Why college football is better off without the BCS

[Redux]

At the top level of college football there has never been a fundamentally sound way of crowning a national champion. The NCAA doesnt even recognize it. This is progress towards that. And thats my opinion. ESPN can take their mouthpiece and stick it.

 

[Mavric]

First note that we already have a de facto 7 team playoff if you accept that at least three conference champions are getting in. Plus Notre Dame will probably never get in if we lose the last game against the USC/Stanford on Thanksgiving Saturday, ditto for the Big12 champ.

But in a de jure 8 team playoff, 5 spots are reserved for conference champs, so that would allow a 6-7 Ga Tech into the playoff.

At least they would have a winning record by the time they played for a national title.

No, we don't have a defacto 7 team playoff. That would only be true if the two best teams in the conference are always in different divisions, which is obviously not the case.

Do you honestly believe that Georgia Tech (or anyone) would win their conference at 6-7? And I only want conference champions to be included if they are rated high enough - Top 12 or so. That way you don't get in just because you won a crappy conference. But even then, I think about 8-4 would be about as bad a record as you could have and still win the conference.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

First note that we already have a de facto 7 team playoff if you accept that at least three conference champions are getting in. Plus Notre Dame will probably never get in if we lose the last game against the USC/Stanford on Thanksgiving Saturday, ditto for the Big12 champ.

But in a de jure 8 team playoff, 5 spots are reserved for conference champs, so that would allow a 6-7 Ga Tech into the playoff.

At least they would have a winning record by the time they played for a national title.

No, we don't have a defacto 7 team playoff. That would only be true if the two best teams in the conference are always in different divisions, which is obviously not the case.

Do you honestly believe that Georgia Tech (or anyone) would win their conference at 6-7? And I only want conference champions to be included if they are rated high enough - Top 12 or so. That way you don't get in just because you won a crappy conference. But even then, I think about 8-4 would be about as bad a record as you could have and still win the conference.

No we have it now. Will you accept the SEC champion is always in the playoff? That makes the SEC championship game a de facto playoff game. It has been one for the last 7 years or so. When it is not, it is still an elimination game.

2012 GTech was on track to get to the ACC title game (where they lost to FSU 21-15) with a 5-7 record due to some teams in their division being on probation. They wound up beating Duke to make it there at 6-6.

Say what you want about the unfairness of the old Jan 1st bowls, but they were not contacted into taking crap teams that somehow won a conference championship.

 

[Mavric]

No we have it now. Will you accept the SEC champion is always in the playoff? That makes the SEC championship game a de facto playoff game. It has been one for the last 7 years or so. When it is not, it is still an elimination game.

If by "always" you mean "for the foreseeable future" then I agree. But that still doesn't make it a playoff game because the second-best team in the SEC (or whatever conference) could be in the same division as the SEC champion so they would not be in the CCG but still be in contention for the playoff.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

No we have it now. Will you accept the SEC champion is always in the playoff? That makes the SEC championship game a de facto playoff game. It has been one for the last 7 years or so. When it is not, it is still an elimination game.

If by "always" you mean "for the foreseeable future" then I agree. But that still doesn't make it a playoff game because the second-best team in the SEC (or whatever conference) could be in the same division as the SEC champion so they would not be in the CCG but still be in contention for the playoff.

Yes the 2013 Alabama isn't in the SEC playoff game. That's why I left it at 7 teams instead of 8, allowing the unlikely scenario where the SEC gets two teams in.

btw the playoff threatens not only the ghost of Jan 1, but the still living Thanksgivng Saturday. Games like ND/USC, NU/OU were usually elimination games in the Bowl race, not de facto playoffs because the other team did not necessarily get the bowl slot. Now you are going to get rivalry games where one team is only risking their seed, not the playoff berth. Expanded playoffs will increase the dilution.

 

[Mavric]

btw the playoff threatens not only the ghost of Jan 1, but the still living Thanksgivng Saturday. Games like ND/USC, NU/OU were usually elimination games in the Bowl race, not de facto playoffs because the other team did not necessarily get the bowl slot. Now you are going to get rivalry games where one team is only risking their seed, not the playoff berth. Expanded playoffs will increase the dilution.

So does this mean the teams will not try as hard, coaches won't prepare as much, fans won't care as much and the media will cover it less?

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

btw the playoff threatens not only the ghost of Jan 1, but the still living Thanksgivng Saturday. Games like ND/USC, NU/OU were usually elimination games in the Bowl race, not de facto playoffs because the other team did not necessarily get the bowl slot. Now you are going to get rivalry games where one team is only risking their seed, not the playoff berth. Expanded playoffs will increase the dilution.

So does this mean the teams will not try as hard, coaches won't prepare as much, fans won't care as much and the media will cover it less?

Yes. Most importantly the game has been devalued in importance to the season. The viewers reactions are lagging indicators.

 

[Mavric]

btw the playoff threatens not only the ghost of Jan 1, but the still living Thanksgivng Saturday. Games like ND/USC, NU/OU were usually elimination games in the Bowl race, not de facto playoffs because the other team did not necessarily get the bowl slot. Now you are going to get rivalry games where one team is only risking their seed, not the playoff berth. Expanded playoffs will increase the dilution.

So does this mean the teams will not try as hard, coaches won't prepare as much, fans won't care as much and the media will cover it less?

Yes. Most importantly the game has been devalued in importance to the season. The viewers reactions are lagging indicators.

I really doubt it.

 

[Redux]

btw the playoff threatens not only the ghost of Jan 1, but the still living Thanksgivng Saturday. Games like ND/USC, NU/OU were usually elimination games in the Bowl race, not de facto playoffs because the other team did not necessarily get the bowl slot. Now you are going to get rivalry games where one team is only risking their seed, not the playoff berth. Expanded playoffs will increase the dilution.

So does this mean the teams will not try as hard, coaches won't prepare as much, fans won't care as much and the media will cover it less?

Yes. Most importantly the game has been devalued in importance to the season. The viewers reactions are lagging indicators.

Thats a reach. Even if ND and USC were 0-11 and 11-0 when they played both coaches players and fans would all get uo for it. Same with Michigan tOSU same with Iron Bowl same with Ou Texas etc. Etc.

 

[deedsker]

Same with Nebraska Iowa...oh wait

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

btw the playoff threatens not only the ghost of Jan 1, but the still living Thanksgivng Saturday. Games like ND/USC, NU/OU were usually elimination games in the Bowl race, not de facto playoffs because the other team did not necessarily get the bowl slot. Now you are going to get rivalry games where one team is only risking their seed, not the playoff berth. Expanded playoffs will increase the dilution.

So does this mean the teams will not try as hard, coaches won't prepare as much, fans won't care as much and the media will cover it less?

Yes. Most importantly the game has been devalued in importance to the season. The viewers reactions are lagging indicators.

Thats a reach. Even if ND and USC were 0-11 and 11-0 when they played both coaches players and fans would all get uo for it. Same with Michigan tOSU same with Iron Bowl same with Ou Texas etc. Etc.

If 11-0 USC is in the top 2 in the nation then yeah people watch them to make sure they don't slip up. Every or almost every Ara Parsegian-John McKay matchup directly impacted the national title race.

But, since an 11-1, USC is going to play for the PAC title the next week, for an automatic playoff berth, then the ND-USC game was rendered a boring also-ran. The blue bloods watch the first half or so, and everyone else only glances if the game is still close in the final two minutes. SC would be wise to prioritize avoiding injuries.

 

[Mavric]

But, since an 11-1, USC is going to play for the PAC title the next week, for an automatic playoff berth, then the ND-USC game was rendered a boring also-ran. The blue bloods watch the first half or so, and everyone else only glances if the game is still close in the final two minutes. SC would be wise to prioritize avoiding injuries.

And what is the draw of that same game under the current setup?

 

[deedsker]

But, since an 11-1, USC is going to play for the PAC title the next week, for an automatic playoff berth, then the ND-USC game was rendered a boring also-ran. The blue bloods watch the first half or so, and everyone else only glances if the game is still close in the final two minutes. SC would be wise to prioritize avoiding injuries.

And what is the draw of that same game under the current setup?

11-1 USC, not going to national title...nobody cares.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

But, since an 11-1, USC is going to play for the PAC title the next week, for an automatic playoff berth, then the ND-USC game was rendered a boring also-ran. The blue bloods watch the first half or so, and everyone else only glances if the game is still close in the final two minutes. SC would be wise to prioritize avoiding injuries.

And what is the draw of that same game under the current setup?

From 1912 to 2014, USC knocked itself out of the national title hunt.

 

[Redux]

Regardless, an extra game to determine the champion so two less teams each year feel screwed over WILL NOT devalue anything. The Rose Bowl will remain important.

Rivalries will be important because they are rivalries. New Mexico and NM State could be winless but they both still want nothing more than to win that game. Playoff seeding will not change this, especially considering said seeding wont be revealed until the bowl matchups are announced