College Playoffs - Did they get it right?

[Dave Gray]

I think ultimately they did, but they had to "make two wrongs" to make a right.

TCU should've never been ranked as high as they were and especially should've never been ranked over Baylor, since they lost head to head.  If games are supposed to be decided on the field and Baylor beat them, you're over-thinking it to have TCU ahead.

But now, from TCU's perspective, they dropped 2 spots after beating a team by 50.  So, I get why they'd feel screwed.

The fact that they don't have a conference championship game is their problem and needs to be fixed.

FSU needed to be in the top 4, at any cost, whether they're a top 4 team or not.  Otherwise, the whole thing is a sham.  I don't care where they're ranked in the 4, so long as they're in.

So, I think they got it right.  OSU probably sucks since the Big 10 blows, but it's a major conference and they had a strong showing.

The real solution is to move to 8 teams.

[Phishfan]

I don't feel they got it right. I think TCU should have been in the mix. I do not buy into this head to head thing with Baylor. Granted they did win head to head but that game was in October and the score was close in a shootout 61-58. I keep hearing the talking heads saying the goal is to find the best 4 teams right now. Well, if TCU was one of the best 4 last week, how does beating a team by roughly 50 make you lose that ranking? If you want to say Baylor was there over TCU all along, OK. That is an argument you could strongly make. The argument that took them out is not a valid one, at least for me.

[Dave Gray]

I just don't think TCU has a case.  They lost head-to-head against another team with the same record.  And they don't have a conference championship under their belt.

[Phishfan]

Their case should be a strong one. They were there one week, beat a team by 50, and then got dropped. They do have a championship, just not a game. Alabama lost to a three loss team. Again, it is a silly argument if you ask me (unless the argument is TCU should not have been there but they were). They lost in October. That loss has no effect on where they were when they were dropped from the #3 slot. Being in the mix and losing your position by beating a team by 50 just shows the incompetence of this system.

[Dave Gray]

That loss has no effect on where they were when they were dropped from the #3 slot. Being in the mix and losing your position by beating a team by 50 just shows the incompetence of this system.

Agreed.  I think the real mistake was bumping TCU up a few weeks ago.  So, they had to do something dumb to correct it.  Ultimately, they got to the right teams in, but had to flub and backtrack to get it there.

[MikeO]

Big 12 Conference was arrogant enough to think they don't need to add 2 more teams and a conference championship game. Well, they got smacked with reality yesterday.

They better get in line with the SEC, ACC, Big10, Pac12 if you want to be in the conversation with them at the end of the day.  The other 3 schools won their divisions, went to a conference championship game and won that game. Baylor and TCU didn't...nuff said!

There is a rumor that the Big 12 now wants to add Cincy and Memphis to get to 12 and to have a conference championship game. That's good...but no sympathy for this year. They waited too long and it cost them big-time!

[Phishfan]

The thing is, the teams in the Big 12 overall are better than the ACC and the Big10. I agree not having a championship game cost them but they are definitely a stronger conference than a couple who have championship games.

[MikeO]

The thing is, the teams in the Big 12 overall are better than the ACC and the Big10. I agree not having a championship game cost them but they are definitely a stronger conference than a couple who have championship games.

Yep! They need to add 2 more teams. Split them up into divisions. Have a conference championship game. And PROVE it.

Otherwise its a mickey mouse conference that is looked down upon and treated as 2nd class because they don't run their conference like every other major conference. Hell even the Mountain West has a conference championship game!

[Brian Fein]

I think the playoffs should be more concretely defined...

I think they should somehow whittle it down to 8 conferences, and then have the regular season be all about conference play.  Of course TV would hate this because things like UF/FSU would never happen.  Then each conference should determine a "conference champion" by mid-December.  The playoffs would then be a 8-team playoff of the 8 conference champions.

I can't really enjoy college football because of the arbitrary ranking system.  Any sport where the fate of the championship is determined by guys sitting in a room and voting on something seems completely random and potentially biased.  I would like it to be more concrete and indisputable.

[Phishfan]

There is a gaping problem with that plan Brian, there are not 8 conferences strong enough to have a team in contention for a national title. Sure there may be the squeaker that gets into consideration every couple years but outside the top 5 conferences you are really struggling to find top tier teams capable of being in a championship conversation.

[MikeO]

I think the playoffs should be more concretely defined...

I think they should somehow whittle it down to 8 conferences, and then have the regular season be all about conference play.  Of course TV would hate this because things like UF/FSU would never happen.  Then each conference should determine a "conference champion" by mid-December.  The playoffs would then be a 8-team playoff of the 8 conference champions.

I can't really enjoy college football because of the arbitrary ranking system.  Any sport where the fate of the championship is determined by guys sitting in a room and voting on something seems completely random and potentially biased.  I would like it to be more concrete and indisputable.

8 conferences? A million reasons why that won't happen.They hardly have enough teams to have 5 solid conferences. 8.. No way! Where are these other 3 conferences coming from? You cant use the Mountain West, Conference USA, or the AAC....those schools just don't belong with the big boys. Football isn't basketball. Basketball takes a small budget to run a program you are talking like 3 coaches and 10 or 12 guys on a team. You can have a 90 team tournament and it would be fine. Running a football program is like running a small country. With the medical insurance, the huge coaching staff, the travel arrangements, the number of players on a roster, the number of hotel rooms you need to book for travel, the marching band travel costs. Most football programs operate in the red every year and lose money. There are schools in the Power 5 conferences that can hardly keep up with their conference mates financially. To now add 3 more conferences who would be operating a football program on 1/8th or 1/10th of the cost of schools in the ACC, Big 10...etc and having the likes of a  North Texas or a Florida Atlantic win their conference and in the final 8 playoff  along side an Alabama, Oregon, Florida St, Oklahoma..etc would be embarrassing on every level.  

[Spider-Dan]

The CFP is designed to favor conference champions.  Big 12 thought this would not be an issue for them, but got smacked in the face with TCU and Baylor in the first CFP season.  Since neither TCU nor Baylor won the Big 12 outright, OSU jumped them.

The most hilarious part of it all was the Big 12's hopscotching in an attempt to game the system.  By conference rule, Baylor should have been the Big 12 champion, since they had the same conference record as TCU but had the head-to-head win.  However, TCU was ranked higher than Baylor, and was a more likely candidate to be selected for the CFP.

So in an effort to get their highest-ranked team into the playoff, a week before the end of the regular season the Big 12 announced that they would be ignoring Baylor's head-to-head win and declaring TCU and Baylor "co-champions"...

...but only if either team was ranked in the top 4.

That's right: the Big 12 publicly stated that they would be ignoring their existing rules for determining a conference champion if and only if ignoring those rules increased the odds of putting a team in the playoff.

It's shameless, man.

[Brian Fein]

8 conferences? A million reasons why that won't happen.They hardly have enough teams to have 5 solid conferences. 8.. No way! Where are these other 3 conferences coming from? You cant use the Mountain West, Conference USA, or the AAC....those schools just don't belong with the big boys. Football isn't basketball. Basketball takes a small budget to run a program you are talking like 3 coaches and 10 or 12 guys on a team. You can have a 90 team tournament and it would be fine. Running a football program is like running a small country. With the medical insurance, the huge coaching staff, the travel arrangements, the number of players on a roster, the number of hotel rooms you need to book for travel, the marching band travel costs. Most football programs operate in the red every year and lose money. There are schools in the Power 5 conferences that can hardly keep up with their conference mates financially. To now add 3 more conferences who would be operating a football program on 1/8th or 1/10th of the cost of schools in the ACC, Big 10...etc and having the likes of a  North Texas or a Florida Atlantic win their conference and in the final 8 playoff  along side an Alabama, Oregon, Florida St, Oklahoma..etc would be embarrassing on every level.  

You HAVE to include these teams, otherwise its like saying "you random schools will never be good enough to compete in college football.  May as well fold up your programs now."

They can fill out the bottom of a 10-12 team conference, and if they compete within the conference then they deserve the recognition.  If not, then so be it... get better next year.  You don't think you can round up 80-90 college football teams?  Of course you can.  You can't just make conferences like the SEC, full of all great teams every year, because today's good teams might suck in 5 years, and vice-versa.

[Phishfan]

The CFP is designed to favor conference champions.  Big 12 thought this would not be an issue for them, but got smacked in the face with TCU and Baylor in the first CFP season.  Since neither TCU nor Baylor won the Big 12 outright, OSU jumped them.

The most hilarious part of it all was the Big 12's hopscotching in an attempt to game the system.  By conference rule, Baylor should have been the Big 12 champion, since they had the same conference record as TCU but had the head-to-head win.  However, TCU was ranked higher than Baylor, and was a more likely candidate to be selected for the CFP.

So in an effort to get their highest-ranked team into the playoff, a week before the end of the regular season the Big 12 announced that they would be ignoring Baylor's head-to-head win and declaring TCU and Baylor "co-champions"...

...but only if either team was ranked in the top 4.

That's right: the Big 12 publicly stated that they would be ignoring their existing rules for determining a conference champion if and only if ignoring those rules increased the odds of putting a team in the playoff.

It's shameless, man.

I'm not sure how it is written in the bylaws but this is not the first shared championship since the Big 12 dropped to 10 teams so there is precedence. I don't care to research any further but just want to point out that co-champions may already be accounted for because it has already happened.

[MikeO]

You HAVE to include these teams, otherwise its like saying "you random schools will never be good enough to compete in college football.  May as well fold up your programs now."

They don't HAVE to do anything...lol. And guess what they aren't! You can round up 80-90 football teams but they aren't equal or close to being equal. Football isn't basketball. A football program needs a huge budget and small schools, private schools, don't have that money. Ohio St, Oregon, Oklahoma St, Alabama, Michigan.....they can print money. Unlimited funds to run a football program. The list of schools like that is so small. You can run a football program without the "need" to be in the playoff or playing the SEC in bowl games. You just have to be playing other like-sized schools on similar budgets. Does that mean no shot at a National Title....YES! That doesn't mean its the end of the world.

Oh, and UAB did fold up their program the other day. It happens! http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/wire/us/article_cf4fe06e-7cb6-11e4-94a6-e3b4b280c641.html

 You can't just make conferences like the SEC, full of all great teams every year, because today's good teams might suck in 5 years, and vice-versa.

Are you advocating the SEC (and other conferences) throw out some schools and replace them with bad schools? LMFAO!!! Yeah that's gonna happen.