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Brian M's avatar

None of this is going to happen. I would make a case for a 64 team playoff, like in basketball, and shorten the regular season to 10 games. That way almost, everyone with a winning record in FBS has a shot. The current bowl games would be incorporated in this playoff process so they would not get left out. In fact, viewing interest will be increased for marginal bowl games like Motor City in Detroit if they are a potential pathway to the national Championship. But the SEC and B1G will have none of this. They are trying to monopolize college football and keep all the money for themselves. They want only their winning teams in a playoff and exclude everyone else. This way, the rich get richer and the poor get a lot poorer. Just like the leaders of those conferences, people like Phil Knight, want it. If there was a 64 team playoff over the course of late November, December and early January, there are too many opportunities for a team to be upset along the way and denied from the really big payday of the National Championship. Its all about the money, after all

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John Canzano's avatar

64 is too big, IMO. The No. 64 team in football is not like the No. 64 team in hoops.

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Doug's avatar

28 is way too big too. I honestly think 12-14 is about perfect. You have everyone who can even possibly remotely win the title included, and enough others that 24-30 teams are still alive in November

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John Canzano's avatar

my only issue with 12... is how SEC/Big Ten dominant it will be with some teams in the 13-15 range that are interesting. Would 16 work?

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Doug's avatar

Those teams will all either have 2-3 losses and/or not be a true national title contender anyway

The reality is there are only 4 schools outside those 2 conferences who are equipped to win a national title. That said, nationwide representation is important so there will likely always be a spot reserved for three champions of the Big12, ACC, and the best G6

I see this going to 14 in 2026 and holding there through the contract

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Matt L.'s avatar

In the NFL, 14 out of 32 teams qualify for playoffs, or 43% of overall teams.

What Dickert suggested is the same 43%. There are 65 Power 5 NCAA football teams and 28 to playoffs is 43% of overall.

If the 43% formula is good for NFL, why isn’t it good for CFB?

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Doug's avatar

I’d you want the NFL, watch the NFL. CFB is a very different sport.

NFL has an Extremely high level of parity 1-32. FBS is two completely different levels of football (3 if you really want to be honest about it) and the disparity of quality and talent in each of those levels is much wider than the NFL.

Number 28 would lose by 50 to number 1. We don’t need a whole round of those games to tell us what we already know after 12-13 games

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Edward Schwallie's avatar

I still say let the Big 10 & SEC run the top of football as long as the rest of the schools get a share of the playoff (like the NCAA bball tourney). I'd go to 14 team CFP with 6 conference champs guaranteed and only the top 2 (most likely SEC & B10) getting byes. Yes those conferences will also get more spots and and as long as money gets shared reasonably all boats will float. Specifically I don't see the SEC wanting to chnage anything since they have both top level Fball & a regional all sports conference,

More importantly use this opportunity to get the rBig 10 & ACC in the other sports back to regional conferences. I still say the new PAC 12 should start by working with the Big 10 to get their 4 schools back for the other sports. I believe those 4 schools as well as their eastern Big10 counterparts who are travelling up to 3000 miles cross country realizes this is already a burdon and will get old soon. So lets fix it by separating FBall. For example watching those poor Maryland & Rutgers VBall teams having to take the NW swing to get beaten by the Ducks and Huskies did not look like fun for those athletes, especially when their parents can't even travel with them. It's obvious to all this is not going to work long term. Football is different, with less games and less trips and only one opponent per weekend. And that is where the money Is, If the Big 10 is smart it does this so it also gives them more room to take more eastern top level FB teams (like FSU, Miami, &/or Clemson) which they couldn't do wiith all sports..

For the PAC that would mean 12 in the conference now. (7 all sports, 5 all but football). Then get one or more of the ACC non full revenue teams recent adds (SMU, Cal, or Stanford) to come as all sports members. Best if they got all 3 or evne both old Pac schools. The PAC12 could return as an excellent conference, with good media contracts and lots of good brands, even the ones without football. Just my opinion

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Doug's avatar

There is no way they’re going to add an extra conference champion bid. Zero chance.

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Doug's avatar

Also no way the big ten schools are gonna rejoin the pac

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Edward Schwallie's avatar

We can always dream that commom sense will prevail.

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Brian M's avatar

My concern for 24 is that it will continue to exclude the non P2 schools. They have almost enough programs in the B1G and SEC to hold their own 24 team playoff. Maybe 6 or 8 teams from those two conferences and then fill it out with 3 or 4 from the B12 and ACC. That still excludes half of FBS football who will never have any chance of playing in the CFP. That will kill any chance of recruiting a championship team. As it stands now, and Indiana is the school proving this, is any school who has a shot at the CFP by being in one of the blessed conferences can get the players it needs to do so if it can raise the money to buy the needed players. But, if the door is closed by some arbitrary line drawn through the middle of the FBS, then that ceases to be a possibility. NAIA teams could never compete for the CFP since they aren't allowed in the door, no matter now much money they might raise to buy players under NIL rules. Why close the door on half the FBS, many which have proud traditions on their side? You seem to be arguing to exclude any team not in the P4 from ever participating in the CFP (and no, I am not impressed with one berth allotted to the bottom half of FBS)

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Doug's avatar

12 team includes non-P2 schools, so why would a 24 or 28 not?

Right now at least a dozen non P2 schools are alive and well in the playoff hunt.

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Brian M's avatar

Because if the format is expanded, the two conferences controlling the CFP will demand most of that expansion goes to them. Make the CFP bigger than the two schools winning teams and they will not be able to exert that force. Really, a higher authority, like the NCAA, should be controlling this, like the commissioner of the NFL does its rules. Someone needs to be unbiased to make the right decisions for everyone, not just a handful of randomly selected and self appointed "top schools". I like free markets, but college sports are more than a free market. Universities are not independent businesses. Most are public owned.

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BackDoor's avatar

Yet, most public universities look out for their own self interest in a variety of endeavors rather than participate in a kumbaya equity vision designed to make less fortunate feel better about themselves. The right decisions for everyone can lead to mediocracy in total.

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Brian M's avatar

I completely agree. Semi-pro football and basketball do not belong embedded in a university, especially a public school with its inherent "selfish" interests that are completely unaligned with sports. Spin out revenue sports as just a long term, privately held, business interest. This is done all the time with businesses born of a university's IP coming from research done by faculty. The IP is licensed to a business startup with possibly some equity investment from the university's investment fund. As the business develops, the university is rewarded. No reason sports can't operate in the same way with the "tradition" of the university the IP and the school's alumni, students and faculty a great built-in customer base.

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BackDoor's avatar

It wasn't that many years ago that there was actually discussion of whether UO and OSU should have a single combined athletics program because it was the perception that neither would ever be "competitive" on their own. We coulda had the Monroe Long Branch Platypus?

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BackDoor's avatar

Would be interesting to know more details/facts about Indiana. The new coach brought 13 players with him from James Madison. I believe 8 are starting. Did they enter the portal and choose Indiana because of him and his staff, or because Indiana had NIL money?

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Doug's avatar

My understanding is both

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BackDoor's avatar

I don't think any of them were above a 3-star recruiting status. 14 of 27 transfers have started at least one game, and several lead a position's statistical category at their position. I imagine with so many of them from James Madison (a good FCS program) the learning curve for playbook and coaching expectations was minimal. The obvious comparison is Coach Prime's first year at Colorado - and Cignetti has excelled. Reportedly there wasn't a lot of NIL money to attract those guys, but since the zero defeats start to this season the Hoosier fans are feeding the NIL now generously....which should help in 2025 and beyond. Indiana's schedule has been "soft" based on opponent W-L records, BUT they have won by big margins. They haven't played "footsie" with that schedule.

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Brian M's avatar

I count (4) 4 stars either recruited (1) or transferred (3) in 2024 and (6) from the 2023 transfer class. I don't think you go undefeated in the B1G without at least a handful of studs. Oregon State never needed 15 or 20, but always had 3 or 4 the past few years, and also back in the Erickson regime. Until their team average got above 85 on 247 Sports, they weren't competitive. https://247sports.com/college/indiana/Season/2024-Football/Commits/

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Brian M's avatar

Does anyone think a 4 or 5 star athlete, who can command a good payday, is going to ignore getting paid out of loyalty of following a coach? All the top players are playing for the money, not for an education in a certain school

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Brian M's avatar

Agreed about quality, depth. But #1 in Basketball is way better than #64 every year. The regular season would need to be shortened to accommodate a 64 team playoff, which gives the most teams the most opportunities. 64 gives half the 134 team FBS a shot meaning a winning record, just like the NFL. 64 teams in single elimination requires a 6 game playoff. If the regular season is reduced to 10 then that is a max of 16 games, about the same as current for a few teams that play 12 games, a conference championship and a national bowl game.

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ESecPN's avatar

No one thinks about injuries in college football. There are kids playing that want to try their luck/skill at the next level. 64 team playoff would mean more injuries and potential future pro careers ended.

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Brian M's avatar

No, some teams will play 16 games the way the schedules are currently structured. No difference. There are four games to win the CFP. There are twelve games in the regular season. What about conference championships? There will be more than 16 games for some teams in 2024

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ESecPN's avatar

You missed the point. Also, with more games, more potential nfl players will sit out.

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TJA's avatar

Not if the games are playoff games and actually mean something. You win and you advance and might win the national championship. Bowl games mean nothing which is why so many players sit out.

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Brian M's avatar

Not if the playoff games carry bonus checks, like in the NFL. These kids aren't sitting out a game that gives them a $25K bonus

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Brian M's avatar

The point you made was "16 games are too many". The point I made is that this year, in 2024, at least two teams will play 16 games. I am not sure how I missed it. If you don't think there should be a CFP, well, good luck with that. Again, just follow the money

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Jack Glubrecht's avatar

The other culprit in this 12 team playoff and the realignment of conferences, which excludes many from the playoffs is Disney/ESPN/ABC. $$$

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