ESPN: Playoff expansion is inevitable

Harry · May 27, 2014

"It's never going to stay at four," said one FBS head coach. "It's going to expand because they'll never keep everybody happy."

How soon can we expect such growth to occur?

The first time Alabama gets left out of the field?

Or when a politician from Idaho or Utah steps in front of Congress and complains about Boise State or BYU or some other team from a non-power conference being unfairly left out of the four-team field?

A few coaches, like Notre Dame's Brian Kelly and Stanford's David Shaw, believe a four-team playoff is only the starting point.

"I don't know that four is where we're going to finish this thing," Kelly said last year. "I think it's a great entry into where we want to go. Moving forward, I think the focus will be on whether it's eight or 16 or whatever the number is."

Read more: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10969476/not-matter-when-college-football-playoff-expand

VideoEagle · May 27, 2014

Quote "But with 76 teams playing in 39 bowl games this coming season, the "bowl experience" isn't what it used to be. It's like beating Tennessee or Texas -- everybody's doing it."

From his keyboard to God's ears!

casual fan · May 27, 2014

If it expanded to 64 teams and the playoffs began the 2nd week of December, before the end of the month there would only be 8 teams left. It could be done in basically the same time frame as the bowls. Teams could play through the existing bowl system with the Rose Bowl (as an example) being last. Or they could let the bowls bid on the different rounds.

DeepGreen · May 27, 2014

Yep, let's extend the football season by expanding the number of playoff teams. And the same people are concerned about concussions in football?

UNT90 · May 27, 2014

If it expanded to 64 teams and the playoffs began the 2nd week of December, before the end of the month there would only be 8 teams left. It could be done in basically the same time frame as the bowls. Teams could play through the existing bowl system with the Rose Bowl (as an example) being last. Or they could let the bowls bid on the different rounds.

So the champion would play a 19 game season?

These are college kids, not professionals.

forevereagle · May 27, 2014

If it expanded to 64 teams and the playoffs began the 2nd week of December, before the end of the month there would only be 8 teams left. It could be done in basically the same time frame as the bowls. Teams could play through the existing bowl system with the Rose Bowl (as an example) being last. Or they could let the bowls bid on the different rounds.

I don't think that 64 is a good idea. There are something like 126 teams in FBS, so that would be a ridiculously high percentage. I would be ok with 12 or 16, each conference champion with the remainder filled out by at large selected by a committee.

oldguystudent · May 27, 2014

These are college kids, not professionals.

Slow pitch softball right there, extra fat barrel unauthorized aluminum bat in my hand, fences moved in to 150 feet.

BillySee58 · May 27, 2014

6 with top two getting a bye or 8. Any higher than that is just ridiculous. If they want to do that then they need to part ways with the conference title games. Which is probably asking too much as big as these conferences have become.

oldguystudent · May 27, 2014

Conference title games as round one. Ten winners advance. Bottom four (inevitably MWC, CUSA, MAC, SBC champions) play in to eight team quarters. Max schedule 17 games with the champion likely at 16 and the G5 body bags getting an extra round of revenue and exposure from the play in.

Ben Gooding · May 27, 2014

These playoffs are all about money. No one cares about trying to make the process a "fairer" system. It's the NCAA and the big wigs that run it trying to make even more coin than they already were making. With that said, if a G5 school goes undefeated they should have a shot pending they pass the committee "eye" test. As in if the given team looks like they can ball then give them that 4th seed in the CFB playoff. An undefeated should certainly have a shot if this thing expands to 8.

UNTcrazy727 · May 27, 2014

I'd be happy with 8 teams. You'd have a non-power conference team make it every couple years. I hope it never grows past 16 though. The product would just be watered down at that point.

casual fan · May 27, 2014

So the champion would play a 19 game season?
These are college kids, not professionals.

So your saying Alabama and LSU are not professionals.

I learn something new every day.

Mean Green 93-98 · May 27, 2014

6 with top two getting a bye or 8. Any higher than that is just ridiculous. If they want to do that then they need to part ways with the conference title games. Which is probably asking too much as big as these conferences have become.

I disagree. 16 would be very viable. And there have been undefeated teams who could be left out of an 8-team field. Boise State, who went undefeated in 2006 and beat OU in the Fiesta Bowl, would not have made an 8-team field. Any system that would leave undefeated competitive teams out just won't cut it, IMO.

greenminer · May 27, 2014

These playoffs are all about money. No one cares about trying to make the process a "fairer" system. It's the NCAA and the big wigs that run it trying to make even more coin than they already were making. With that said, if a G5 school goes undefeated they should have a shot pending they pass the committee "eye" test. As in if the given team looks like they can ball then give them that 4th seed in the CFB playoff. An undefeated should certainly have a shot if this thing expands to 8.

The NCAA makes 90% of its revenue from March Madness. It could not care much less about football.

These playoffs are definitely all about money, and it is due to a lack of involvement from the NCAA, rather than how they run it.

BillySee58 · May 27, 2014

I disagree. 16 would be very viable. And there have been undefeated teams who could be left out of an 8-team field. Boise State, who went undefeated in 2006 and beat OU in the Fiesta Bowl, would not have made an 8-team field. Any system that would leave undefeated competitive teams out just won't cut it, IMO.

16 teams would mean a team would potentially have to play 17 games. Shouldn't be more than 15. 16 tops.

I'm sure if it went to 8 they'd have something like they did with the BCS at the end where it gives a chance to the non power conference schools that go undefeated.

Mean Green 93-98 · May 27, 2014

16 teams would mean a team would potentially have to play 17 games. Shouldn't be more than 15. 16 tops.
I'm sure if it went to 8 they'd have something like they did with the BCS at the end where it gives a chance to the non power conference schools that go undefeated.

Division 1AA ("FCS") has 24 teams in its tournament. DII has 24 teams. I fail to see why 1A couldn't at least do 16.

It's also a very new phenomenon that any team would play 13 games before a bowl game. Until very recently, all teams played 11 games and there were no conference championship games. It wouldn't be tough to do a 16-team playoff and keep the champion to 16 games or less.

casual fan · May 27, 2014

I threw the 64 team playoff thing out there for 2 reasons:

1. It could be worked into the bowl system and be completed in about the same time frame.

2. It would give schools not in a Big 5 conference a chance at the national championship. Face it, there is no way the powers that be would ever give a school outside of the Big 5 a shot at the title. They really don't like the Boises of the world messing up their party.

Ben Gooding · May 27, 2014

If it ever goes to 8 which it appears that's the direction everyone thinks it is heading then a G5 will make it into the field of 8. Bank on it. There for always have been the Utah's, Boise's, NIU's, TCU's lingering around chomping at the bit for their opportunity. With 8 teams they would by in competition with a team that potentially has 2 losses and maybe even 3 at that 8 spot.

Mean Green 93-98 · May 27, 2014

If it ever goes to 8 which it appears that's the direction everyone thinks it is heading then a G5 will make it into the field of 8. Bank on it. There for always have been the Utah's, Boise's, NIU's, TCU's lingering around chomping at the bit for their opportunity. With 8 teams they would by in competition with a team that potentially has 2 losses and maybe even 3 at that 8 spot.

Just curious . . . when is the last time a non-P5 (or non-P6) school would have made it into a field of eight?

Not last year.

Not in 2012.

Maybe in 2011?

Not in 2010.

It looks like 2009, when the Mountain West's TCU and the WAC's Boise State (I think that's right) both had a great year and met in a BCS bowl.

As I noted previously, the undefeated 2006 Boise State team would not have made a field of eight.

And a C-USA team would have a harder time making it at this point than TCU and Boise State did.

Don't get me wrong . . . I like eight much better than four. But I really don't see a non-P5 team making it into a field of 8 more than maybe once every 10 years or so.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Mean Green 93-98

Ben Gooding · May 28, 2014

Want to know how often they would have made it? How often does one make it to a BCS bowl? That's how often a G5 team could make it if they moved from 4 to 8 teams. Utah in 2008 I believe would have been in, NIU if a playoff berth was on the line they would not have dropped the ball against Bowling Green, Boise in 2004, 2006, and 2008 could have made it, UCF this past year could have made it in, Louisville in 2006 and 2012 had a good case, WVU had a good case in 2005, Hawaii in 2007 had a case, etc. There are more out there and there are more than you think. Granted most of these, if any, would have made it to the 4 team playoff bc of SOS. But most of these and more would have held a good argument if it was 8 team playoff.

Mean Green 93-98 · May 28, 2014

Want to know how often they would have made it? How often does one make it to a BCS bowl? That's how often a G5 team could make it if they moved from 4 to 8 teams. Utah in 2008 I believe would have been in, NIU if a playoff berth was on the line they would not have dropped the ball against Bowling Green, Boise in 2004, 2006, and 2008 could have made it, UCF this past year could have made it in, Louisville in 2006 and 2012 had a good case, WVU had a good case in 2005, Hawaii in 2007 had a case, etc. There are more out there and there are more than you think. Granted most of these, if any, would have made it to the 4 team playoff bc of SOS. But most of these and more would have held a good argument if it was 8 team playoff.

Why would you assume that a non-P5/P6 team that failed to make the BCS top 8 after the regular season and conference championship games would make a field of 8 in a playoff?

BillySee58 · May 28, 2014

Want to know how often they would have made it? How often does one make it to a BCS bowl? That's how often a G5 team could make it if they moved from 4 to 8 teams. Utah in 2008 I believe would have been in, NIU if a playoff berth was on the line they would not have dropped the ball against Bowling Green, Boise in 2004, 2006, and 2008 could have made it, UCF this past year could have made it in, Louisville in 2006 and 2012 had a good case, WVU had a good case in 2005, Hawaii in 2007 had a case, etc. There are more out there and there are more than you think. Granted most of these, if any, would have made it to the 4 team playoff bc of SOS. But most of these and more would have held a good argument if it was 8 team playoff.

But those teams weren't top 8. I agree. I think they should be in the top 8 if they go undefeated and beat two decent out of conference opponents. I think the system would potentially allow for that to happen (for undefeated, proven G5 teams to make it in the 8-team playoff).

Also, the Louisville and WVU teams you mentioned we're in AQ conferences.

Ben Gooding · May 28, 2014

Because the committee of members are not the BCS. From the articles I am reading it comes down to SOS and a basic eye test. The BCS is done with. Can't compare this to that because they are not using the same formula to calculate the rankings.

Ben Gooding · May 28, 2014

But those teams weren't top 8. I agree. I think they should be in the top 8 if they go undefeated and beat two decent out of conference opponents. I think the system would potentially allow for that to happen (for undefeated, proven G5 teams to make it in the 8-team playoff).
Also, the Louisville and WVU teams you mentioned we're in AQ conferences.

No they weren't. They were both in the old Big East I believe.

BillySee58 · May 28, 2014

Division 1AA ("FCS") has 24 teams in its tournament. DII has 24 teams. I fail to see why 1A couldn't at least do 16.

It's also a very new phenomenon that any team would play 13 games before a bowl game. Until very recently, all teams played 11 games and there were no conference championship games. It wouldn't be tough to do a 16-team playoff and keep the champion to 16 games or less.

Because those divisions have 11 game schedules. Which usually puts the champion at 15 games. Which is likely what the FBS champion will play this year.

I know 12 game schedules and championship games are relatively new, but they are fixtures at this point. All the P5 conferences but the Big 12 have conf championship games, and they used to and likely will expand to 12 again soon to have one of their own again. More than 3 rounds would put the champion at 17 games played. That's just too much IMO and unnecessary. Again, that's my opinion.