Playoff Proponents

[CJHawkeyes]

What "tradition" would you not sacrifice to get the playoff format of your choice?

[JamesHowell]

My playoff format of choice would be a two-team playoff on January 1 matching the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac 10 for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl. :)

[EvilVodka]

What "tradition" would you not sacrifice to get the playoff format of your choice?

the regular season :D

[CJHawkeyes]

the regular season :D


Clever, but no playoff proponent thinks the regular season is sacred as is.

[Blue Hen]

I can't think of any....but conversely, I would sacrifice all things opinionated, poll driven, pretend, make believe, voted , and mythical to achieve any legitimate and inclusive football championship. What a surprise, huh ?

[H.I.]

What "tradition" would you not sacrifice to get the playoff format of your choice?

all of them. i mean i'm not yet 30, but in my lifetime i've seen the rise of the Fiesta, the demise of the Rose, the demise of the SWC, the rise of the 12 team super conference and championship games, the formation of the Big 12, VT to the Big East, VT to the ACC, eastern Boston College to the southern ACC, the formation of the BCS, South Florida from D-IAA to the BCS in less than 10 years, SMU from national power to no football, BYU from National Champ to non-BCS, the rise of FSU, the fall of FSU, etc. collge football--all things for that matter--are in flux. just look at the number of bowl games 10 to 15 years ago opposed to now. every thing changes. i don't understand why college football fans think it takes place inside of a vacuum. i mean a playoff is coming, and for the first time, your "BCS" school is actually going to have to earn something on the field of play instead of it being handed to them because of the conference they play a few decent game in.

[FLORIDA HERD FAN]

That is a red herring. Not even one tradition would have to be sacrificed in order to have a D-IA playoff system.

[CJHawkeyes]

That is a red herring. Not even one tradition would have to be sacrificed in order to have a D-IA playoff system.

I certainly agree, but I'm asking if there is something a playoff proponent wouldn't sacrifice to get the playoff of their choice. For example, one of the radical ideas I have proposed for discussion purposes was random conferences that change annually with all teams playing assigned schedules and the champions of the various conferences advancing to the playoffs. How about a more realistic idea? Add Western Kentucky and the I-AA quarterfinalists to I-A and I-A has 128 members. Create 16 eight-team divisions that are geographical and rivalry based. Each division plays a round robin schedule plus five games against another division. The 16 champions advance to the playoffs. Is there something lost in this setup that isn't worth sacrificing to have a playoff?

Personally, I'm probably in the minority in that nothing is too important to save. I'd rather Iowa play 12 different opponents every year with a conference/division title guaranteeing a playoff berth than have to play to certain teams. Under the more radical idea I mentioned, a division game versus, for example, Colorado State, would have more value to me than the Iowa State game does now.

[HellYeahHokie]

I think you are on a deserted island with your idea. I know of no college football fan, other than yourself, that would even consider your proposal something other than a practical joke.

I don't mean that to be harsh, but you have to understand that people like college football the way it is, except for the lack of a playoff. The only changes anyone would want to see, would only result in a playoff scenario, without changing anything else about the game.

[CJHawkeyes]

I think you are on a deserted island with your idea. I know of no college football fan, other than yourself, that would even consider your proposal something other than a practical joke.

I don't mean that to be harsh, but you have to understand that people like college football the way it is, except for the lack of a playoff. The only changes anyone would want to see, would only result in a playoff scenario, without changing anything else about the game.


I fully understand that and I wasn't actually proposing them in this instance. Just giving an example of an idea that would eliminate much of what people like about the status quo to see if people would go those lengths to get a playoff.

BTW, is the geographical and rivalry based format a joke too? Just curious. I mean, if Virginia Tech still plays Virginia annually, would that be enough?

[Bucky]

Personally, I'm probably in the minority in that nothing is too important to save. I'd rather Iowa play 12 different opponents every year with a conference/division title guaranteeing a playoff berth than have to play to certain teams. Under the more radical idea I mentioned, a division game versus, for example, Colorado State, would have more value to me than the Iowa State game does now.



You aren't in the minority, I think you are on a different planet. Is there any other Iowa "fan" who thinks a CSU game would have more value than an Iowa State game?


Seriously, do you even watch college football? Do you get any enjoyment from it?

[HellYeahHokie]

I understand that you don't. But pretty much every college sports fan cares about conferences. So no, playing UVA once per year is not sufficient. Having bragging rights within a conference matters. UVA was a rival long before VT joined the ACC, but winning the Big East was bigger deal than beating the Hoos.

[GatorGrad]

I would never give up playing in the SEC, which Florida is a charter member of, for ANY playoff system. There is nothing like it. Playing in Knoxville on the Tennessee river, playing Georgia in Jacksonville on the banks of the St. Johns River, playing LSU in Death Valley at night, games against Alabama or Auburn, going head to head with Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, and the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta (which is our Super Bowl and THE game every year in the SEC until there is a playoff) is as good as it gets. The passion of the fans, the traditions, etc MAKE college football for me. Do I want a playoff? Sure. Would I give up playing in the SEC for it? No.

FLORIDA FOOTBALL: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2006 SEC CHAMPIONS

[CJHawkeyes]

You aren't in the minority, I think you are on a different planet. Is there any other Iowa "fan" who thinks a CSU game would have more value than an Iowa State game?


Seriously, do you even watch college football? Do you get any enjoyment from it?


I'm not actually pushing for these ideas. They are just examples. Yes, I would place more value on a game versus Colorado State than a game versus Iowa State based on the context I mentioned. Furthermore, there are a great number of Iowa fans that want to dump Iowa State for a bigger name opponent. I'm willing to bet most would favor playing Nebraska on an annual basis than playing Iowa State.

Nevertheless, I only posted these extreme ideas to see how far some are willing to go for a playoff. There are certainly ideas which eliminate nothing but the worst traits of college football that would make the game much better. I certainly find a great deal of enjoyment from college football. Doesn't mean I have to accept what is wrong with the game.

[CJHawkeyes]

I understand that you don't. But pretty much every college sports fan cares about conferences. So no, playing UVA once per year is not sufficient. Having bragging rights within a conference matters. UVA was a rival long before VT joined the ACC, but winning the Big East was bigger deal than beating the Hoos.


I never said I didn't care about conferences. The ideas I gave are simply extreme examples which I might prefer to the current setup but that doesn't mean they are high on my list of preferred options. That said, the idea I asked about would retain conference bragging rights. Basically, I-A would breakdown into 16 eight team conferences. As such, what would be your ideal eight team conference for Virginia Tech?

Personally, I would love for there to be something like eight 12 team conferences playing round robin schedules with the champions advancing to a playoff. Playing a round robin Big Ten schedule with a conference title leading to a playoff berth would be exciting to me.

[GatorGrad]

Speaking of a Big Ten round robin conference schedule, why doesn't the Big Ten should drop a team so that 1) their conference name makes sense and 2) they can play a 9-game round robin conference schedule like the PAC 10?

If you're not going to add a 12th team for a CCG, maybe you should kick a team out and get rid of the silly 11-team conference structure.

[CJHawkeyes]

Speaking of a Big Ten round robin conference schedule, why doesn't the Big Ten should drop a team so that 1) their conference name makes sense and 2) they can play a 9-game round robin conference schedule like the PAC 10?

If you're not going to add a 12th team for a CCG, maybe you should kick a team out and get rid of the silly 11-team conference structure.

Who you going to kick out that is willing to go just so the others can play a round robin schedule? As for the name, the Big Ten is a brand name that transcends its numerical value. So, I don't really think it matters anymore. Had 11 members for close to 15 years now. I imagine the name would stay the same if a 12th member were added and they would find a way to work a "12" into the logo. Still, with 120 I-A members, 10 12-team conferences playing round robin schedules with the champs advancing to the playoffs would be great. Most conferences could stay intact. I don't really get too involved in the best conference arguments. I think all are interesting. I like Saturday night SEC games on ESPN and would love to see a round robin SEC championship race as well. Imagine Florida-Tennessee moved to the final week of the season and it determining the SEC's playoff rep or perhaps the Iron Bowl instead.

OOC, would you be in favor of a round robin SEC schedule with a playoff berth at stake if it meant no longer Florida State during the regular season?

[FLORIDA HERD FAN]

Fear not, GatorGrad. There is no reason whatsoever why a national championship playoff would require any conference changes.

In fact, the BCS, in any form, and an NCAA D-IA championship playoff could easily co-exist, much as did the NCAA basketball tourney and the NIT way back when. It is simple -- a seeded team in the NCAA tournament can opt out, if it so chooses, and the 17-seed moves into the tournament field.

[GatorGrad]

Actually, I would prefer a round robin 11-game SEC Schedule with ONE out of conference game, and for that one out of conference game to be FSU. With FSU being at the end of the season if there is no playoff, but at the start of the season if there was a playoff.

[HellYeahHokie]

Actually, I would prefer a round robin 11-game SEC Schedule with ONE out of conference game, and for that one out of conference game to be FSU. With FSU being at the end of the season if there is no playoff, but at the start of the season if there was a playoff.

You would want to play the exact same teams every single year? No chance for home-and-home matchup like OSU and Texas had? No chance to play Miami in any given year for the State of Florida bragging rights?

One of the best parts of Tech's emergence as a legitimate program, is the fact we've been able to play home-and-home series with teams like LSU, aTm, and SouthernCal during the regular season. I would find it very unsatisfying if my team played the exact same schedule every single year.

[Don]

My playoff format of choice would be a two-team playoff on January 1 matching the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac 10 for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl. :)

Couldn't resist!:)

[GatorGrad]

You would want to play the exact same teams every single year? No chance for home-and-home matchup like OSU and Texas had? No chance to play Miami in any given year for the State of Florida bragging rights?

One of the best parts of Tech's emergence as a legitimate program, is the fact we've been able to play home-and-home series with teams like LSU, aTm, and SouthernCal during the regular season. I would find it very unsatisfying if my team played the exact same schedule every single year.

Sure I would be fine with it. Playing in the SEC and FSU is a blast. Playing schools like Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, FSU, etc year in and year out never gets old. I suppose we could drop FSU or rotate them in with Miami or another non conference opponent. Otherwise, that's what the bowl game would be for.

[EvilVodka]

I suppose we could drop FSU or rotate them in with Miami or another non conference opponent. Otherwise, that's what the bowl game would be for.

Isn't it state law that the Noles and Gators have to play?

[GatorGrad]

Isn't it state law that the Noles and Gators have to play?

I know it was a long time ago...not sure if that's still the case.