Current playoff system and emphasis on strength of schedule

K

kameltoez102

Well-Known Member
Are we ever going to see Iowa get back into scheduling a better non-conference schedule. I like that we play Pittsburgh and Syracuse and Arizona but we need to do this more. Games vs Northern Iowa and North Dakota State, Arkansas State do nothing for us. Will more Big10 conference games help improve the status of the conference? I would like to see 10 conference games and get rid of two of the non conference.


I for one am a supporter of the playoff system but not the current model. Only four final teams is such a disservice to the fans. There should be at least double that and roll some of these other bowl games into hosting the playoff games or incorporate the bowl games into the playoff structure where for instance the Outback hosts the #7 and #10 seed every year and so on.
 


I was thinking about this the other day. If Iowa beefs up their non-conference schedule some, I'd be happy about that. If not, then I guess that's a sign that Iowa doesn't really care about playing for a national title. It's like the SOS argument in college hoops.. Same deal. There's no excuse for scheduling soft in the non-con. None. It doesn't have to be murderer's row - games like Pitt, Cuse, AZ, etc. are much better than games against Ball State, UNI, etc.

IMO, 8 teams is a good number for a playoff. If you're outside of that, you're not really championship calibur IMO, but it leaves room for the Boise State's of the world, etc. to have a shot and prove it on the field. Teams like that will get left out in the current 4 team system.
 




But, but, ISU is from a P5 conference. ;) JK.

Seriously, This SOS is a cyclical thing. Heck, even almost every $EC team schedules at least 1 game vs an FCS opponent. The teams that got ahead of the curve in scheduling more traditionally (it can be hit and miss) "tougher" games, are the Boise States and Notre Dames of the world, that "had" to if they were going to make any impact. Oregon, Wisky, and now many others have followed suit in the most recent past.

I would imagine that with the playoff left at 4 teams that this approach could possibly help....But, I think if they were to adjust it to 8 teams (more than 8 would be like a joke), you could make a strong argument to leave the cupcakes in the scheduling, because at the end of the day, an undefeated or 1 loss team would still make the playoff.
 


I much rather those SEC powerhouses Alabama who played non-conference games vs. Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss and Western Carolina or LSU who played Sam Houston, UL Monroe and New Mexico State. Everyone continues to have patsies on their schedules.
 


The nine game conference slate makes getting to seven home games difficult because some years you have five away conference games. Playing a Power 5 team that isn't elite is no different from the Arizona's and Pitt's on the future schedules. Plus we are stuck with the Iowa State series even if they don't do much for our strength of schedule to reach the playoff, and they say the same things about us.
 


I guess the problem I have is the fact that winning a conference championship is part of the equation used to determine the 4 teams in the playoffs. My problem with that isn't the fact that its a decisive factor (which it should be), but the fact that they're weekly announcing to America who the 4 teams would be as the season plays out, making it a nonfactor and the whole weekly poll worthless.

In all honesty I totally understand the Big XIX's argument that TCU and Baylor got screwed, but I wonder what it would have looked like if they both played 4 Power 5 schools in their OOC schedule. I think now that trial run is out of the way, I think we may start seeing more big OOC games scheduled. That said, it doesn't help when the SEC is playing their FCS opponents at the end of the season and it doesn't impact the committee at all.
 


They only have 3 non-cons in the Big 12, and its really tough to get home games or home-and-homes with Power 5 teams. So Baylor and TCU are double-screwed.
 


I don't see any evidence that SOS impacted the CFP. OSU played one P5 team in VA Tech, and lost.

The rankings will more or less be sorted by their usual sort: number of losses, followed by program prestige within each loss level.

If Iowa goes undefeated, they are in. If they lose one game, they might get in, but are probably out. That's the fact, jack.
 


OSU played a decent team in Cincy and a half-decent Navy team that has done well in the past few years.
 


thetrza said:
They only have 3 non-cons in the Big 12, and its really tough to get home games or home-and-homes with Power 5 teams. So Baylor and TCU are double-screwed.
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If you really want the best four teams playing at the end of the season, force home and home match ups on the Power 5 teams near the END of the season.

I would love to see Alabama headed to Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska, etc, or Auburn playing at Michigan State, Iowa, or Penn State in late November.

The same applies to other conferences situated in warmer climates. Teams like Florida State, Texas, Baylor, etc. probably wouldn't fare as well when they were in a hostile environment and 25 degree temps.

Won't ever happen, but that would come closer to revealing the true "best conference".
 


Scooby said:
As soon as we stop struggling against the Ball States of college football.
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This.


KF coached teams have always looked in midsummer form in September. We see them mud wrestling with Easter Michigan, Ball State and Iowa State. I think he even said as much recently in a presser...something about things not falling into place until October. Until Iowa has a new coach, no need to go out scheduling top 25 teams.


After that I am game.
 


NCHawker said:
This.


KF coached teams have always looked in midsummer form in September. We see them mud wrestling with Easter Michigan, Ball State and Iowa State. I think he even said as much recently in a presser...something about things not falling into place until October. Until Iowa has a new coach, no need to go out scheduling top 25 teams.


After that I am game.
Click to expand...

As of right now I say we keep our weak non conference schedule. Thats half our wins a year right now. If we beef up the schedule right now we would be taking a big chance at missing a bowl gm.
 


Some people are talking about making our schedule tougher? I was kinda hoping we could move to the Missouri Valley till 2020.
 


What happened this year is EXACTLY why I want to see a 8 team playoff. Don't kid yourself for one single second. If Iowa had OSU's resume, and the Big12 had a one loss Oklahoma, or Texas with the same resumes as TCU and Baylor, the playoffs would include one of those two Big12 teams. The committee had the perfect cover for taking OSU, but make no mistake when all things are equal, they will always, always go with the Blue Blood.

This is why an 8 team playoffs can't get here soon enough. The only way a TCU, Baylor, or Iowa for that matter will every crack this nut is if they are undefeated. This is why every conference winner (even a 5 loss Wisconsin in 2012) should get a playoff spot and then invite the best 3 at larges. If you win your conference you should automatically get in.
 


Iowa is one of the few schools that schedules two P5 teams nearly every year and that is done now with 9 B1G games. Look at the SEC schedules, most play zero or one P5 team in non-conf. We are not going to get a home-and-home deal with any top programs.
 


Once they move to 9 conference games, you'll never see Iowa play another interesting OOC game. It will be 9 B1G + ISU + 2 cupcakes. Every. Single. Year.
 


The schedule gets better in 2016. 9 conference games a year. Next Iowa needs to get FCS teams off the schedule as they have been instructed to do by the BigTen commish. Yet for some reason, UNI is still on the 2018 schedule.

Next Iowa should just go to only 6 home games a year. Then it can schedule both ISU and another P5 team every year. Then the 12th game can still be against a MAC level team.

Don't say its not feasible to go to only 6 home games. Iowa is averaging 7k fans less than capacity each game. There is more supply than demand right now. If you have 6 decent home games instead of 5 decent games and 2 crap games, demand will go up.
 


The B1G rep with the college football media will be even worse in 2016 than it is now, and our "extra" game will be against a school like Rutgers who won't increase our SOS more than playing SMU.
 


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