How many teams in an ideal playoff situation?

[NuttinItUp]

How many teams would make an ideal playoff system?

Not 4, not 8, not 16, not 32.......but 64 according to the incomparable Mike Leach:
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/88823/mike-leach-advocates-for-64-team-playoff



(oh, also...teams should be able to inflate balls however they see fit, without people making a big deal out of it.)

[count of bacon]

8
Five conference champions, and 3 at-large(best teams)

Removes politics on at-least 5 of the 8.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

How many teams would make an ideal playoff system?

Not 4, not 8, not 16, not 32.......but 64 according to the incomparable Mike Leach:
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/88823/mike-leach-advocates-for-64-team-playoff



(oh, also...teams should be able to inflate balls however they see fit, without people making a big deal out of it.)

College Presidents will likely never approve of a 16 team play off format let alone a 64 team play off. 8 seems to be the right number and will more often than not, include any team that could probably have a legitimate chance to compete for a NC.

[MultipleScoreGasms]

Yep, and if a team is outside of the top 8, it's very unlikely they would have a shot at #1 anyway.

[racinghog]

Sounds like Leach is trying to get in playoffs any way he can.

[Jeff "hogfanintx" Anderson]

8

[Cinco de Hogo]

Sounds like Leach is trying to get in playoffs any way he can.

Yes I think that was a tongue in cheek remark.  If you were the 35th team then 35 would be the perfect number.

[Bacons Rebellion]

I like 4.  Never have I thought the 8th ranked team in the country was actually a better team than #1.  I doubt I have ever thought the 5th ranked team was robbed of a national championship.

[NuttinItUp]

If they go to 8 (or more), would it then become a disadvantage for a conference to have a championship game?

If you are going to get in anyway, it seems like having an extra game that is tough at the end of your schedule could hurt you. (Chance of losing to knock you out, injuries, less time to recover, etc.)

[PonderinHog]

16  - I'd like to participate occasionally.  Plus, there would be some damn good games for a few weeks.  I'd settle for 8.

[Cinco de Hogo]

I like 4.  Never have I thought the 8th ranked team in the country was actually a better team than #1.  I doubt I have ever thought the 5th ranked team was robbed of a national championship.

You right about the 8th ranked team however here is the problem were it concerns Arkansas and a few other schools that might have a chance once ever 50 years or so.  When we do have that team it will be very hard to convince the committee that we are better than any one of many elite teams that might have the same record as us. However you often see teams like us in the top eight. 

For that reason and that reason alone I support eight.  A non-elite teams deserves a shot ever once in a while don't they?  I mean if your not gonna get that no matter what you do why play?  Yes OSU proved they deserved to be in last year but at selection time it sure wasn't thst clear.  After a full season of being voted behind Bsylor and TCU thst all of s sudden jumped them on the last week.  Really only one reaso that happened and that's because they are one of the elite.  Conference championship game had nada to do with it. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I like 4.  Never have I thought the 8th ranked team in the country was actually a better team than #1.  I doubt I have ever thought the 5th ranked team was robbed of a national championship.

Baylor and TCU might want to debate that with you. Of course they might not have to debate if they just had 12 teams and a CCG.

[nwahogfan1]

8
Five conference champions, and 3 at-large(best teams)

Removes politics on at-least 5 of the 8.

I agree.  8 teams tops.

Use the Bowls in the first 2 rounds to sell tickets and keep the interests in the Bowls.

[mizzouman]

Ideally, but not even possible, all teams.  Start with a Swiss type tournament and play 14 games.  If you win, each game gets tougher...like a chess tournament.  Whoever has the best W-L record is the national champion.

Not even possible due to logistics, but would be interesting.

[rickm1976]

I don't know what the perfect number is, but it will eventually be 8, and never more than that.

[NuttinItUp]

Ideally, but not even possible, all teams.  Start with a Swiss type tournament and play 14 games.  If you win, each game gets tougher...like a chess tournament.  Whoever has the best W-L record is the national champion.

Not even possible due to logistics, but would be interesting.

Swiss......chess......
Son, this is 'Merica, and this is 'Merican football. We don't take kindly to your Swiss'n and your chess'n suggestions round these parts.

[Hollywood_HOGan45]

Six

Top two teams get a bye. Keep the committee. I wouldn't want conference champions to automatically qualify. Some leagues are just better than others.

[mizzouman]

Swiss......chess......
Son, this is 'Merica, and this is 'Merican football. We don't take kindly to your Swiss'n and your chess'n suggestions round these parts.

HAHA....has nothing to with that.  It's just a type of tournament. 

[NuttinItUp]

HAHA....has nothing to with that.  It's just a type of tournament. 

Just joking

[mizzouman]

Just joking

Yes....

[HogFansReunited]

8

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

With 5 power conferences, 4 is not a good number. Eight makes more sense. I would keep the committee and NOT guarantee a P5 Conference Champ a berth, even though odds are a P5 champ would be in, barring one conference completely imploding or cannibalizing itself (a three-loss champion for instance). Eight gives other worthy teams (TCU, Baylor, an SEC or Pac-12 runner-up) a chance, and it opens up the possibility for undefeated teams from other conferences or even a team like BYU or Notre Dame a chance.  Though, I'd favor making it difficult for those two, thereby nudging them into a conference. ND belongs in the Big Ten, but if they really want to do the ACC thing, they should join. I can't believe the ACC actually gives them football games and let's them compete in all other sports.  I'd say to them, "either you're all in or you're all out, choose."

I CAN imagine a scenario where a undefeated or one-loss team in one of the major conferences loses a conference championship game to a three-loss team.  THEN what do you do? That is an argument for a guaranteed berth and against conference championship games, but I'd prefer to keep the conference championship games (because I like them, is that reason enough?) and for the committee to weigh all.

EFBAB

EFBAB

[wholehog92]

I like 4.  I like that currently the national champion means you were the best all season long.  I don't think Baylor or TCU proved they were better than any of the 4 participants during the season, so they didn't earn a shot at being #1 at the end of the season.  Going to 8 would include 2 more even less deserving.

In fact, I'm not really convinced Ohio St. had a championship season this last year.  They were likely a championship team, but didn't have a schedule that proved it.

I think if you go to 8, the days of big time OOC match-ups are gone.  I do not want that.

[bigdaddyhawg]

16  - I'd like to participate occasionally. 

Hahaha!  Come on, brother, where's the faith?

[EastexHawg]

Six

Top two teams get a bye. Keep the committee. I wouldn't want conference champions to automatically qualify. Some leagues are just better than others.

That would be proven on the field in the playoffs.  Who on this board...or anywhere, really...had Ohio State dominating Alabama on the field?

I would like to see every major (power) conference champion qualify.  If there are five conferences, I want those five plus at least three at-large teams.  If we consolidate to four, even better.

I think that would eliminate the need for all the cupcake games because losing a non-conference game wouldn't mean anything in terms of getting into the playoff.  I can hardly stand to watch college football for the first 2-3 weeks of the year because I have no interest in seeing Florida State pounding Texas State, Alabama crushing Middle Tennessee, or even the Hogs having Nicholls State served up on a platter.

Put all the conference champions and a few at-large teams into the playoff field and let the chips fall where they may.  Trying to stack the deck so that only the teams everyone "thinks" ought to win get in isn't really a playoff at all.

[Piggage]

I like 4.  Never have I thought the 8th ranked team in the country was actually a better team than #1.  I doubt I have ever thought the 5th ranked team was robbed of a national championship.

I'm not paying much attention to Leach's suggestion because it would kill all bowl games and conference championship games. Not gonna happen.

64 is way too many. Even with bowls and CGs gone, you could win, say, 3 playoff games and lose a 4th and still finish #8 in the country. Being ranked #8 isn't bad, but that's playing 16 games just to get there.

[LRRandy]

I like 4.  Never have I thought the 8th ranked team in the country was actually a better team than #1.  I doubt I have ever thought the 5th ranked team was robbed of a national championship.

my thoughts as well.

[NuttinItUp]

I'm not paying much attention to Leach's suggestion because it would kill all bowl games and conference championship games. Not gonna happen.

64 is way too many. Even with bowls and CGs gone, you could win, say, 3 playoff games and lose a 4th and still finish #8 in the country. Being ranked #8 isn't bad, but that's playing 16 games just to get there.

Well, he did say that it would only be 16 games for the team that won the championship in his scenario, because he would cut regular season back down to 10 games, and he would incorporate the playoffs into bowl games.

But, yeah, I agree it is still a bad idea.

[hogsanity]

None. There is no IDEAL playoff situation until there is a uniform way to PLAY your way into the playoff. As of now, no matter how many teams the committee picks, it is still a popularity contest.

My IDEAL situation would be 4 super conferences of 16 teams each. They could either go to 4 team divisions, then the division winners all make a 16 teams playoff, or they could go with 8 team divisions and the division winners all make the playoff.

[MJ2]

Only a handful actually have the ability to win in any given year, so I think 16 would be way enough.

[Großer Kriegschwein]

8 with a better way of picking the selectees.

(To keep any similar situation of the Razorbacks 2011 season to happen, being ranked in the top 10 and only losses were to the teams in the BCSNCG, got screwed out of the Sugar Bowl)

Not saying exactly this situation, but what if 2-3 teams from the same conference or division are clearly the best 3 teams in the nation. Human selections make it hard to select that many from one conference.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I like 4.  Never have I thought the 8th ranked team in the country was actually a better team than #1.  I doubt I have ever thought the 5th ranked team was robbed of a national championship.

You don't think TCU had as good a chance to beat OSU as any of the other four?

[KSHog1974]

I've always thought 8 was the right number...because I'm greedy and want to see a bigger playoff with some great match-ups.  However, I think it would be tough on a fan base to be able to travel for 3 weeks...so, I've thought that having the first round games at the home sites for seeds 1-4 made sense...then, the semi-finals and finals at traditional bowl locations.

And I agree with human selections...need more computer data to select the final eight...and, less human input.  Just give me the 8 best teams based on W-L, strength of schedule, etc...

[The Kig]

Sometimes the line between lunacy and brilliance is hard to see.  Sometimes, like this...it is easier.  Leach is a genius, but also a bit of a nutcase. 

My vote is 8.  I agree that it is unlikely that the #8 team is going to prevail, but that is one of the things that makes college athletics so much fun.  As part of going to 8, I would also mandate that all P5 conferences play by the same rules about how they arrive at a champion. 

[HappyHogFan]

How many teams would make an ideal playoff system?

Not 4, not 8, not 16, not 32.......but 64 according to the incomparable Mike Leach:
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/88823/mike-leach-advocates-for-64-team-playoff



(oh, also...teams should be able to inflate balls however they see fit, without people making a big deal out of it.)

Eight

P5 Conference Champions and 3 at large, limit 2 per conference.

Yes that would eliminate many good teams each year from having a chance... Too bad.

[Inhogswetrust]

How many teams would make an ideal playoff system?

Not 4, not 8, not 16, not 32.......but 64 according to the incomparable Mike Leach:
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/88823/mike-leach-advocates-for-64-team-playoff



(oh, also...teams should be able to inflate balls however they see fit, without people making a big deal out of it.)

I dont' think I want to take advice from Leach................except on passing the ball all the time. He's as much of a nut case as nutty and slappy the coaching clown..................

[texas tush hog]

8

16

[Svrdhd]

Prior to this year, all the handwringing was for number 3. We've expanded from 2 to 4 teams, now everyone's worried about number 5. Let's not dilute the regular season or conference championship games any further.

[wholehog92]

Prior to this year, all the handwringing was for number 3. We've expanded from 2 to 4 teams, now everyone's worried about number 5. Let's not dilute the regular season or conference championship games any further.

People are trying to change what college national champ means.

In this thread, the people arguing for more are asking about teams that could have beaten OSU in the tournament.  It doesn't matter.  They didn't earn that right during the season.

You are spot on about it diluting the meaning of the season.  As I noted above, it will only increase the number of cupcake games from power 5 schools.

[PonderinHog]

16

+1   

[Atlhogfan1]

I was good with 0.   

Until conferences are more competitively balanced, I'm against conference champs getting in automatically. 

[War Boar]

I think 8 would be best.  Any more would be too many.  Most of the time this would cover all conference champions plus any teams that thought they should get a shot.

[TexHog188]

Way too big a gap in programs from top 10 to 50-64. I think 8 is about right, with auto qualifiers for conference championship winners ( i.e. Big XII get with it) and the next best 3 regardless of affiliation.

[Professor Psychosis]

Prior to this year, all the handwringing was for number 3. We've expanded from 2 to 4 teams, now everyone's worried about number 5. Let's not dilute the regular season or conference championship games any further.

Indeed, and, as Phil Steele has chronicled in his magazine this year, From 1998-2013, the number 5 team would very, very, very rarely have had a legitimate case to be the number 1 team at the end of the season/conference championships.  Most of the time, it was 2 or 3 at most that had a legitimate case to be number 1.  4 teams covers that.  8 is too many.

I'd rather the number 5 team that might have deserved it get left out once in awhile than to have a 2 or 3-loss number 8 team in the playoff regularly.

[wholehog92]

For those saying 8, lets pretend for a minute we had 8 last year.  That would have included additionally Baylor, TCU, Michigan St, and Mississippi St.

Baylor at the time of selection had a most impressive win against TCU and a rather embarrassing loss to W. Virginia.  They did not win their conference outright.  During the post season, the big 12 was the worst conference of the power 5 and they lost to Michigan St.  This was the "first team out."

  Let us pretend for a minute, they managed to win the playoff at the end of the year.  I don't recall in modern college football history a less deserving team to play for or win a national championship in college football.  I'd rather not see it now.

Michigan St. Had already lost to both OSU and Oregon who were included in the tournament.  They had absolutely zero impressive wins.  They did not win their conference.  They do epitomize reducing the value of the regular season if they had been eligible for the playoff though.  Who really cares if you lose during the regular season.  You could beat the same two teams at the end of the season and still be national champ.  Bama/LSU had a similar situation during the BCS era and everyone in the country was not happy. 

In 2007, LSU did win the national championship with 2 losses.  Both were in conference and in tripple overtime.  They did at least win their own division and conference championship outright.  Prior to that, you would have to back to before I was watching football to find a national champ with 2 losses.  (Assuming the primary A/P prior to BCS).  The idea that our generation has become so intrigued with give everybody a trophy they would willing search out a way to increase national champ eligible teams to LIKELY include 2 loss teams is silly to me.

[wholehog92]

Indeed, and, as Phil Steele has chronicled in his magazine this year, From 1998-2013, the number 5 team would very, very, very rarely have had a legitimate case to be the number 1 team at the end of the season/conference championships.  Most of the time, it was 2 or 3 at most that had a legitimate case to be number 1.  4 teams covers that.  8 is too many.

I'd rather the number 5 team that might have deserved it get left out once in awhile than to have a 2 or 3-loss number 8 team in the playoff regularly.

+1

[Hawgzinbowlz]

8

" GO HOGS "

[oldhawg]

Eliminate conference affiliations.

All teams can schedule eight games at the beginning of each season (perhaps traditional rivals, old conference rivals, and other match-ups of interest).

Based upon the results of those first eight games, teams are seeded 1 through 128.  Set up a bracket based upon these seedings.  At the end, the two finalists will have played seven play-off games plus their original eight games = 15 games.

After a team is eliminated from the national championship competition, they can schedule games with any other team that is not still participating in bracket play to fill out their twelve game schedule, and to qualify for bowl participation (as a reward for success on the field).  The national championship game will go to the bowl that is the highest bidder.

Everyone gets a chance, but the champion will repeatedly prove on the field that they deserve the ring.

Problem to be solved: a way to determine the home teams.  Other than the final games (bowl games), which would still be played in the city that sponsors them, home teams have to be designated.

[Pig in the Pokey]

i agree with Leach to the extent it is totally doable. I think 16 or 32 would be perfect. Especially as Hog fans. Why not settle it on the field?

[Svrdhd]

I think 16 or 32 would be perfect.

FCS has shown us that only a handful of fans can repeatedly traverse the U.S. to attend a series of playoff games. My kid was in Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, and Chicago before they lost. Few fans made those trips, even the band couldn't make them all.