College American Football
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Any thoughts on the committee's selection today?
Personally, I think they made the right decision, but I do feel for the Big XII contenders.
For me, the silver lining is this pushes us closer to an inevitable 8 team, featuring 5 conference champions, 2 at-larges, and a contender from a conference outside the Power 5 (think Boise).
Prediction: Tide v. Quack – with the Ducks scoring enough to hoist the new hardware.
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The Big 12 isn't a very good conference and I'm not really sure either Baylor or TCU deserve to be in the playoffs. And I say this as someone who has watched a lot of Big 12 football over the last several years.
I'm just waiting for a 16 team playoff system like they're been doing forever in I-AA.
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I can't give an educated opinion on the Big XII because I haven't watched them as much as I should have. From what I've seen, they look top heavy like most conferences.
I love the idea of a 16, however, but I doubt it will ever happen. As it is, an 8 would most likely require the sacrifice of a non-conference game; which equates to losing a lot of cash for most programs.
The current system has the season ending ~1/8. The concern is most Spring semesters start around that time, and if additional games were to be added, then the season could encroach on a second semester. This could have negative financial, and, realistically, eligibility ramifications.
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They got it as right as they could. FSU is a wasted spot but they couldn't kick them out rightly. Preseason rankings are the problem. I still think one more round would be better, 8 instead of 4 teams.
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The FCS Championship game is January 10. That's following a 16 team playoff and most of the teams involved have played 12 games beforehand. Sure, maybe that means dropping an out of conference game so the schedule fits, but so what? If Texas doesn't get to open the season against Central Southwestern Louisiana State Agricultural & Technical College for the Blind, I'm sure they'll be ok.
I'm always bothered by how the big conferences act like they're trailblazing through new territory when smaller schools with less money and kids who actually go to class have been doing it for years. Major college football is a broken system and has been for a long time. I'm all for burning it to the ground and starting over in a way that actually benefits the kids getting churned through the machine.
Of course, I'm under no illusions that setting up a playoff system helps players, but it's less hypocritical than the arguments for not having one.
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No arguments here, Chris. There are so many hypocrisies in college football (and collegiate athletics, in general), that it's difficult to know where to start complaining.
I truly hope programs cut one non-conference game to make room for an additional playoff round, but I doubt it will ever happen. Major programs make so much money for the school on home games. I think a more realistic possibility is starting the season a week earlier. Again, this isn't better for the athletes, but it doesn't interfere with the school's revenue, so I think it could happen.
Regardless, I think we can agree that this 4 team is a step in the right direction. It wasn't that long ago when the best team in the country was decided by a flawed voting system.
Also, my cousin went to CSLSATCB. Go Service Dogs!
