8 Team College Football Playoff: It's Time

I feel like every year when we see the reveal of the College Football Playoff field of 4 teams, I am one of what seems like a vast majority of college football fans that are pleading either for their team to have a shot or for an expanded playoff field.  I have been saying for years that an expanded playoff of at least 8 and maybe even 16 is needed.  I feel this season, maybe more than any other, proves that it is time for this to happen.

Here is the craziest part of this realization: the CFP committee got it right this year.  There were 3 or 4 teams that had a legitimate claim on that final playoff spot.  Ohio St. had possibly the best win of anyone this season, demolishing Michigan in embarrassing fashion.  Georgia had 2 losses, but they were the only team to even compete with Alabama, who needed another miracle comeback to pull out the SEC Championship.  UCF just finished their second straight perfect season.  However, Oklahoma seemed most deserving after avenging their one and only loss by beating Texas in the Big 12 Championship game.  I look at the 4 teams that will be playing for the championship, and they are exactly who they should be.  However, the fact that these four are the right four show that the system is flawed and needs to be fixed.

This is the fifth year of the College Football Playoff, and something that has been an issue since its inception is how in the world can you have a playoff a four when you claim to have a "Power 5" conference group.  It makes no sense.  One of your conferences, who are all said to be of equal standing, is guaranteed to be left out of the playoff.  On top of that, this is the second straight year only three conferences will be represented in the Playoff (Alabama made it as a non conference champ last year, Notre Dame is conference-less this year).  Both years, the Pac 12 and Big 10 have been the conferences left out of the party.  Ranking these top teams not only is judging the quality of that team, but also the quality and priority of a conference.  For instance, the SEC will never be left out of the CFP no matter what the best record is coming out of the conference.  There is a definite priority of some conferences over others.  I'm not even going to touch the fact that Notre Dame is still allowed to exist outside of the conference system.

Another argument I have always made for an expanded is the fact that about 2/3 of the college football landscape in FBS starts their season knowing they have no chance at winning a national championship.  UCF just finished their 2nd straight undefeated season, even destroying a team that ended up in the ACC Championship Game this season, and they were never even considered a serious option.  There must be a way that every team can have a legitimate shot at winning a title every year.

A lesser issue I have with the current system, and actually how the system has always worked, is the fact that we now have to wait a month to see these top teams play again.  I have always found this odd.  No other sport would even consider taking a month off between its regular season and postseason.  All momentum is gone, all continuity is gone, teams come out rusty as if they were playing the first game of the season.  It really produces a product that is less than the best.

This really is an easy problem to fix I think.  Go to an 8 team playoff.  Everything currently in place can stay the same.  It would just add one wild weekend of football to set up the current four team format.  This weekend would take place two weeks after championship weekend, which is the current start of bowl season already.  There wouldn't be a need for more travel and neutral site games as the first round can simply be a home game for the top seed.  The field would consist of the conference champs from the Power 5 conferences, the top Group of 5 team, and two at large teams.  The committee can continue to do what it is doing, however their primary function would shift to choosing the last three teams and seeding the playoff.  If this were to take place this year, here is what it would look like.  Tell me this doesn't sound worth it!

1.  Alabama (SEC Champ)

2.  Clemson (ACC Champ)

3.  Notre Dame (at large)

4.  Oklahoma (Big 12 Champ)

5.  Georgia (at large)

6.  Ohio St. (Big 10 Champ)

7.  UCF (Group of 5 team)

8.  Washington (Pac 12 Champ)

On Saturday, December 15th, here would be the quarterfinal matchups.

Washington at Alabama

Washington proved earlier this year that they are not afraid to play in the south and go toe to toe with a big bad SEC team.  The Huskies started this season beat up, playing a sloppy game, and still almost beating Auburn in Atlanta.  They are now at full strength, playing their best football, and would give Bama a run for their money.  I'm not saying they could win in Tuscaloosa in a game like this, but it would be worth the watch.

UCF at Clemson

This game would be a lot more intriguing if McKenzie Milton hadn't tried to get his leg ripped off a couple weeks ago.  With that said, the Knights have shown the last two weeks that they are much more than Milton as they have continued their winning streak.  So you would have the most hungry team in the playoff facing, potentially, the most untested team in the field.  Clemson played their way through a weak ACC without ever really needing to break much of a sweat.  It would make an interesting dynamic for a playoff game for sure.  It definitely would add some weight to UCF's game on the big stage; much more weight than the Fiesta Bowl against LSU, who has been irrelevant since their loss to Bama last month.

Ohio St. at Notre Dame

No one would argue about seeing these two powerhouses face off in a playoff game!  Notre Dame and Ohio St. share something in that they are the only two teams to defeat Michigan this season.  This would be a fun game to watch for sure!

Georgia at Oklahoma

Which team deserved to make it to this year's playoff?  Well, this rematch of last year's semifinal classic would help determine which team truly is best.  Honestly, I think Georgia is the better team, but Oklahoma is the more deserving team.  It would be fun to see Kyler Murray and that Oklahoma offense go up against an SEC defense (which we will see when they play Bama).  It would also be fun to see an SEC team Georgia have to go on the road to Norman and play the Sooners.

You are crazy if you think this wouldn't be beneficial to the sport.  Everyone wants to see it, all 8 of these teams have earned their opportunities to play for the title.  How is this a bad thing?  Make it happen NCAA!

What If...: 8 Team Playoff

Over the years I have written several articles speculating ways the NCAA can improve how it treats college football's highest level.  I have looked at 16 team playoffs, Super Conferences, and creating a new division for the Power 5 conferences.  I even wrote an article simply giving the NCAA 5 ideas how they can fix everything.  Over the last 3 years, an attempt has been made to fix many of the issues with the start of the College Football Playoff.  However, there are still many more things they can do to perfect the system, including expand the playoff.

First, everyone looks at strength of schedule in the college football resumes.  Some schools schedule FCS cakewalks, and some schools refuse to play road games (Bama, I'm looking at you), and some schools schedule a tough group of games and get penalized for extra losses at the end of the season.  I mentioned this in my previous article, and I think it is still needed.  The NCAA needs to set rules on schedules.  Here are a couple rules that would help level the playing field.

1.  FCS schools can be scheduled as preseason games only.

I understand the concept of scheduling FCS schools.  I understand that some of the FCS programs rely on the dues they are paid to play these games.  They can no longer count as a part of the regular schedule.  Schedule them as preseason games in August.  Everyone would love this!  It would allow college football to be relevant much earlier, everyone would get a preview of what their team looks like, and the teams would get a chance to have a true game before they counted.

2.  Regulate what the non-conference schedule has to be.

Along with no more FCS schools, there needs to be regulations on what the non-conference schedule must be.  Power 5 schools play 9 conference games and 3 non-conference games.  Of those 3 non-conference games, two of them must be against Power 5 opponents, and one of them against a Group of 5 opponent.  One of the Power 5 games is at home, while one is away.  The Group of 5 games alternate year to year between home and away.  Neutral site non-conference games will alternate as counting as a home or away game.  This will level out the playing field with every team being forced to have the same non-conference schedule.  Washington was held back this year by their weak non-conference schedule (even though they played a Power 5 school ... okay, it was Rutgers ... but Rutgers is in the same division as Michigan, Penn St., and Ohio St.).  On the other side, Alabama hasn't played a true road non-conference game since 2011.  That would no longer be allowed either.

3.  The non-conference schedule must be completed before conference games start.

The SEC has been notorious for manipulating their schedule to make it as easy as possible.  For example, I'm going to pick on Alabama once again.  The reason is because they make it so easy.  Every season since 2008, Alabama has scheduled an FCS opponent as their second-to-last game before the Iron Bowl.  Most of the other conferences start their season with their entire non-conference schedule, and then only play conference games the rest of the way.  Not only should it be regulated who you play in non-conference, but it should be regulated when you play your non-conference.  All non-conference games should be played before conference play starts.


Those are my rule proposals to help level the playing field when it comes to schedule.  Now let's talk about this playoff.  I was a big supporter of a 16 team playoff for awhile.  However, once the 6 BCS conference shrunk to the Power 5, and once the College Football Playoff was established, my opinion was adapted.  Although the current CFP is a step in the right direction, there is still much more that can be done, and 2016 is the perfect example to prove me right.  Here are the main flaws with the current system and why an 8 team playoff would be better.

1.  The math doesn't add up.

How can the NCAA claim to have a "Power 5" conference division and yet only allow four teams into the playoff.  In the 3 years of the CFP, the Big 12 has been left out twice, while the Pac 12 was left out last year.  If you have 5 conferences, you should have at least 5 playoff spots.  Either that, or keep the 4 team playoff and make it a Power 4 conferences.

2.  It's hard to win a conference, and it should be rewarded.

This is the first year a team made the CFP without winning their conference championship.  Now, with Ohio St.'s play and resume, I doubt anyone would have much of an argument that they don't belong.  However, this means that for the first time, two conference champions were left out.  I don't think the NCAA and the CFP truly appreciate how hard it is to emerge out of a conference as the champion.  Regardless how strong your conference is, the natural rivalries that develop when you play a team every season make anything possible during conference play.  Washington almost lost to Arizona, Clemson almost lost to NC State, Michigan lost to Iowa.  All three of those are considered inferior opponents this season.  In fact, only two Power 5 schools this season were able to navigate their conference schedule unblemished: Alabama and Oklahoma.  Penn St. and Oklahoma deserve a shot at the championship simply because they won their conference.

3.  Half of the FBS schools have no chance of winning the National Championship.

This was my main argument for a 16 team playoff.  How can you claim to have an FBS division when half of your teams have no shot to win the championship.  Western Michigan did everything they were supposed to do this season.  They scheduled a tough non-conference with two Big 10 teams.  Then they ran the table, finishing 13-0 with a conference championship.  Their final ranking by the CFP committee was 15th.  The CFP made a step in the right direction by guaranteeing a spot in a New Years 6 bowl game for the best Group of 5 team, but they deserve a shot at the whole thing.  When you have a subjective judging method, there will always be bias involved towards the big brands and away from those not traditionally elite.  Many analysts were even saying Washington's spot in the playoff would be nowhere near as disputed as it was if it had been a school like USC fighting for that spot with the same resume.  There needs to be a little more objectivity in the system.


Let's talk about how an 8 team playoff would work and why it would be better.  First, it would truly reward a great season no matter who were.  Power 5 conference champions would be guaranteed a spot.  There would also be a guaranteed spot for the best of the Group of 5.  Many people claim that expanding it to 8 would make the regular season less exciting.  Well, those same people said the same thing about expanding it to 4.  The reality is it is more exciting when more teams are in contention.  This year, Bedlem decided a conference champion.  What if it was for a guaranteed playoff birth?  Few were paying attention to Florida winning their division in the SEC.  What if that win got them into a play-in game for the playoff?  It wouldn't lessen the excitement of the regular season.  It would make it more exciting simply because more games would matter.

Let's talk logistics.  The system would not have to change much.  The playoff would start two weeks after the conference championships (when the bowl season starts).  The first round of the playoffs would take place at the home of the higher ranked team.  There would be 4 of the New Years 6 bowl games set aside.  Two of these games would act as semifinals like they do now.  The other two bowl games would include the losers from the first round of the playoff.  This way everyone still gets the bowl game experience, as well as having two weeks to prepare.  The 8 team field would include the Power 5 conference champions, the best of the Group of 5, and two Wild Cards.  The job of the committee would then be to choose the two Wild Card teams and seed the 8 teams.  Here is how it would look this year, and I dare you to tell me this wouldn't be more exciting than what we have.  Talk about a quadruple header!

Quarterfinals

# 8 Western Michigan at # 1 Alabama

The Broncos deserve a shot.  They wouldn't have much of a shot, but let them play Bama and see if they belong.

# 5 Penn St. at # 4 Washington

Do you want to know which one belongs in the Top 4?  Let them play and find out!

# 7 Oklahoma at # 2 Clemson

Most people would claim that these are the two worst conferences in the Power 5 right now.  This would be a fascinating matchup that I would love to see.

# 6 Michigan at # 3 Ohio St.

You would almost want to have a rule saying no inter-conference games in the quarterfinals, but would anyone argue with a rematch of the best game this season?


All of that in one Saturday.  How exciting would that be!  If these truly are the best four teams, then they would prove it by winning.  In the past, I have called it Holiday Madness because it would recreate some of the magic basketball finds in March.  What makes 2016 the best year so far to do something like this is there are truly 7 teams (8 if you include Western Michigan) that have a legitimate claim to one of the four spots.  So let's make enough spots for them all!

Week 10 College Football Recap: Rankings, Heisman, Playoff Projections

Alabama knocks out LSU, Navy shocks Memphis, Arkansas throws a lateral 25 yard lateral on 4th and 25 to win on overtime, and Nebraska takes down Michigan State in a controversial miracle. Just another week in college football. Check out the rundown below:

Top 25 Poll

Others receiving votes: Bowling Green, Boise State, BYU, Florida State, Mississippi State, Toledo

Dropped from the rankings: Toledo (18), Mississippi (20), Florida State (21), Appalachian State (23), Marshall (25)

25 (NR). Northwestern (7-2) – The Wildcats return to the top 25 for the first time since their ugly two-game skid. They continue to surprise each week.

24 (NR). UCLA (7-2) – This is probably the most forgotten team in the nation. They are beginning to get healthy, and they control their own destiny in the South.

23 (NR). Wisconsin (8-2) – When you start to look at a team whose only losses are to an unbeaten team and arguably the best team in the nation, you start to take notice. They are the quietest team in the Big 10.

22 (NR). Washington State (6-3) – Take out the opening loss to Portland State, and this team is one of the scariest teams in the country. In the past, they couldn’t defend. This team has some fight on D.

21 (NR). USC (6-3) – The Trojans are one of the most talented teams in the country, and while they have some bad losses, they are piling up impressive wins.

20 (12). Memphis (8-1) – They got handled by Navy, which was pretty shocking. But then again, their win against Ole Miss isn’t all that impressive anymore.

19 (15). Michigan (7-2) – Sparty losing doesn’t help their cause. They are a tough out, but other teams are rising around them.

18 (22). Temple (8-1) – The Owls have the benefit of being in the weaker side of the AAC, so expect them to meet Houston in the biggest conference title game in AAC history.

17 (19). North Carolina (8-1) – Other than the strange opening loss to South Carolina, the Tar Heels have done nothing but impress. Why is no one talking about them?

16 (24). Navy (7-1) – They lost ugly to Notre Dame, but taking out Memphis the way they did really proved something to the nation.

15 (7). Michigan State (8-1) – Losing to an unranked team by giving up 39 points? It was a team that is better than their record, but the flaws in Sparty’s system were exposed.

14 (8). TCU (8-1) – TCU was playing with fire early in the year, and all of that was finally exposed against an inspired and tough Oklahoma State squad.

13 (3). LSU (7-1) – They were never really in the game against Alabama. LSU really hadn’t won any impressive games, but losing the way they did was surprising.

12 (14). Florida (8-1) – Even though they nearly got beat by the worst Power 5 team by far, their defense is still stout enough to cruise through the SEC East.

11 (17). Utah (8-1) – Winning in Seattle is no easy task, especially for a program that has never beaten that team. The Utes seemed to be forgotten after USC trounced them, but they still seem to control their own destiny for the playoff.

10 (13). Iowa (9-0) – Iowa continues to win and win ugly. They are going to need to look good in the Big 10 Championship to even secure one of the big bowl games.

9 (9). Houston (9-0) – This is easily the best team outside of the Power 5. They had a lackluster game, but they are close to complete.

8 (10). Oklahoma (8-1) – This is probably the most talented defense in the Big 12, which puts them as the odds-on favorite to take the conference (out of the playoff).

7 (2). Ohio State (9-0) – I think we have all had enough of watching this team struggle through every weak team and still be ranked in the top 5.

6 (5). Stanford (8-1) – Stanford is the one team in the country where you cannot pinpoint a single flaw. Losing to Northwestern is still going to hold them back until everyone has a loss.

5 (6). Alabama (8-1) – The Tide rolled all over LSU, which was not exactly shocking. Their loss is looking worse and worse every week, though.

4 (1). Baylor (8-0) – Their true freshman replacement QB looked good, but the team almost folded in the end against K-State. I am not sure I see this team losing anyway.

3 (16). Oklahoma State (9-0) – Hammering TCU the way they did was the best win of the year in the Big 12 by far. No one knows what to expect from them, but having everyone tough at home in the final month is huge.

2 (11). Notre Dame (8-1) – They took out a really solid Pitt team, and their loss to Clemson is looking more impressive than ever.

1 (4). Clemson (9-0) – I honestly think Notre Dame is the better team, but it is hard to rank them above an unbeaten team who beat them. Clemson deserves this spot after their impressive game against their nemesis Florida State.

Top 5 Games for Next Weekend

5. Oregon at Stanford (#6), 4:30PM FOX – This is always an entertaining game, and these teams love to trade heartbreakers. Is this year different? I suspect not.

PREDICTION: Oregon 34-28

4. Washington State (#22) at UCLA (#24), 7:45PM ESPN – The Cougars seem to still be underestimated even though they pass every test. Here is yet another one.

PREDICTION: Washington State 38-35

3. Alabama (#5) at Mississippi State, 12:30PM CBS – Mississippi State has quietly put together a nice season, and while them beating Alabama is rare, they get them at home and are coming off of a strong stretch in October. It won’t be good enough.

PREDICTION: Alabama 31-13

2. Memphis (#20) at Houston (#9), 4:00PM ESPN2 – This is the biggest game this conference has ever had. The hope for the future reputation of the conference rests with Tom Herman’s squad. I think they get it done at home.

PREDICTION: Houston 35-23

1. Oklahoma (#8) at Baylor (#4), 5:00PM ABC – This is going to be a battle. Can the true freshman put up the monster numbers needed to take down a semi-legit defense?

PREDICTION: Baylor 42-34

Heisman Trophy Watch

5. Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Ohio State – I feel like he needs to be unbeaten to get invited over someone like DeShaun Watson, but as of right now, he is carrying that team.

4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford – He is the best all-purpose player in years. I find it hard to imagine him not getting an invite.

3. Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor – He might be Baylor’s best receiver ever, and this might be the biggest landslide Bilenikoff voting of all time.

2. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama – His numbers are becoming as impressive as anyone in the nation. This is an insane year for running backs.

1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – Yeah, he lost and it was bad. He still is averaging over 150 yards per game in the SEC. Unless he has a repeat performance, he will be the frontrunner still.

College Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: LSU over Oklahoma State

Rose Bowl: Stanford over Iowa

Fiesta Bowl: Houston over Baylor

Sugar Bowl: Utah over Florida

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1 (Orange Bowl): Ohio State over Clemson

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl): Notre Dame over Alabama

National Championship Game: Ohio State over Notre Dame

What did you think of this weekend? Rankings? Heisman predictions? Let me know below!