College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams

#26      

Mr. Tibbs

southeast DuPage
I'm all in favor of a tournament of 16 teams, let all the teams ranked 1-8 play at home the first round before Christmas break, and the next 3 weekends can be the quarterfinals, semi finals and champioinship game. 13 games that will dominate TV that time of year, right before the NFL starts its playoffs.

will anyone ranked below 6 ever advance to the championship ? probably not, but so what. This is what we are moving towards with TV media calling the shots.

Embrace the change, fighting it wont help
 
#27      

lstewart53x3

Scottsdale, Arizona
In theory, doesn’t this have the possibility of increasing parity?

At the moment, only a handful of teams have the opportunity to make the playoffs each year and they’re able to recruit to that.

If there’s now 25-30 teams each year in the running for the playoffs, more teams have the opportunity to recruit to that.
 
#28      
No matter how big the tournament gets the top 5 seeds will win the overwhelming majority of the time which is also the case in March madness and absolutely no one has an issue with that. The first time a 12 seed sunbelt team pulls an upset and goes to a semifinal people will lose there !!!!, even if they end up getting blown out. I can't imagine that 2007 Fiesta bowl if boise st was playing Oklahoma in the 1st or 2nd round of a CFP instead of an exhibition game. I'm just in it for the chaos at this point.
 
#29      
Conference championships completely lose relevance. A two-loss SEC, B1G, or ACC team gets in. Dilutes the field.

College football isn't March Madness.


There are enough of us willing to pay for such events.

Sports has become a drug. And, an excuse.
 
#31      
This takes the pressure off being undefeated to be a national champion this might mean more meaningful non conference games

Plus bowl games are meaningless for draft prospects not competing for a championship

Also a 12 seed could get a couple upsets and really mess things up
A 12 seed could be a really good 2-3 loss team that’s been been competitive but lost tough games. The type of team that could beat anybody.
 
#32      
A 12 seed could be a really good 2-3 loss team that’s been been competitive but lost tough games. The type of team that could beat anybody.

Last year’s 12-seed likely would have been 12-2 ACC champ Pittsuburgh. They would have played 5-seed 11-1 Notre Dame to play #4 seed 13-0 Cincinnati.

Those would have been some fun games.
 
#33      
Last year’s 12-seed likely would have been 12-2 ACC champ Pittsuburgh. They would have played 5-seed 11-1 Notre Dame to play #4 seed 13-0 Cincinnati.

Those would have been some fun games.

The other first round matchups based on last year's rankings would have been #11 Utah at #6 Ohio State (which is what we got in Rose Bowl anyway) with the winner to face #3 Georgia. #10 Michigan State at #7 Baylor with the winner to face #2 Michigan. And #9 Oklahoma State at #8 Ole Miss with the winner to face #1 Alabama.

Based on last season's bowl rotations, you likely would have Alabama's quarterfinal in the Sugar Bowl with Georgia's quarterfinal in the Peach Bowl (though I could see these two being flip flopped). Michigan would take the Rose Bowl in that scenario I would imagine with the Cincinnati quarterfinal being at the Fiesta Bowl.
 
#34      
Put me in the camp that's excited for this. Lots of reasons to like it:

I think teams will fight HARD for seeding. Conference championships will still matter.
1 loss teams won't need to sweat as much, and I think that's better for the teams
More prizes (a bid) for teams that are outside that top-4
More meaningful games similar to March Madness
A lot fairer to teams outside the power conferences
Might even be fairer to 2nd/3rd teams in the power 2.
We're going to see upsets in a longer playoff format, and I think that makes the playoff more exciting.
Every team will have a chance. Shouldn't be any undefeated cinderella left out.
 
#37      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
did the DIA save that inflatable dome from the 1980's-1990's so we can use it again if ever needed in a December playoff game we might host ? :)

or did we sell it to Rice ?
1662564965382.png
Props on that old-school reference. Loved that inflatable dome over the MS field. Used to look out my dorm windows in Snyder and Scott Halls at that bubble every day during the mid-'80s winters.

BTW, I looked at that photo and scratched my head. I've been past there many times. That's Columbia University's soccer stadium at the top of Manhattan on the Harlem River in NYC.
 
#38      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Props on that old-school reference. Loved that inflatable dome over the MS field. Used to look out my dorm windows in Snyder and Scott Halls at that bubble every day during the mid-'80s winters.
I can't remember why, but I played in a softball game in the bubble. It seems like the IM Flag Football championship game was in there as well.
 
#39      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
I can't remember why, but I played in a softball game in the bubble. It seems like the IM Flag Football championship game was in there as well.
I vaguely recall going inside a couple times but I don't believe it was for IM games. Would have been cool actually to play flag football or softball in there.
 
#40      
Put me in the camp that's excited for this. Lots of reasons to like it:

I think teams will fight HARD for seeding. Conference championships will still matter.
1 loss teams won't need to sweat as much, and I think that's better for the teams
More prizes (a bid) for teams that are outside that top-4
More meaningful games similar to March Madness
A lot fairer to teams outside the power conferences
Might even be fairer to 2nd/3rd teams in the power 2.
We're going to see upsets in a longer playoff format, and I think that makes the playoff more exciting.
Every team will have a chance. Shouldn't be any undefeated cinderella left out.
If the expanded format were really just un-screwing the bowl tie-ins to create genuinely competitive match-ups in existing bowls, and have them played in a coordinated timeline so they can call it a playoff, I would actually be on board with that. I have never liked allowing higher ranked teams to host games, however, and think all playoff games should be held in truly neutral sites. Not LSU in the Sugar Bowl version of 'neutral', for example.

I feel like a couple of times OSU made the title game, their star player went down in Q1, and they weren't nearly as competitive without him. That's why I don't think a CFP should add games to the schedule. The risk of injuries to players on the brink of going pro is real, so will the CFP provide insurance against lost future wages for anyone injured in the games? Because I would think some first rounders will sit out CFP games to avoid that risk and enter the draft healthy. That will give plenty of fans reason to argue why their team shoulda/woulda/coulda won if only XYZ had played. They'll never be happy, no matter the format.
 
#41      
I would think some first rounders will sit out CFP games to avoid that risk and enter the draft healthy.

Doesn't that already happen? Seems like it's not a huge issue currently, but if the playoffs are long, maybe it changes things. I think a lot of guys are still hoping to perform well and improve their stock.
 
#42      

BZuppke

Plainfield
I’ve never liked a playoff. Takes away the uniqueness of college football. Face it - a team like Illinois has almost no shot at winning a National title again. With the bowls and conference tie in we had a chance. Plus with the bowls, half of the teams end their season with a win.

Count me out.
 
#43      
I’ve never liked a playoff. Takes away the uniqueness of college football. Face it - a team like Illinois has almost no shot at winning a National title again. With the bowls and conference tie in we had a chance. Plus with the bowls, half of the teams end their season with a win.

Count me out.
With Bama and Georgia they have no shot at winning a title again no matter what the format is
 
#44      
I’ve never liked a playoff. Takes away the uniqueness of college football. Face it - a team like Illinois has almost no shot at winning a National title again. With the bowls and conference tie in we had a chance. Plus with the bowls, half of the teams end their season with a win.

Count me out.
Is the expanded CFP killing off the non-related bowl games too?
 
#46      
With Bama and Georgia they have no shot at winning a title again no matter what the format is
It's been 70 years, why was anyone holding out hope of us winning a title in the old format, at least now they are letting in 12. Maybe running the table in the B1G west one of these years is enough to turn some heads and get an invite, which would be the closest we've been since the 60s.
 
#47      
In theory, doesn’t this have the possibility of increasing parity?

At the moment, only a handful of teams have the opportunity to make the playoffs each year and they’re able to recruit to that.

If there’s now 25-30 teams each year in the running for the playoffs, more teams have the opportunity to recruit to that.

Absolutely this. I think there has been a recruiting advantage. NIL helps with this a bit, but the best thing that could happen is an expanded playoff with a new team winning that hasn't won a CFP yet.