1-9-1-0
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junior4949
New member
I wondered how long it would be before someone would bring up the fact that for the second straight year the B1G missed out on the playoff. I read an article last week that pretty much summed up how I've viewed the playoff with regards to college football. This past weekend, we pretty much had a bunch of games that essentially meant little. Even if Clemson would have lost, they probably still make the playoff. Even if Bama loses, they probably still make the playoff. It was a foregone conclusion that it really didn't matter who won the Pac 12 because the winner wasn't getting into the playoff. As it turns out, the B1G Championship really didn't matter with regards to the playoff either. This past weekend would have been perfect for the start of the playoff in an eight team field. Let's do away with the conference championship games and use that weekend to start the eight team playoff.
BIG ERN
New member
The problem is that conference commissioners are trying to get a formula when there should be one set in place for all...
-All conferences play the same amount of conference games
-No FBS teams can schedule FCS opponents
-There can be no 'independent' football teams - have to be in a conference
3 simple changes that would make a mile of difference
Furthermore, make it possible for a non-P5 team to get into the playoff or let them have their own playoff
-All conferences play the same amount of conference games
-No FBS teams can schedule FCS opponents
-There can be no 'independent' football teams - have to be in a conference
3 simple changes that would make a mile of difference
Furthermore, make it possible for a non-P5 team to get into the playoff or let them have their own playoff
Enhance
Administrator
There's some truth to this. I think my bigger takeaway was the lack of uniformity between conferences. These are the kinds of discussions I don't believe we should be having. We shouldn't have to argue the merits of a nine game conference schedule vs. an eight game schedule, and how/why it benefits one conference or the other.
I think it's also silly that the current format causes us to question the important of a conference title game. They seem to matter depending on the narrative.
The conference still needs to uphold its end of the bargain, though. tOSU can't get blasted by Purdue. Michigan can't get railroaded by tOSU. Take care of business and the schedule thing isn't a concern.
knapplc
Well-known member
The Big Ten Championship isn't very compelling because the Big Ten West champion has been a boring team lately. That game is only a springboard to the playoff if the winner is a good team and beats a good team.
How do you impress the playoff committee by beating Northwestern?
How do you impress the playoff committee by beating Northwestern?
junior4949
New member
How do you impress the playoff committee by beating 7-5 unranked Pitt? You don't, and it has nothing to do with Clemson being in the playoff. For the most part, the ACC Championship game was absolutely meaningless. If the playoff committee has been anything, they've been consistent. It matters little whether you win your conference or not. The only way you're getting into the playoff is if you have one loss or less. Some experts are saying the committee got it wrong by leaving Georgia out of the playoff. Apparently, these same experts have been asleep the last few years. Georgia had no chance once they secured their second loss.
Rather than watching a bunch of meaningless conference championship games this past weekend, I would have rather watched Bama vs. UCF; Clemson vs. Michigan; Notre Dame vs. Ohio State; and Georgia vs. OU.
knapplc
Well-known member
You don't need to if you've gone undefeated in a P5 conference.
Agreed, but too often there's a tied record. Let's say Ohio State and Northwestern both go 8-1 in conference. Who do you declare your winner? We really need every conference to have a championship game, and an 8-game playoff that takes all the G5 winners, plus three wildcards.
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junior4949
New member
Does the bolded really matter? It really isn't any different than before the B1G even had a championship game. One of Iowa's claimed B1G titles was a year when their conference record was the same as Ohio State's even though Ohio State won the NC. Currently, we have conferences that don't have the same amount of teams. Heck, we even have one playoff qualifier that doesn't belong to a conference. Given those parameters, it seems completely doing away with the conference championship game would be best. The playoff committee already ranks the teams. Make the conference title game week the first round of the playoffs. The Big 12 even having a conference championship game seems ridiculous considering every teams plays one another during the season. If the playoff committee isn't going to reward or penalize a team based on a conference championship game, why even play them?
Crusader Husker
Active member
This is Nebraska's fault. If we smack down the West teams and play in Indy, either we go, or a team beating us will go. We need to do our part to make the B1G better. That is why they brought us in. The people in charge of Nebraska have let us down. Let's hope we now have the people in place to make this happen!
knapplc
Well-known member
junior4949
New member
On the bolded, under the current format? Not so fast. Last year, Wisconsin smacked down the West teams and played in Indy. Guess what? Neither them nor the team that beat them made it into the playoff. Considering the most recent teams the B1G has brought into the conference, I'm not sure one could argue it was to make the conference better. We were brought in for the same reason at Rutgers and Maryland.
Crusader Husker
Active member
I was being a little "tongue in cheek" with the comment.
I guess I am looking at an average year. OSU had a non-con loss last year. The problem this year was also OSU didn't take care of business. They did nothing to deserve to go. Got smacked by Purdue, Maryland, should have beat them. We could have beat them. Minnesota had the lead , PSU had the lead late, Indiana was close at half. OSU was looked unfocused in most of their games. I am talking in a normal year.
The formula should be:
Play no true non-con road games, play 8 conference games with balanced crossovers, and play a FCS game late. Formula works nicely for the $EC. If we want in, we need to play by the rules that the teams that get in do.
Enhance
Administrator
It appears one of you is dealing in hypotheticals (8-team playoff with auto-qualfiers) whereas @junior4949 is dealing in the current system. So, yes, a conference champ matters in an auto-qualifying scenario. It doesn't matter as much right now.
They really only matter right now if the totality of the season turns the CCG into a play-in game and that's been inconsistent to this point. This is where the article comes into play because two conferences currently face less risk (on paper) in their path to the CFP. Teams are being judged on inconsistent criteria.
The committee's current slogan should basically be "it doesn't matter unless it matters." The CFP needs to expand and allow for AQ's if the CCG's are to matter as much again.
