It's official...4-team playoff approved

[bshirt]

But how many times in the last 50 years have there really been more than 4 teams who should get a shot at the championship?

Past 5 years.

2011: 1 team with 0 losses, 4 teams with 1 loss

2010: 3 teams with 0 losses, 5 teams with 1 loss

2009: 5 teams with 0 losses, 1 team with 1 loss

2008: 2 teams with 0 losses, 7 teams with 1 loss

2007: 1 team with 0 losses, 2 teams with 1 loss, 10 teams with 2 losses

Boise with a loss, with their weak SOS, is not deserving of a shot at the championship. 2 loss teams are not deserving either. One of the 2 loss teams would have gotten the 4th spot in 2007, but I don't care that one is picked over the other 9 since you didn't leave out a deserving team. Likewise in 2010, you had 3 teams with a solid claim that wouldn't get left out, and you can pick 1 of the 5 who doesn't really have a claim to fill the 4th spot, leaving out 4 who didn't deserve it anyway. 2009 is the only problem, and I don't really have an issue leaving out Boise State playing a much weaker schedule.

So let me get this straight... If I'm correct in my dating, you would rather NOT have seen the matchup of Boise St. vs Oklahoma at the Fiesta bowl in what i consider to be one of my favorite matchups of all time? This is what America is all about, what we love. Seeing the little guy coming out of nowhere to win it all. Or to have a heartbreaker. We crave it. And this committee is gonna allow it when applicable. Because it will bring the ratings. And I'm glad. Because I know all the people who say Boise and TCU don't belong will either eat their words or prove me wrong. But we'll all be watching it, won't we? :wasted

Well, imo America is not, or at least should be not, about getting something for nothing.

Cruising through a creampuff schedule via a bottom dweller conference is NOT earning it. To "you" playing 12 high school teams is the same as playing in the SEC or Big10 and should be rewarded equally. We'll agree to disagree about this one.

 

[VA Husker Fan]

But how many times in the last 50 years have there really been more than 4 teams who should get a shot at the championship?

Past 5 years.

2011: 1 team with 0 losses, 4 teams with 1 loss

2010: 3 teams with 0 losses, 5 teams with 1 loss

2009: 5 teams with 0 losses, 1 team with 1 loss

2008: 2 teams with 0 losses, 7 teams with 1 loss

2007: 1 team with 0 losses, 2 teams with 1 loss, 10 teams with 2 losses

2 loss teams are not deserving either. One of the 2 loss teams would have gotten the 4th spot in 2007, but I don't care that one is picked over the other 9 since you didn't leave out a deserving team.

One of those 2 loss teams won the title in 07. Those numbers don't tell the whole story. The two teams with 1 loss were Kansas and Hawaii, and neither were that good.

OK. I didn't give that a whole lot deeper analysis than Saunders did when he just listed the teams with the least losses. My point is, if you take the best 4 teams, you're very unlikely to leave someone out who really deserves to be in the championship game. Lose a game, and you're at risk of being left out. Lose 2 games, and you're going to need a lot of help to be in.

As far as an undefeated Boise St or Hawaii or Tulane goes, maybe they get a shot, maybe not. To me that just encourages playing a weak schedule if you automatically include them. I wouldn't have objected to an 8 team playoff to include them in a season such as 2009. Btw, that famous Boise St - OU game was after the 2006 season, and Boise was #8 in the BCS, so they still could've played #10 OU and not deprived anyone of their favorite game.

 

[ladyhawke]

As far as having 3 teams from the same conference, they can easily put a rule in that if there are 3 in the top 4 of the poll, the #5 team gets in.

Moiraine, how is that fair, to the #4 or #3 team left out?

I hate hate hate the idea of a selection committee. Which teams make the 4-team dance should be deterministic, not subjective, not arguable. Take the top 4 teams ranked by the BCS. If you don't get in, tough, and you can argue or decry the formula all you want, but at the end of the day those numbers are there, and anybody can point to them. "Those are the rules we agreed to, and here are your numbers. You missed the cut. Sorry buddy."

If this committee is what it sounds like, then when a team doesn't make it it's based on some arguments made by some guy behind closed doors somewhere.

--

Joe, I thought "two of the bowls becoming playoff games" was the +1. I gotta revisit the terminology...I guess +1 is taken to mean, "#1 and #2" at the end of all the bowls? In which case, I have to say I favor a 4-team playoff. But no damn selection committee, please.

Yeah, that's going to be a tough job. In this article, the author said that the committee will possibly be made up of athletic directors, former coaches and conference commissioners.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-06-27/bcs-playoff-selection-committee-final-four-news-analysis

 

[ladyhawke]

I'm not sure how this is different from a plus-one model.

I never quite understand what people mean by "plus-one", and I think they often say different things. Some say that you play the bowls like you did in the old days and then match 1 vs 2 post-bowl. That solves almost nothing. There's no guarantee whatsoever that you'll have any clearer 1 vs 2 after the bowls than before. The other "plus-one" model I've heard is to seed 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 in the bowls. That's just a 4 team playoff and I've never figured out why people call it anything else.

I found this explanation of the 'plus-one' model:

"The Big Ten presidents stated a plus-one -- selecting the national title game participants after all the bowls are played -- as their preference ahead of a four-team playoff."

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/tag/_/name/harvey-perlman (Scroll down to "BSC Primer" blog entry)

 

[Saunders]

I never liked the fact that D-1AA could be in a BCS Bowl. If Boise St. wants to play for MNC they should join a BCS Conference. Back to the OP. I think Oklahoma, OSU, VT, and Ala. would make the most sense.

Ya OK,

D1 football is D1 football. If you want to change it, define new divisions. Boise State is part of the D1 conferences or FCS. (what ever it called now)

There are 123 Teams in the FBS (Old D-1A). Boise has been an FBS member since the early 90's. They are joining the Big East next year. However, the old BCS AQ conferences (win and you're in) no longer exist in the new format, so it doesn't matter.

D-1AA is now called the FCS, and there has never been an FCS (or D1AA) team in a BCS game.

 

[sd'sker]

people always talk about a playoff diminishing the regular season, but what diminishes the regular season more than a good team losing one game and no longer having anything to play for other than maybe the cotton bowl (in our past case). there should be at least 8 teams (and keep the rest of the bowls for everyone else, because hey, one more game). the argument between 8-9 would be laughable, but between 4-5-6 will be pretty serious.

edit: i really liked sauders' point.

Great point!

"Now", the smart way to to cruise through a Boise St. schedule. Play nobody, go undefeated and gear up for the one game season in the bowl.

i'm not entirely sure what your point is, but mine is that teams do earn it and are not rewarded for it. let boise show up as the 7th team and have to prove their worth on the field, better than leaving out an undefeated auburn or one-loss ohio-st. also, if they go undefeated and there are 8 spots, they deserve a chance to be a part of that. but maybe they don't if there are 8 zero to 1-loss teams who had a better season.

 

[HuskerFanChuck]

Ultimately, I think we'll end up with a selection committee with a variety of people, and that most, if not all, varied interests of the universities will be represented to some degree. I'm glad we got the playoff, and can't wait for it to come around. Not perfect, but absolutely the best we were going to get, in my opinion.

As to the # of schools, one site was doing a ranking of the different universities locations to play, and I had thought it was at 125. Could be wrong, though.

 

['SkersRule]

I never liked the fact that D-1AA could be in a BCS Bowl. If Boise St. wants to play for MNC they should join a BCS Conference. Back to the OP. I think Oklahoma, OSU, VT, and Ala. would make the most sense.

D-1AA is the FCS classification and have never been in any bowl game let alone a BCS game.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

maybe they'll have to let a 12-0 Boise in now. It will depend on who is on the super committee and how they got there.

 

['SkersRule]

maybe they'll have to let a 12-0 Boise in now. It will depend on who is on the super committee and how they got there.

I'll take a 9-3 Boise State over an 11-1 Notre Dame ANY day of the week. Notre Dame...embarrassing FBS football since 2000.

 

[mrandyk]

But how many times in the last 50 years have there really been more than 4 teams who should get a shot at the championship?

Past 5 years.

2011: 1 team with 0 losses, 4 teams with 1 loss

2010: 3 teams with 0 losses, 5 teams with 1 loss

2009: 5 teams with 0 losses, 1 team with 1 loss

2008: 2 teams with 0 losses, 7 teams with 1 loss

2007: 1 team with 0 losses, 2 teams with 1 loss, 10 teams with 2 losses

2 loss teams are not deserving either. One of the 2 loss teams would have gotten the 4th spot in 2007, but I don't care that one is picked over the other 9 since you didn't leave out a deserving team.

One of those 2 loss teams won the title in 07. Those numbers don't tell the whole story. The two teams with 1 loss were Kansas and Hawaii, and neither were that good.

OK. I didn't give that a whole lot deeper analysis than Saunders did when he just listed the teams with the least losses. My point is, if you take the best 4 teams, you're very unlikely to leave someone out who really deserves to be in the championship game. Lose a game, and you're at risk of being left out. Lose 2 games, and you're going to need a lot of help to be in.

As far as an undefeated Boise St or Hawaii or Tulane goes, maybe they get a shot, maybe not. To me that just encourages playing a weak schedule if you automatically include them. I wouldn't have objected to an 8 team playoff to include them in a season such as 2009. Btw, that famous Boise St - OU game was after the 2006 season, and Boise was #8 in the BCS, so they still could've played #10 OU and not deprived anyone of their favorite game.

Yeah, but that game only happened because of the BCS. If one of the BCS bowls weren't forced to take Boise I doubt any of them would have.

 

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

Every team plays 6 conference games for seeds. Then start a 128 team playoff!!! Let in 5 teams from the FCS!

 

[Saunders]

Every team plays 6 conference games for seeds. Then start a 128 team playoff!!! Let in 5 teams from the FCS!

 

[Army_Allen]

Noone was forced to take Boise. They were and always were an at large bid. And it's not like they shy away from big games in their non conference sched. They were not in a situation to play Bama and USC every year due to them being interviewed conference they are now. But I can damn sure tell you that they'll be one of the best teams in the Big East. Better than UCONN that's for sure. That's the kinda games the bcs had that noone wants and WONT happen now with the playoff. And that's why I support the new system.

 

[VA Husker Fan]

Noone was forced to take Boise. They were and always were an at large bid. And it's not like they shy away from big games in their non conference sched. They were not in a situation to play Bama and USC every year due to them being interviewed conference they are now. But I can damn sure tell you that they'll be one of the best teams in the Big East. Better than UCONN that's for sure. That's the kinda games the bcs had that noone wants and WONT happen now with the playoff. And that's why I support the new system.

Actually, bowls are forced to take the top non-AQ school if they were in the top 12 (or in some cases the top 16). It's a lot like the Notre Dame clause. It may be an at large bid, but it's a guaranteed spot. So mrandyk brings up an interesting point. A small conference school may not be considered to have a tough enough SOS to get into the playoff, and if the BCS bowl selection process goes away, they won't make a major bowl at all. Boise St is moving to the Big East in 2013 and TCU to the Big 12 next year, so it won't be an issue for those perennial contenders, but some other team will probably step up. This is likely to hurt the smaller schools, though maybe there will be more revenue to go around.