
  • Any other conference champions ranked in BCS top 20
  • Independents must be ranked in the Top 20 for consideration, top 15 for guaranteed entry
  • At-large bids based on BCS standings and an expert committee
  • No more than three teams per conference
  • Winner of previous year’s Second Tier Tournament, if in top 20 or nine I-A wins

Teams to play in second tier tournament

  • All other conference champions
  • At-large bids based on expert committee

Teams to play in Bowl games

  • Teams not selected in either tournament will be allowed to accept any invitations they wish from any Bowl. Individual bowls may choose to keep their current affiliations.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF FORMAT

  • 16 teams in a single elimination tournament
  • Seeding based on final BCS standings
  • All first round games are at home field of higher seeded team
  • Second round games are at neutral site
  • Semi-Final games are at a neutral site
  • National Championship game at a neutral site
  • Neutral site games are a rotation of major BCS and other bowls
  • Total of seven neutral site games to be at currently existing bowl sites

SECOND TIER TOURNAMENT FORMAT

  • Winner of tournament can get into National Championship tournament the following year with a top 20 BCS finish, or nine Division-I victories.
  • 16 teams in a single elimination tournament
  • Seeding done by expert committee
  • First and second round games at home field of higher seeded team
  • Semi-Final and Championship game at neutral site
  • Neutral site games are at currently existing bowl sites

BOWL GAMES

  • All bowls to be played as they previously have in the past
  • Single game format only

As you can clearly see, my plan is perfect. Not only do you not lose a single game from the college football postseason, the number of important games is increased. More important games means higher ratings. Higher ratings means more advertising and sponsors. More advertisers and sponsors means more money. More money for everyone makes everyone behind the scenes happy. Better football games and a proper end to the season means the fans and players are happy.

If you want what is best for college football, pass this along to anyone that cares. Email it, link it, Digg it — whatever it is that you kids do these days on the Interwebs to share information.

Together, we can save college football.

Discussion

No comments for “The Annual College Football Playoff Post”

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.