14 replies to this topic

[Mark L. Ford]

Friday's announcement, of a deal between the SEC and the Big 12 for a New Year's Day meeting between the two conference champions, is another step in the right direction after years of living through the BCS nonsense. http://www.sfgate.co.../SPE81OJLKJ.DTL

I look at it as analogous to a 24-team AAA level pro league for the 2014 season, and probably more like a 26-team league. The SEC will have 14 teams by then, and the Big 12 (which, despite the name, just has 10 now) will probably have 12 teams. With the Rose Bowl having gone back to the matchup of Big Ten (despite the name, it has 12 teams) and Pac-12, I'm hoping that the next step is for the four conferences to end their seasons on January 1 and to let the following week's BCS Championship Game be a cable TV matchup between #9 and #10.

[Bob Gill]

>I'm hoping that the next step is for the four conferences to end their seasons on January 1 and to let the following week's BCS Championship Game be a cable TV matchup between #9 and #10.

I'd like to see that, too!

[BigMck]

If the Big 12 and SEC can create their own "Bowl Game" and control the money, what is to stop others from doing the same. When the contract runs out with the Rose Bowl, it would be more advantageous to the Pac 12 and Big 10 to just form their own Bowl and keep the money themselves instead of letting the Rose Bowl Committee get part of it.

[lastcat3]

I know a lot of pro fans don't like the set-up that college football has but I personally like the fact that teams have to have a truly spectacular season in order to win a championship because one hick-up can cost them. It makes the college football regular season about twice as much fun to watch as the nfl regular season. In the nfl a team can be 5-6 and still be in contention for the playoffs which in essence still makes them capable of making the Super Bowl.

It looks like they are heading in the direction of having the top four teams in the BCS go into a playoff format and that should be enough. College football shouldn't make their playoff field so large that it messes up the uniqueness of the regular season. The regular season is a blast to sit through for college football fans. Where as in the nfl a lot of fans are waiting for the excitement of the playoffs to begin.

[BigMck]

I know a lot of pro fans don't like the set-up that college football has but I personally like the fact that teams have to have a truly spectacular season in order to win a championship because one hick-up can cost them. It makes the college football regular season about twice as much fun to watch as the nfl regular season. In the nfl a team can be 5-6 and still be in contention for the playoffs which in essence still makes them capable of making the Super Bowl.

It looks like they are heading in the direction of having the top four teams in the BCS go into a playoff format and that should be enough. College football shouldn't make their playoff field so large that it messes up the uniqueness of the regular season. The regular season is a blast to sit through for college football fans. Where as in the nfl a lot of fans are waiting for the excitement of the playoffs to begin.

What you say above about the regular season being important is true. Then the "know-it-alls' in the BCS allow non-conference champions to play in the BCS Championship. It doesn't make sense. I hope in the four team plan they require all participants to be Conference Champs.

[JWL]

I know a lot of pro fans don't like the set-up that college football has but I personally like the fact that teams have to have a truly spectacular season in order to win a championship because one hick-up can cost them. It makes the college football regular season about twice as much fun to watch as the nfl regular season. In the nfl a team can be 5-6 and still be in contention for the playoffs which in essence still makes them capable of making the Super Bowl.

It looks like they are heading in the direction of having the top four teams in the BCS go into a playoff format and that should be enough. College football shouldn't make their playoff field so large that it messes up the uniqueness of the regular season. The regular season is a blast to sit through for college football fans. Where as in the nfl a lot of fans are waiting for the excitement of the playoffs to begin.

The 2011 regular season was not very important. A conference loser participated in the one-game playoff system.

[lastcat3]

What you say above about the regular season being important is true. Then the "know-it-alls' in the BCS allow non-conference champions to play in the BCS Championship. It doesn't make sense. I hope in the four team plan they require all participants to be Conference Champs.

If a team that doesn't win their conference is still good enough to have only lost one game and still be in the top three or four in the nation than they deserve to be in the four team playoffs. Maybe they should stop having wild card games in the nfl and only teams that win their division get into the playoffs.

[lastcat3]

The 2011 regular season was not very important. A conference loser participated in the one-game playoff system.

Rather you want to believe it or not both LSU and Alabama were the two best teams in the nation last year. You really think Oklahoma State could of matched up to either of those teams with the defense they had.

[rhickok1109]

What you say above about the regular season being important is true. Then the "know-it-alls' in the BCS allow non-conference champions to play in the BCS Championship. It doesn't make sense. I hope in the four team plan they require all participants to be Conference Champs.

How is that different from a non-division champion getting into the NFL playoffs? And sometimes even winning the Super Bowl?

[Rupert Patrick]

Rather you want to believe it or not both LSU and Alabama were the two best teams in the nation last year. You really think Oklahoma State could of matched up to either of those teams with the defense they had.

I prefer the idea of a 8 team playoff, with seven division winners and one at large decided by some sort of poll or computer analysis or a combination thereof, so in a situation like last season with LSU and Alabama being clearly the two best teams in the country and in the same conference, both could get in.

[JWL]

Rather you want to believe it or not both LSU and Alabama were the two best teams in the nation last year. You really think Oklahoma State could of matched up to either of those teams with the defense they had.

As long as there is a one-game playoff system, to me, it is nonsensical to have a conference loser playing for the national title.

If we ever get a true playoff system with 8 teams, then six conference champions (Pac-8/10/12, Big 10/11/12/13/14, Big 8/SWC/Big 10/12/13/14/17/18, ACC, SEC and Conference USA would be the six conferences whose champs would make the playoffs) and two at-large teams (open to independents, big six conference second place teams and champs from other conferences) could make it.

[lastcat3]

I think an eight team playoff is too many and would give many teams the mindset that they could afford to lose a couple games (in essence it would turn it into the nfl regular season in a way). Not that I think there is anything wrong with the nfl set-up as it has its strengths as well but the current set-up that college football has is what makes its regular season so exciting.

And I absolutely disagree with taking the conference winners and putting them into a playoff and only allowing one non conference winner in. We all know that not all the conferences are equal and one conference might have two or three (possibly even four) teams that are better than another conferences champion.

Taking the top four teams according to the BCS rankings and putting them into a playoff format is a much better way to go. Putting an unranked team from the WAC into the playoffs who plays pittiful competition all year long over a 5th ranked team from the SEC who plays top 25 competition all year long would be resoundly unfair.

[BigMck]

Taking the top four teams according to the BCS rankings and putting them into a playoff format is a much better way to go. Putting an unranked team from the WAC into the playoffs who plays pittiful competition all year long over a 5th ranked team from the SEC who plays top 25 competition all year long would be resoundly unfair.

There won't be any WAC or Mountain West in the four team playoff. It will still be the main conferences just like now. They have already announced that there won't be any Automatic Qualifier Conferences like now. I think that will hurt the smaller conferences instead of help them.

[lastcat3]

There won't be any WAC or Mountain West in the four team playoff. It will still be the main conferences just like now. They have already announced that there won't be any Automatic Qualifier Conferences like now. I think that will hurt the smaller conferences instead of help them.

No what the teams from the lesser conferences would just have to start doing is start scheduling really tough non conference opponents. If a team from the WAC is undefeated and has beaten a couple top 10 teams a long the way they will have a much better shot at being in the top 4 by the end of the year.

In anycase there probably isn't a chance it could happen for a while anyway because the three non bcs conference teams (TCU, Boise State, Utah)who were competing at the highest level have all joined BCS conferences now so all that is left in the non confernce field are teams that were a couple steps below already. Another team is going to have to rise but it will probably take ten to fifteen years to get to the level to where they could compete with the top teams in the nation.

[BigMck]

No what the teams from the lesser conferences would just have to start doing is start scheduling really tough non conference opponents. If a team from the WAC is undefeated and has beaten a couple top 10 teams a long the way they will have a much better shot at being in the top 4 by the end of the year.

In anycase there probably isn't a chance it could happen for a while anyway because the three non bcs conference teams (TCU, Boise State, Utah)who were competing at the highest level have all joined BCS conferences now so all that is left in the non confernce field are teams that were a couple steps below already. Another team is going to have to rise but it will probably take ten to fifteen years to get to the level to where they could compete with the top teams in the nation.

The biggest blow has to be to the Big East teams that just moved. Boise State, Houston and a few others. They moved there for the BCS Qualifier Spot and now there won't be one. The Big East used to have some really good teams, but Pitt, Syracuse and another that escapes me has left. The league just has a few teams that were good when they were in a lesser conference.