Battle Brewing Over Playoff Format

SpiderRico said:
No offense, but it's not just perception, it's reality.

When one conference has won the last 6 national championships, it should tell you who the best conference is.

We haven't won a national championship in 10 years and even that one was "tainted".

The times we've made the NC game, we've gotten blown out.

Most times we've made BCS games, we've gotten blown out.

We had a chance in 2006 to make some noise with #1 Mich and #2 OSU and blew it big time.

Until we start making more noise on the national stage (NC/BCS games), the perception will match the reality.
Click to expand...

I agree its reality.
But my point is two-fold: 1) how we got here & 2) why the B1G hasn't countered
I believe that the propaganda machine had a massive effect on where we are today & the B1G powers that be have failed miserably in countering this effect. Having their own network(BTN) and failing is really just inexcusable and borderline negligence on their part.
The B1G arrogance we hear so much about may very well be its undoing.
 
Xerxes said:
The only problem with this is that if the Pac 12 is given a choice to stick with the B10 in the Rose Bowl traditional relationship or go with the SEC/B12/ACC in a BCS playoff, they're probably going to chose the playoff and leave the B10 completely by itself.

Any conference that doesn't have a relationship with the upcoming playoff will die a painful death. College football is all about money. Once the playoff starts it will be worth millions. All other postseason game will be on life support as sponsers flock to the playoff games.

If the B10 doesn't jump on this train, say goodbye to OSU, Michigan, and PSU. They would jump ship on the B10 and join SEC or B12 within the decade.
Click to expand...

This is true.
Many will put their heads in the sand and say it aint so but it is.
 
treychase said:
One of the biggest things the B1G has working against it, that not many people address, is the propaganda machine (Espin) that is propagating pro SEC & anti B1G gibberish. It has changed perception across this country. No one outside of a B1G state thinks the B1G is worth a crap, just ask them. So when the SEC says they want the top 4, its because they KNOW that Espin has shaped the perception to benefit them in this scenario.

IMO, the B1G powers that be have done a terrible job of countering this. Just awful.
While Jim Delany has done many very good things, he & his colleagues have failed to address this spotlight issue. The gap between the SEC & B1G is as large as its ever been & its widening. Public perception, shaped by Espin, has been as big a factor as anything in this gap.

So the best players will continue to go to SEC schools. Hell, the #1 prospect in the country signed with freakin' Missouri.
Click to expand...
Waaaaaaaa....
 
The bottom line is the Big Ten has more television sets in its footprint than any other conference. They will be just fine.
 
DwayneTwill said:
You're an idiot if you think the Big Ten is going to be hung out to dry.
Click to expand...

I don't think the B10 will is going to get hung out to dry because Delany won't let that happen. He'll concede and join the other conferences in a playoff. He won't pass up on that money grab.

He will flex whatever muscles the B10 still has (tradition) and try to keep the playoff to conference champs only to assure a B10 participant. He may get it, he may not. Either way, he'll advise the B10 brass to join.

Years ago the B10 & PAC10 didn't want join the Bowl Coalition (sp?) with all of the other conferences. They eventually folded and joined the current BCS.

Delany and the B10 wanted no part of a playoff as recently as a couple of years ago but once again they're folding. The B10 has shown they're smart enough to realize they can't stand on their own without the other conferences.
 
Xerxes said:
I don't think the B10 will is going to get hung out to dry because Delany won't let that happen. He'll concede and join the other conferences in a playoff. He won't pass up on that money grab.

He will flex whatever muscles the B10 still has (tradition) and try to keep the playoff to conference champs only to assure a B10 participant. He may get it, he may not. Either way, he'll advise the B10 brass to join.

Years ago the B10 & PAC10 didn't want join the Bowl Coalition (sp?) with all of the other conferences. They eventually folded and joined the current BCS.

Delany and the B10 wanted no part of a playoff as recently as a couple of years ago but once again they're folding. The B10 has shown they're smart enough to realize they can't stand on their own without the other conferences.
Click to expand...

Agree
They either join or become the Ivy League.
 
The playoff likely is compromised upon and we end up with the top 3 ranked conference champs plus one wildcard.

But keep in mind that that "ranking" is/has been propagated by Espin to MASSIVELY favor SEC & even B12 schools. So don't expect to ever see 2 B1G teams in this and most years there won't be any. Last year, LSU, Okie St, Oregon & Bama.

When/if this is agreed upon, it further diminishes the B1G, but they have to go along with it.
 
Anybody who thinks there could be any kind of meaningful (i.e. lucrative playoff) without the likes of USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, etc. does not understand what drives television, namely, money. The fact is the SEC and the Big 12 (with no TV sets other than the State of Texas) have nothing without the presence of the B1G and Pac 12. Any references to the contrary are nothing but hot air and posturing.
 
SpiderRico said:
BUT, if a playoff is inevitable, I don't think you use 4 teams, I think you use 6. You pick 4 conference champions from the 4 major conferences (Big 10, Big 12, SEC and Pac 12) and then two "wild card" teams. The top 2 teams get a bye and the other 4 teams play each other in the first round (#3 plays #6 and #4 plays #5). The higher seeded team plays at home. The second round would also be played at the #1 and #2 seeded home stadiums. The Championship Game would be played at a neutral site.
Click to expand...

That's my preference as well.
 
Don't forget that the fans have pretty much spoken on whether they want to see an intraconference rematch...the most recent BCS championship game was the lowest-rated ever.
 
dchawk75 said:
Anybody who thinks there could be any kind of meaningful (i.e. lucrative playoff) without the likes of USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, etc. does not understand what drives television, namely, money. The fact is the SEC and the Big 12 (with no TV sets other than the State of Texas) have nothing without the presence of the B1G and Pac 12. Any references to the contrary are nothing but hot air and posturing.
Click to expand...

exactly...there would be little money in playoff without BIG and Pac 10 schools....
 
Again,the whole reason the playoff scenario has accelerated is because of the all SEC title game this year. Ratings plummeted,and the money would follow.

So, Saban and co. can get all huffy if they want,but they have zero leverage after this last title game. The proof is crystal clear now,that any playoff has to try to avoid re-matches and intra-conference re-matches especially.

Just watch....this year could feature a re-match of a title game/conference rematch with LSU and Bama again....just watch the panic in the streets of every college Athletic Director then....that title game will drop off the cliff.

No, Saban and co. are working from a position of weakness after that title game.
This just in,Nicky...SEC country has a lot fewer tvs than Big Ten and Pac 12 country. Nobody wants an all-SEC title matchup every year. Win your conference title game,and then play in the New Years bowl game vs the Big 12 champ,then play the last survivor on the other side...and earn your title.

I agree that the plus one is the way to go. Winner of Pac 12 vs Big Ten , winner of SEC vs Big 12 usually would advance,unless one of the other leagues produces an undefeated team...then,maybe a Miami or FSU or Boise slips in. An undefeated Miami or FSU emerging after playing the top Big East/indy team in the Orange Bowl could slip in...but only then.

I think there is growing sentiment for plus one. I am for it.
 
Xerxes said:
I don't think the B10 will is going to get hung out to dry because Delany won't let that happen. He'll concede and join the other conferences in a playoff. He won't pass up on that money grab.

He will flex whatever muscles the B10 still has (tradition) and try to keep the playoff to conference champs only to assure a B10 participant. He may get it, he may not. Either way, he'll advise the B10 brass to join.

Years ago the B10 & PAC10 didn't want join the Bowl Coalition (sp?) with all of the other conferences. They eventually folded and joined the current BCS.

Delany and the B10 wanted no part of a playoff as recently as a couple of years ago but once again they're folding. The B10 has shown they're smart enough to realize they can't stand on their own without the other conferences.
Click to expand...

So, you're saying Delany is going to bend over and grab his ankles.
 
I think eventually it will become the winner of the B1G/PAC matchup and the Big/SEC matchup playing for the national title every year.
 
A plus one is probably best for the B1G but its not happening.
Agreeing to that format would be the equivalent of someone telling me I can have $1B if I walk across the street and me saying, nah, nevermind.

The B1G may posture with that but they have no intention of actually having a plus one.
Similarly, the SEC likely knows its not getting a Top 4.
Compromise at top 3 plus wildcard.

That deal is better for the SEC & B12 than it is for the B1G or Pac12, because, as I've stated, any ranking system is propagated in their favor. So don't expect many B1G teams to participate. When would the last B1G participant have been under this system? 2008ish. Ouch!
 
hogeye said:
People constantly confound the issue. The issue isn't that there isn't a playoff. I think the past decade plus of arguing over a fix is proof that no one has a surefire playoff solution.

The problem is much bigger and I've argued this for years. You can't have a reasonable solution to a division with 119 teams, period. They need to create separation because there isn't parity there.

The BCS needs to limit the total number of teams to a manageable number within conferences. Then your can allow your conference play to funnel into something reasonable for a playoff system.

This ridiculous assertion from people that a 4 team or plus one solution is the answer isn't going to solve anything. Even an 8 team playoff introduces problems that you don't want to deal with. We've had the cart in front of the horse for too long and until you address the underlying landscape you're not addressing the main issues.
Click to expand...

Home run. Especially the bolded. 119 teams and 12 to 14 game schedules mean we can never really settle things on the field. There will always be a huge dose of speculative subjectivity under these constraints.
 
You know I just read an article on ESPN....maybe all of our problems would be solved if they "made college football unprofitable"....just make a rule that all athletic departments must put any and all profits into the academic side of the university....It would stop the money grab.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top