IF The Playoffs Were 8 Teams...???

[JokersWild24]

Who would you have? How would you match the teams up?

 

If you want to take it further, give game sites and how they'd be picked (i.e., home field in 1st Round for higher rated teams, NCAA Tournament style "regions", 8 neutral sites).

[JokersWild24]

1. Florida State

 

2. Alabama

 

3. Oregon

 

4. Ohio State

 

5. TCU

 

6. Baylor

 

7. Michigan State

 

8. Mississippi State

 

 

 

My Plan:

 

Make it like the NCAA Tournament in more ways than are usually mentioned. Geographic regions and having the higher seeded team playing close to home lets the fans and students who can't afford to go to all 3 games go see one within a reasonable distance from home and make it a de facto home game.

 

Another possibility would be having 2 sites that host 4 games, giving fans a weekend of football and making it like the Sweet 16 or Final Four in basketball.

 

Try to avoid conference and regular season re-matches until the semi-finals.

 

 

 

My Pairings:

 

 

EAST REGION:

 

1. Florida State vs. 8. Mississippi State - Atlanta, GA, Georgia Dome

2. Alabama vs. 7. Michigan State - Atlanta GA, Georgia Dome

 

 

WEST REGION:

 

3. Oregon vs. 6. Baylor - Phoenix, AZ, University of Phoenix Stadium

4. Ohio State vs. 5. TCU - Phoenix, AZ, University of Phoenix Stadium

 

 

SEMIFINALS:

 

Winner of Florida State/Mississippi State vs. Winner of Ohio State/TCU - Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA, Superdome

Winner of Oregon/Baylor vs. Winner of Alabama/Michigan State - Rose Bowl, Los Angeles, CA, Rose Bowl

 

 

FINALS:

 

Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - NCAA Championship Game, Dallas, TX, AT&T Stadium

[UKMustangFan]

1. Alabama

2. Oregon

3. TCU

4. Florida State

5. Baylor

6. Ohio State

7. Mississippi State

8. Auburn

[Getslow]

If you're going to do that first round at neutral sites, I love the doubleheader idea. Only way that works, I think.

[75center]

1 Bama

2 MS St

3 Auburn

4 Ole Miss

5 Missouri

6 GA

7 Arkansas

8 LSU

 

Why even bother with the riff raff?

[ggclfan]

1 Bama

2 MS St

3 Auburn

4 Ole Miss

5 Missouri

6 GA

7 Arkansas

8 LSU

 

Why even bother with the riff raff?

 

I guess UK is #9??

[ggclfan]

I love the idea of 8 teams. I would have the top 4 teams host the bottom 4 in first round games. This accomplishes two things...solves the crowd problem in the first round and rewards the top 4 teams.

[75center]

I guess UK is #9??

 

Nah, give FSU some love at 9.

[Jumper_Dad]

Neutral Site Double Headers or Higher seed at home either way I'm good. Single games at neutral sites in first round would be a disaster for a couple of sites.

[ggclfan]

Nah, give FSU some love at 9.

 

PP92 appreciates the love...

[JokersWild24]

Just floating this out as an idea: maybe each conference has a city, other than the city designated to host their conference championship game (so no Atlanta, Indianapolis, etc. that is designated as the host city should a team from their conference get one of the higher seeds (ex. the Big 10 could designate Detroit's Ford Field, Minneapolis' Metrodome, etc.; Big XII could use Houston's Reliant; Pac 12 could use University of Phoenix, etc.). This would allow the SEC to use somewhere like New Orleans (which would be an unfair advantage for LSU if the conference final were played there, but could be seen as "fair" for a "de facto home game" in the first round of a playoff that a higher seed had earned.

 

The cities could rotate where, for instance, if Dallas were the Big XII's choice host city in most years, but were hosting the Championship Game (as they are this year), then the Big XII would replace them with Houston's Reliant or the Alamodome in San Antonio. The next year, Dallas would be back in the rotation for 1st Round/Semi-Finals, what have you. Fans get to experience different cities and there's less likelihood for fans getting burnt out on a town, and more cities get to be in the rotation for the Championship Game, as well as being able to host other playoff games.

[JokersWild24]

If you're going to do that first round at neutral sites, I love the doubleheader idea. Only way that works, I think.

 

 

Agreed. Makes sense on lots of levels.

 

BTW, earlier post should say 2 sites that host 2 games each.

[Jumper_Dad]

ONLY way I support expanding is if there are NO AUTOMATIC picks...I don't want to see a 3 or 4 loss conf, champion from ANY Conference getting an automatic pick. No Limits either...If Oregon, Stanford and Arizona are all top 8 they all deserve to get in!

[Jumper_Dad]

Funny comment this morning from someone on ESPN. Coaches of the 5th and 6th places teams handled not getting selected with class. While the coaches of the 69th and 70th basketball teams whine like little kids that lost their sucker.

[Getslow]

ONLY way I support expanding is if there are NO AUTOMATIC picks...I don't want to see a 3 or 4 loss conf, champion from ANY Conference getting an automatic pick. No Limits either...If Oregon, Stanford and Arizona are all top 8 they all deserve to get in!

 

Disagree.

 

Only reason the big schools maintain such a massive advantage over the others is because they've been allowed to.

 

The bowl system perpetuates it.

 

The NCAA perpetuates it.

 

The world wide leader perpetuates it.

 

The game is rigged.