I am sure we are pretty much all in agreement: College Football needs a playoff!! The reasons we don't have a playoff are simple- 1) Money - The BCS payout and the TV money generates so much revenue for the Big 6 conferences that the conference commissioners would be idiots to walk away from it. The only way a playoff will ever exist is if there is more money involved -More money for coaches, facilities, Athletic Dept, etc!!! 2) Tradition- the bowl system has been in place for so long that it is sort of taboo to consider getting away from it. Besides, each team now has 12 games and you only have to win 6 to become eligible for one of what 32 bowl games? That's 64 teams going to a post-season bowl? No way the conference commissioners are getting away from that. 3) Inferiority Complex- Let's say there was an 8 team playoff. What if we wound up with 2 teams from the same conference in the Championship game? That would hurt the prestige, recruiting, and the TV ratings/ TV contract opportunities for all of the other teams and conferences. If you were the commissioner of the Big East, responsible for increasing revenue, attendance, competition, advertising, etc, would you want to see your conference champ whacked in the first round by an SEC or PAC 10 team? Better hope its NOT time to renew your contract w/ Fox or ESPN, etc. The only way we'll ever see a playoff is if the coaches, players and fans get fed up with the championship being decided by voters and computers. More teams are going to have to get screwed until everyone involved is FED UP. It would have to be an idea that would involve the tradition of the bowls, more revenue than the BCS, and be fair to all 119 Division whatever they call them teams. Until then...... Bring on more chaos!!!
It has nothing to do with the coaches, players or fans. It has to do with the school Presidents and the Athletic Directors who don't want the NCAA sticking their hands into another money pot. I agree with them, wholeheartedly. The bowl money, as example, is one of the things that allows our schools the ability to have the facilities that we do. Do I think that a school that can't even afford to support their own Ath. Dept. have a share of that revenue? No. Make that "Hell no."
I like the current system. I think people need to realize there is never going to be a perfect system. I do appreciate you labeling how you would do it though. However, there will always be complaining about who is the are the best teams, even in a playoff format. If the best two teams are in the same conference, how do you keep one out? That would be just as problematic as the BCS, which generally puts the best teams on the field. A plus one has problems too. What if there are only two undefeated teams...why would you need a plus one system? I do not like ruining the tradition of bowl games to have a system that will have just as much controversy an the current one.
I don't want a Playoff either, and I know I am a MINORITY on this arguement. Why mess with something so popular. Every game counts. The playoffs actually begin in Week 1, just ask Michigan. I can make other arguements supporting no playoff, but for me the number 1 reason is the debate that it creates throughout the College Football World. I love the debate.
What if the two best teams are from the same conference that has a championship game, i.e, LSU has no losses, UGA has one loss and did not play LSU, and UF has no losses and beat UGA. LSU and UF play in the conference championship, so now one of them has a loss. All other teams in the nation have two or more losses. No one except us would want to see two SEC teams play for the NC. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY....MONEY That would be a BCS nightmare. 8 Team playoff I say. Then every conference (and ND) has a shot.
