Why an eight-team College Football Playoff could come to pass sooner than we expect

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per CBS:

The College Football Playoff will eventually expand to eight teams within the length of the current contract and be worth at least $10 billion, former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson predicted in a conversation with CBS Sports this week.

Pilson was reacting, in part, to the regionalized nature of Monday's CFP National Championship between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama.

"I think, from a television point of view, any sports executive would tell you he would prefer a team from the different part of the country," said Pilson, now a longtime sports media consultant.

"The best would be a Big Ten team in terms of the size of market."

For the first time in the CFP's brief four-year history, a Big Ten team did not make the field. The Big Ten "footprint" -- its dominant area of interest in the Midwest and Northeast -- includes a quarter of the U.S population.

Also for the first time, two teams from one conference (SEC) are in the playoff. While that's a bonanza for the schools, the SEC, the South and the site of the game (Atlanta), one TV consultant said this could be the lowest-rated game in CFP history.

"There will be some people who probably won't watch it because it's all-SEC," said the consultant, who didn't want to be identified. "It has the potential [to be the lowest rated]."

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...off-could-come-to-pass-sooner-than-we-expect/

Go Gophers!!
 

I'm a hell of a lot more receptive to complaints about #4 vs #5 as far as who should be in compared to #8 vs #9.

8 Seems right, I just don't know how it all plays out and IMO... it should be separated from the bowls.
 

In a 8-team this year, using the CFP seedings and the 5-1-2 (5 P5, 1 G5, 2 WC) qualification, it would have been:

#1 Clemson vs #8 UCF
#2 Georgia VS #7 USC
#3 Oklahoma vs #6 Wisconsin
#4 Alabama vs #5 OSU
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
In a 8-team this year, using the CFP seedings and the 5-1-2 (5 P5, 1 G5, 2 WC) qualification, it would have been:

#1 Clemson vs #8 UCF
#2 Georgia VS #7 USC
#3 Oklahoma vs #6 Wisconsin
#4 Alabama vs #5 OSU
Click to expand...

That's some good stuff there.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
In a 8-team this year, using the CFP seedings and the 5-1-2 (5 P5, 1 G5, 2 WC) qualification, it would have been:

#1 Clemson vs #8 UCF
#2 Georgia VS #7 USC
#3 Oklahoma vs #6 Wisconsin
#4 Alabama vs #5 OSU
Click to expand...


Second round would have been:

#5 OSU vs #8 UCF

#6 WI vs #2 GA
 


A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
That's some good stuff there.
Click to expand...

Don't know if your dissing the games, but...

Don't you think Bama-OSU would draw some big ratings?

Or Oklahoma's offense vs Wisconsin's front 7 would be a great matchup?

Or Clemson vs upstart UCF might draw some viewers

The only blowout IMO would be UGA vs USC.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
Don't know if your dissing the games, but...

Don't you think Bama-OSU would draw some big ratings?

Or Oklahoma's offense vs Wisconsin's front 7 would be a great matchup?

Or Clemson vs upstart UCF might draw some viewers

The only blowout IMO would be UGA vs USC.
Click to expand...

I agree, I think those all look like some great games. Agreed on USC, but otherwise I'd like to see those games.
 

one word - money. When some TV executive puts together a proposal and shows the NCAA that they can make more money with an expanded playoff, that's when it will happen.

No matter what arguments people make for or against something, it always comes down to money for the NCAA.
 

Even if everyone (TV, the conferences, the CFP, the bowls) agreed on 8 in principle .... I fear it could still easily get sunk by fighting over how to choose the eight. The P5 will demand conference champs, and TV will demand the highest ratings teams (champs or not).
 



short ornery norwegian said:
one word - money. When some TV executive puts together a proposal and shows the NCAA that they can make more money with an expanded playoff, that's when it will happen.

No matter what arguments people make for or against something, it always comes down to money for the NCAA.
Click to expand...

The NCAA is not affiliated with the CFP, or the bowls. It’s the only division of the only sport in which the post season is not owned or operated by the NCAA.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I'm a hell of a lot more receptive to complaints about #4 vs #5 as far as who should be in compared to #8 vs #9.

8 Seems right, I just don't know how it all plays out and IMO... it should be separated from the bowls.
Click to expand...

Agree.... playoff teams should be required to opt out of the traditional bowls.... call the playoffs, whatever...
 

Vandy said:
Agree.... playoff teams should be required to opt out of the traditional bowls.... call the playoffs, whatever...
Click to expand...

I disagree on one part of that. As I mentioned in another thread, make first round at home field of higher rated teams. I think that's fair and would reduce some of the hurdles of finding a place to play games and having both teams fans have to travel. Hold those games before Christmas sometime. Then semi's and finals just like this year and past couple years. Semi's are at 2 of the Big 4 bowls and the finals at the predetermined national championship site. JMO
 

MnplsGopher said:
The NCAA is not affiliated with the CFP, or the bowls. It’s the only division of the only sport in which the post season is not owned or operated by the NCAA.
Click to expand...

I've known this as well, but a question for whoever can answer this: If bowls/playoffs are not affiliated with the NCAA, why can't schools play kids that redshirted in the regular season? I've always wondered that...
 



TNGophfan said:
I disagree on one part of that. As I mentioned in another thread, make first round at home field of higher rated teams. I think that's fair and would reduce some of the hurdles of finding a place to play games and having both teams fans have to travel. Hold those games before Christmas sometime. Then semi's and finals just like this year and past couple years. Semi's are at 2 of the Big 4 bowls and the finals at the predetermined national championship site. JMO
Click to expand...

This is the most reasonable proposal, IMO, when you consider all the factors.

- it rewards the top four seeds and their fan bases with another home game
- does not force both fan bases to travel in the same sense as they would have to for a bowl game (away fans obviously do, but like any home game their tickets will be limited)
- keeps the major bowl brands relevant in the post season, which is absolutely, positively something they will fight tooth and nail for ... don't bet against them just giving up the semi-final games being branded as the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, etc.
- cities and NFL stadiums get to continue to bid for the national championship game


The only potential negative is extending the season another week (for those eight teams) and/or interfering with fall semester finals. That's still a huge issue for presidents. So not sure if they'd have the quarter-final games the second week in Dec, move the whole season a week earlier, or what would work best.
 

MNfootballfan said:
I've known this as well, but a question for whoever can answer this: If bowls/playoffs are not affiliated with the NCAA, why can't schools play kids that redshirted in the regular season? I've always wondered that...
Click to expand...

I probably didn't word it the best. What I should have really said is: the NCAA doesn't operate or get money from the games.

But otherwise, all the same NCAA rules that govern the regular season are still in effect. Playing a true freshman in a bowl game would be the same thing as playing a true freshman in the conference championship game. It's just treated like the 13th or 14th game of the regular season.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
In a 8-team this year, using the CFP seedings and the 5-1-2 (5 P5, 1 G5, 2 WC) qualification, it would have been:

#1 Clemson vs #8 UCF
#2 Georgia VS #7 USC
#3 Oklahoma vs #6 Wisconsin
#4 Alabama vs #5 OSU
Click to expand...

drooling
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
In a 8-team this year, using the CFP seedings and the 5-1-2 (5 P5, 1 G5, 2 WC) qualification, it would have been:

#1 Clemson vs #8 UCF
#2 Georgia VS #7 USC
#3 Oklahoma vs #6 Wisconsin
#4 Alabama vs #5 OSU
Click to expand...

If it were the five P5 conf champs + best G5 conf champ + best two remaining, I'd give the top 5 seeds to the five P5 champs, then the remaining three based on ranking.

Quarter finals bracket pairs would be:
UCF at Clemson
SoCal at Ohio State

Alabama at Oklahoma
Wisconsin at Georgia
 

I heard a Las Vegas oddsmaker on the radio predict the over/under on playoff expansion would be 3 1/2 years. Vegas knows!
 


Only if first round is at the highest seeds home stadium.
 

8 would be...great.

Especially this year, when they had Clemson in there. Who had no business being in the top 10. Let alone #1. Any team in the top 8 could have beaten them. Alabama is vulnerable as well. 8 teams would be a-heck-of-a lot more fun.
 

Money, money, money. It all tends to make the playoffs a second season, so 16 teams can't be that far off, either. They'll use up the bowls for playoff games. Ugh.
 


I am not going to watch it. I also didn’t watch the rematches between Florida and FSU and Alabama and LSU. No thanks.
 

This money grab is ruining the sport. Leave college football alone. Why people want it to exactly like the NFL is beyond me. If I didn't play fantasy football I would have almost zero interest in the nfl game, but college football is my favorite sport.
 

Go to 8 teams.

First round top seeds host.

Make sure the group of 5 get a bid.

Top 5 teams should be seeded. Draw for seeds 6,7,8 with the exception that you can't play a conference opponent in round one.

Play games in December.

Losers are eligible for a bowl game after their loss should they want to.
 

16 is too many.
Regular season is watered down at that point.

Look at the past 20 years of college football and tell me what 15th and 16th ranked teams should have been voted national Champions.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Only if first round is at the highest seeds home stadium.
Click to expand...

Yep. Though I couldn't tell if you were responding to the post above yours that was suggesting 16 team bracket, or to the OP/thread topic for 8 team bracket.
 

Face The Facts said:
16 is too many.
Regular season is watered down at that point.

Look at the past 20 years of college football and tell me what 15th and 16th ranked teams should have been voted national Champions.
Click to expand...

It would have to be a team that lost 3-4 games early on, then suddenly figured something out and/or got start player(s) back from injury and just crushed it the rest of the way.

But that is a far fetched hypothetical, and still think most people would say "that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes" in regards to the early losses.
 

btowngopher said:
This money grab is ruining the sport. Leave college football alone. Why people want it to exactly like the NFL is beyond me. If I didn't play fantasy football I would have almost zero interest in the nfl game, but college football is my favorite sport.
Click to expand...

Face The Facts said:
16 is too many.
Regular season is watered down at that point.

Look at the past 20 years of college football and tell me what 15th and 16th ranked teams should have been voted national Champions.
Click to expand...

Not sure I'm 100% sold on 16, but...

The one counter I'd make to both of the above statements is this - name any other sport that a conference champion does not get a chance to play for the overall championship. The only ones I'm aware of is there are a couple of very low tier conferences that the NCAA excludes from the D1 basketball tourney and a couple conferences that don't participate in the FCS tourney (I think by choice). Otherwise, as far as I know, every other sport that has conferences, college or professional, any conference champion has a shot at the overall championship. As it stands now, the best G5 team has ZERO chance of participating in the championship, let alone the other 4.

So to the first point specifically, to me it's not about making it like the NFL, it's about making it like every other college sport. There are 10 conferences. It could be 12, but 16 is more likely workable to ensure all conference champs get a shot.

To the second point, it isn't necessarily #16 as much as a conference champ that doesn't get a shot. Maybe it's number 15, maybe they're unranked. But again, what other sport wouldn't the MWC champ get a shot? Who's to say just because the "experts" said they're not one of the top 4 or 8 teams that they couldn't catch lightning in a bottle and win it. They won their conference, why don't they deserve a crack at Clemson?
 

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