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!

2014 College Football Playoff: A Step, Not a Solution

This year marks a new era in college football as the first College Football Playoff will be played at the highest level of the collegiate sport.  Every other division of football at any level has played a playoff forever, but finally someone convinced the powers that be that they could make even more money if they have a playoff.  I'm not going to lie, I'm excited about the upcoming College Football Playoff, and this is one of the best seasons to start such a system as there are no teams that are the consensus top squads.  However, this is also the best season to show that this is still a work in progress.  This incarnation of the College Football Playoff is definitely a step in the right direction, but not the end-all solution.

Here is my problem with this 4-team playoff system.  There is said to be a "Power 5" conferences in FBS now: Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC.  The committee is said to value conference champions above almost anything else.  If that is the case, how can you have a playoff system with less than five teams.  A conference champion of a Power 5 conference (actually two since the Big 12 went for the cop out and named co-champions) was left out of the playoff even though they deserved that berth just as much as everyone that made it.  The ACC was the weakest of the five conferences this year, but their champion made it because they were the undefeated team (and defending champion).  So how do you leave out the Big 12 champ(s)?  The answer is you can't and still say there are a Power 5 equal conferences.

For the past few years, I have been writing posts championing what I called the "Holiday Madness Playoff."  This system would establish a 16-team playoff, giving automatic bids to each of the 10 conference champions, as well as six at large bids to the next top six teams.  This would give every team a chance at the top prize and set up a system that could potentially rival the March Madness basketball bracket.  Let's take a look at what the 16 team field this year would look like.

1.  Alabama (SEC Champ)

2.  Oregon (Pac-12 Champ)

3.  Florida St. (ACC Champ)

4.  Ohio St. (B1G Champ)

5.  Baylor (Big 12 Champ)

6.  TCU (AT LARGE)

7.  Mississippi St. (AT LARGE)

8.  Michigan St. (AT LARGE)

9.  Ole Miss (AT LARGE)

10.  Arizona (AT LARGE)

11.  Kansas St. (AT LARGE)

12.  Boise St. (MWC Champ)

13.  Marshall (C-USA Champ)

14.  Northern Illinois (MAC Champ)

15.  Memphis (AAC Champ)

16.  Georgia Southern (Sun Belt Champ)

This would produce some great matchups and great drama, while discovering one true champion.  However, as the college football landscape continues to change the lower conferences, or "Group of 5" as they are called now, are not quite as prevalent and strong as they have been in recent years.  I like the some of the ideas of the new playoff system so I have decided that the two concepts need to combine.  Here is the ideal next step that could be the best system for today's FBS is as follows...

Eight team playoff.  The eight teams would be made up of the conference champs from the Power 5 conferences, the best team in the Group of 5 (much like what is done for the New Year's 6 bowls this year), and two Wild Card bids.  The committee would be charged with selecting the final three bids and seeding the field.  The quarterfinals would be played the week after the awards ceremonies (two weeks after conference championships) at the home stadium of the higher seed.  This also allows for less time between games.  Teams can change in that month between the end of the season and the bowl games.  Momentum is gained or lost, and quite often the results are much different than they would have been if they were played right after the season.  Then the semifinals and finals would be played exactly how they are now.  The losing teams in the quarterfinals would be placed in the New Year's 6 bowl games like they already are now.  This system would allow every one of the Power 5 conferences to truly be treated equally, allow an opportunity for a Group of 5 school to have a shot at the top prize (something they have never had), and still keep basically the same system that has already been set up.  (Like I said, I don't have a problem with the system they have except for the number.)  So here is what the field would look like and how it could play out.

First Four Out

Michigan St. - If there is a 2-loss team that has a resume that deserves consideration, it's Sparty.  Their two losses came to the Pac-12 champ and the Big Ten champ.  However, some shaky play down the stretch and playing in the dejected Big Ten, left them mostly forgotten about the second half of the season and on the outside looking in.


Ole Miss - The Rebels ended up with three losses, but had some definite marquee wins over teams like Boise St. (MWC Champ), Memphis (AAC Champ), Alabama (SEC champ), and Mississippi St.  This got them close, however three losses is hard to overcome, especially a shutout massacre against Arkansas.


Arizona - Many thought Arizona had a shot at the final four if they were able to defeat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game.  However, their poor performance in that game leaves them on the outside looking in.  This brings about one of the few flaws with a system like this.  Whoever loses the conference championship, like Arizona, often ends up below teams that weren't good enough to even make it to conference championships, like Michigan St. and Ole Miss.  If Arizona hadn't gotten beat so bad, they still may have had a shot, but the Heisman Trophy winner kicked them out.


Marshall - If they don't lose that bizarre shootout to Western Kentucky and go undefeated, I think they have to be the top team from the Group of 5.  Undefeated should trump everything (it did this year for Florida St.).

Quarterfinals

# 8 Mississippi St. (or TCU) at # 1 Alabama - In our first quarterfinal, we have a rematch of a late season showdown.  An optional rule that could be instated is outlawing rematches in the quarterfinals if at all possible much like the MLB Playoffs used to do.  This would have Bama playing TCU instead.  However, we will look at the matchup this way.  Mississippi St. looked pretty bad the last month or so of the season, but they still only lost two games to Bama and Ole Miss.  They deserve the shot, even if that shot is going back to Tuscaloosa to do what they already failed once at.  Chances are they fail again as Bama is close to unstoppable at home.  Alabama def. Mississippi St, 31-16

# 5 Baylor at # 4 Ohio St. - Well let's just settle this debate on who deserved that last spot in the playoff once and for all.  The Buckeyes finished hot, even if it was with their third-string QB.  Third string at Ohio St. is better than first string at 75% of the schools in the nation though.  Outside of one random loss in West Virginia, Baylor has been flawless all year.  This would be such a fun game to see.  The difference might be the fact that it would be in Columbus.  I'm still not convinced Ohio St. can keep the momentum up with yet another leader at QB this year.  This is a toss up shootout.  Ohio St. def. Baylor, 47-42

# 7 TCU (or Mississippi St.) at # 2 Oregon - It wouldn't be out of the question to make the statement that either of these teams is the best team in the nation this year.  TCU has been nearly unstoppable outside of a last-second loss to Baylor.  Oregon, now healthy, is the most efficient team in the nation.  TCU going to Eugene would be a difficult game to win.  On the other hand, the Horned Frog defense might be the toughest defense Marcus Mariota would see since Michigan St. (at least the first three quarters of that game).  On the other hand, if TCU struggled this year, it was on the road.  With all these things considered, I'd go with the Ducks.  Oregon def. TCU, 33-27

# 6 Boise St. at # 3 Florida St. - This would be a fascinating matchup.  First off, I decided to go with the policy that the Group of 5 representative would be slotted in at the 6th seed at the lowest.  This is because they are a conference champion and deserve to get some sort of treatment.  Also, matching them up with the #1 seed in the quarterfinals wouldn't be fair to either team.  Instead, we get a very intriguing matchup here.  Boise St. is a Power 5 team in a Group of 5 jersey.  They are better and more sound than almost any other opponent Florida St. faced this year.  The Seminoles struggled with a lot of mediocre teams this year and were able to sneak out a lot of wins because the mediocre teams couldn't put a consistent four quarters together.  I think the Broncos could.  If there would be an upset in the first round, this might be where you would see it.  With that said, I'd go with Jameis Winston sneaking out another one.  Boise St. is good, but they aren't as good as they have been in the past.  Florida St. def. Boise St., 20-17

Semifinals

Sugar Bowl - # 1 Alabama vs. # 4 Ohio St. - So our final four ends up the same here.  So let's break down these matchups.  Urban Meyer knows what it takes to beat an SEC team.  He made his name doing that.  This year's incarnation of Bama is not what they have been in the past.  Even with a third-string quarterback, I truly think Ohio St. is the more talented team.  On a "neutral" field (as neutral as the Sugar Bowl can be for an SEC team), this looks like a game set up for the Buckeyes to take and bring some respectability back to the Big Ten.  Ohio St. def. Alabama, 38-28

Rose Bowl - # 2 Oregon vs. # 3 Florida St. - This would mark the first time Florida St. would play a team that has a talent level that either equals or exceeds their own.  Oregon is a battle-tested team as the Pac-12 was arguably the best conference in the nation this year.  The Seminoles will get off to their trademark slow start, and Oregon will never look back.  Their defense is good enough to hold off any late charges Jamies Winston tries to put together because the Ducks also get better in the 4th quarter.  This game may not even be close.  Oregon def. Florida St., 45-23

National Championship Game

# 2 Oregon vs. # 4 Ohio St. - For a sport that so many people want to think is run by the south, what a National Championship Game it would be to match up Oregon and Ohio.  This would be a fascinating matchup of two very similar teams in style, pace, and dominance.  I think this is the matchup where the injuries of the Buckeyes finally catches up to them.  It will be a hard fought game, but the Ducks pull it out in the end.  Oregon def. Ohio St., 38-24

The final result of this playoff scenario may not change, but that doesn't mean what we have is the way to go.  I love that we have a College Football Playoff!  However, the NCAA needs to realize that this is a step, not the solution.  This system I am proposing could be the solution.

What do you think?