College Sports (Football)
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
fantastic reference
But he's right. That's where it's evolving and $$ and fan interest is up.
we all know it’s going to happen this way . 24 or 32 teams
they do it this way in every other NCAA division
Let me add - top teams can afford to lose two to three games and they'll still make the playoffs. Hence, better OOC games.
Underwood likes to build an excellent schedule because he doesn't have to worry about winning every game to make the tournament.
simply because a large contingent of fans want to keep the CFP at 12 or 16
for many reasons , mostly money , expansion to 24 or 32 is inevitable
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
At what point do we as a society wake up and take stock of what this attitude has and will continue to cost us?
the toothpaste is outta the tube
I listened to Patrick McEnroe today on a podcast . 80% of the collegiate tennis players that are in the tournament are euro guys - mostly aged 22-25. the americans that are any “good” are few abd far between and few are playing 1 & 2 singles or 1 doubles at the traditionally strong programs .
I don’t like the emphasis on money but it’s going to be tough getting the horses back into the barn
It really comes down as a fan whether you get more enjoyment from the bowl game experience or would you rather have a 1st round playoff game like FCS has on your own campus or at an opponent.
I really don’t think any teams outside the top 8 at best have a shot at the national title so are early playoff rounds for those lesser teams more fun than bowl games?
I really don’t think any teams outside the top 8 at best have a shot at the national title so are early playoff rounds for those lesser teams more fun than bowl games?
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
I have a feeling you turned 35 at 15
A 24/32 team playoff has downsides, sure. Bowls become even more meaningless than they already are and maybe even obsolete.
That sucks.
But, there’s upsides too.
1. Illinois. Yes, that Illinois. Would have made the playoffs two years ago. The level of joy I would personally have by watching Illinois football play in the playoffs, even if we got smoke by 20, would dwarf every bowl game since the Rose Bowl.
2. And it’s not just Illinois. 40-50 teams each year will have a realistic shot of making the playoffs. That adds significance and meaning to an extra hundred regular season games.
3. Is Texas vs Ohio St as valuable? Not quite. Because it doesn’t impact whether or not they’ll make the playoffs. But, at least they’ll continue to play the game! As it stands now, the incentive to play big games like that has been eroded because there’s too much risk in a loss.
4. It’ll add parity to college football. The more teams that have a realistic shot of making the playoffs, the more teams that are able to recruit based on that. You don’t have to go to Ohio State to play in the playoffs, kids.
Again, there are downsides. It’s not perfect. But I think there are enough upsides to justify it.
Yes, top players will actually play instead of opting out.
Miami was a #10 seed and the only team to give the basketball school a game.
High school, too.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Brother, if you knew me you would know that this could not be more true.
But my whole spiel on this really kinda comes down to two core points
1. College football's deep roots of fan passion grew out of a specific and unique (and, frankly, weird) ecosystem of conferences and rivalries and regions and the rhythm of the season that was unlike anything else. It is not just individually wrapped modular relationships between one fan and one team that can be rearranged like legos.
2. The American Big Four pro sports model, constructed around a long regular season to gain entry into an expansive playoff for the single national championship that is understood to be the only thing that matters and the only result every team should be seeking, just actually kinda sucks, and those leagues are revenue monsters of the global sports industry DESPITE the competition format, not BECAUSE of it.
Battle89
- Cary-Grove, the better Trojan team
Love the DA attachment (it is brilliant and reminds me of the old George Carlin bit - anyone driving slower than you is an idiot and anyone driving faster is a maniac), but could not disagree more with your #1.
The happiness from the last two bowl wins, plus the good feeling carryover well into the offseason, was huge. Would it have been the same with minor bowl wins if we were a 6-6 or 7-5 team? No, but we are speaking of actuals here and then neither would we be sniffing a playoff with those records.
The idea that some three-touchdown loss to finish the season, just so we could say we were the 20th-best (or wherever) team in a 24-team playoff, would make people feel better, is just crazy to me.