Enjoy it while it lasts, it won't be like this with a playoff

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,615
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kraizy.art
I've been adamantly against a four team playoff in college football. I felt there was something truly special about basing it entirely on the regular season. I could go on, and I have in the past, but even when it looked like Alabama was going to be out of the championship picture I did not waver from my position. Quite simply, I believed if Alabama was out of the game it meant they were not good enough. Had Oregon won against Stanford, then Oregon St., and UCLA their body of work would have been (marginally) more impressive. Notre Dame didn't look pretty doing it, but they have navigated a fairly tough schedule and they haven't lost yet.

Alabama showed a lot of vulnerability in the LSU and A&M games and in order for them to win a championship they have to show an increased level of focus and prowess on the field. That's possible, and I hope for that, but had Oregon and Kansas St. not shown their own vulnerabilities, I do not believe Alabama deserved that chance. One reason the SEC is undefeated in the BCSCG is that they don't put undeserving teams in that game.

I do not know how a playoff will work out, but I know it will put a huge damper on the regular season. Alabama's loss to A&M? We could have walking away going, "well, Alabama just needs to be in the top 4". Oregon's loss to Stanford? "Well, Oregon just needs to stay ahead of Florida." I won't even rant about the conference champ criteria that could push an Oregon over a Florida anyway. Sure, games still matter, but it will alter everything about these regular season moments that mean so much to us. The new formula will be poisoned by including something that isn't reflected in the polls, or even in the computer formulas. It just won't be the same, it will be a lot more like everything else...

Football in general is changing, and college football is changing. Not all change is bad, but enjoy this because we'll have to tell future generations about what this was like since they'll never known for themselves.
 

jnhgiela

Suspended
May 26, 2011
89
0
0
Mobile, AL
I'd be happy knowing one loss isn't gonna kill you, just as it is now. 4th place is still no easy task. We'll give up a bit of regular season excitement (moments like last night will still happen and will still allow the 5 & 6 to move into the picture), and receive in its place two monster games at the end of the year.
 

skrayper77

All-American
Sep 4, 2003
3,511
228
182
Being a Top 4 team will not be an easy task. We were just barely in the Top 4, and we still have to beat UGA (and technically AU).

Look at it from the other perspective - If we win out we get in, even if UCLA beats Stanford and Oregon wins out with a conference title as well. That would be two 1 loss teams, with a major conference title. Would we be okay on the outside looking in in that scenario?
 

JD95

All-American
Oct 18, 1999
2,002
15
162
55
Birmingham, AL
It won't be the same, but it will be similar. Rather than gutting it out for one of the top 2 spots, all the interest will be on who can make the cut for 3 and 4. This year, it would mean that Florida, LSU, and Texas A&M would all still be in the mix to get a second SEC team in the playoff. The Bama-Georgia winner would be a lock, much like this year.
 

CrimSonami

All-American
Jul 17, 2011
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I understand your points but I'm for the 4 team playoff. It'll be tweaked along the way in the coming years and there'll be growing pains based on who does and doesn't "Squeak In" the final rankings. Same/Similar as we've gone through with the still developing BCS system. The selection commitee will be biased on some issues like which teams does the CFB world want to see, what fanbase travels best, who won the crystal ball last year, who is the media promoting the most, etc. There will be times it works to our advatage. There will be times it will exclude us. Either way we gotta win when we need to for the opportunity. I'm OK with that.

RTR!!!
 

DrollTide

All-SEC
Oct 18, 2008
1,608
846
137
Hunts Patch
I would prefer no playoff, but given that a playoff seemed inevitable, a 4-team playoff is the best (= least damaging) alternative. There will always be a "cusp", no matter how many teams are involved, and going forward the cusp will be between #4 and #5. Actually the teams down there are a lot less separated than #2 to #3, so there may be unexpected consequences, such as a more bitter playoff debate and more late-season style-pointing.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,615
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kraizy.art
It won't be the same, but it will be similar. Rather than gutting it out for one of the top 2 spots, all the interest will be on who can make the cut for 3 and 4. This year, it would mean that Florida, LSU, and Texas A&M would all still be in the mix to get a second SEC team in the playoff. The Bama-Georgia winner would be a lock, much like this year.
I guess you missed the conference champ criteria. That shoots all kinds of holes in what you just said. They already stated the criteria. It's not rock solid, you can get in without it, but in a mess of one loss teams you know the criteria will come into play, why else have it?

So, the past two weeks nothing, absolutely nothing, would have changed in terms of who is in a playoff. You just shuffled the seeding around. Kansas St. and Oregon would still have the inside track. This whole pretend intrigue thing is absolutely blown to bits by the conference champ criteria. When the rest of the top ten is SEC, the other top teams are golden.

Florida is the team that should be in play, but with a playoff they are not, assuming everyone wins out. Florida can't pull so far ahead of Kansas St. and Oregon to make conference champ criteria irrelevant. Any two loss SEC teams are absolutely hopeless in a playoff scenario, unless Oregon and Kansas St. lose again, and badly enough that they fall outside of the top 6.

This whole thing is most unfriendly to the SEC and the SECCG. It's a absolute extra round of playoffs, which Kansas St. and Notre Dame do not have to endure. There's no way under the future playoff structure that the loser is still in play, the loss alone might not have done it (if, for instance Oregon and Kansas St. slip up again), but the non-conference champ part is sure to toss them out. So, the SEC plays a three round playoff, and Kansas St. and Notre Dame play a two round playoff. That's fair, right?

I love how sheep just automatically assume a playoff makes things better. Show me how it does. Honestly, show me how the past two weeks really matter with this four team playoff. A lot of what I'm seeing here is operating under the false assumption that there is no conference champ criteria, like people missed that part of the playoff. It's there, and if you think it won't matter, look at the NCAA tournament's automatic inclusion of conference champs, or division champs automatic inclusions in other sports. They included it because they don't want the SEC having two teams in, and this year it would absolutely come into play.
 

Tider n LA

All-SEC
Dec 7, 2003
1,224
356
107
Alabama
Why do people still argue that the regular season won't mean as much anymore with a 4 team playoff? It isn't like the NFL where you can lose 7 games and win your division and make the playoffs. Only 4 out of 120 teams can make the playoff. That is .03% chance you get in. I think the regular season is still very huge. You better not lose more than one game.
 

Quicksilver

1st Team
Mar 13, 2010
393
30
52
Ellicott City, MD
It won't be the same, but it will be similar. Rather than gutting it out for one of the top 2 spots, all the interest will be on who can make the cut for 3 and 4. This year, it would mean that Florida, LSU, and Texas A&M would all still be in the mix to get a second SEC team in the playoff. The Bama-Georgia winner would be a lock, much like this year.
When we do get into the playoff era, I'm going to love it when all 4 slots go to SEC schools. Among the anti-BCS faction are many people who think that a playoff system (even a four team one) will diminish the probability of getting a SEC national champion. It won't.
 

bamanut_aj

Hall of Fame
Jul 31, 2000
20,058
82
167
51
Spring Hill, TN
and with the inevitable 8, 12 and 16 team playoffs in the next 2 decades or so, it'll be NFL-lite. Granted, NFL playoffs are often great games, but come on....days like yesterday were AWESOME
 

GreatDanish

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2005
6,079
0
0
TN
I was thinking last night that in the playoff era, I am probably asleep instead of watching Oregon and Kansas State, since Alabama would already be in the playoff with an SEC CG win.
 

Stonewall1959

2nd Team
Oct 5, 2005
315
3
0
64
Macon, Georgia
When we do get into the playoff era, I'm going to love it when all 4 slots go to SEC schools. Among the anti-BCS faction are many people who think that a playoff system (even a four team one) will diminish the probability of getting a SEC national champion. It won't.
Agree. After the BCS ranking come out today there will probably be 3 SEC teams in the top 4. Can see the SEC year after year with at least two teams in the playoffs. Should mean that we see more all SEC championship games and the rest of the country will lose their minds.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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kraizy.art
When we do get into the playoff era, I'm going to love it when all 4 slots go to SEC schools. Among the anti-BCS faction are many people who think that a playoff system (even a four team one) will diminish the probability of getting a SEC national champion. It won't.
Statistically it does and is designed to do just that. The conference champ criteria was fought over, and resisted by the SEC. Ultimately the Big 12 backed it and the SEC was forced into a playoff that included it. This is huge, and once again we can't just wish it away. It's there, it will be there, and it wouldn't be there unless it was to do something. That something is to favor conference champs over non-conference champs.

It is not coincidence that this occurs in the aftermath of Alabama winning the BCS as a non-conference champ. It was an immediate response. Anyway, what this does is simple, it does mathematically lower the SEC's chances. Take this year for instance, Alabama has an inside track to the BCSCG game. It's not that simple, but let's call that a 50% chance of the SEC winning the championship.

Well, you expand to four teams and Florida should also have an inside track. Whooops, not conference champ. So, Kansas St. and Oregon have an inside track. The chances go from 50%, to 25%. That won't matter some years, but it will make a difference and it's exactly why they all ganged up on the SEC and did it! I'm astounded that some people are still oblivious to this.
Agree. After the BCS ranking come out today there will probably be 3 SEC teams in the top 4. Can see the SEC year after year with at least two teams in the playoffs. Should mean that we see more all SEC championship games and the rest of the country will lose their minds.
Conference Champion Criteria
The old BCS formula will not exist.
 
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CrimSonami

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Jul 17, 2011
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but the non-conference champ part is sure to toss them out. So said:
I love how sheep just automatically assume a playoff makes things better.[/U] Show me how it does. Honestly, show me how the past two weeks really matter with this four team playoff. A lot of what I'm seeing here is operating under the false assumption that there is no conference champ criteria, like people missed that part of the playoff. It's there, and if you think it won't matter, look at the NCAA tournament's automatic inclusion of conference champs, or division champs automatic inclusions in other sports. They included it because they don't want the SEC having two teams in, and this year it would absolutely come into play.
Yep. You are exactly right. Growing pains of a new/revised system. The selection commitee and it's current structure are gonna take some hits during the first few years. Definitely has anti-SEC undertones at this point. Most of us understand that. We still gotta win when we have to and get a little help from time to time such as Okie State last year and #'s 1 & 2 falling last night. And we ain't outa the woods yet. It ain't fair in some regards but it's the Major CFB dollars driving the bus and choosing where to stop, who to let off and who to let on.

RTR!!!
 

JD95

All-American
Oct 18, 1999
2,002
15
162
55
Birmingham, AL
Wow, some people just want to complain about every single thing. Conference championships will be a factor, and they should be. But once you get three strong conference champions in, I think there will be a real effort to make sure that 4th team is the best of who's left out there. And more often than not, I think that will be an SEC team.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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kraizy.art
Conference championships will be a factor, and they should be. But once you get three strong conference champions in, I think there will be a real effort to make sure that 4th team is the best of who's left out there. And more often than not, I think that will be an SEC team.
Oh, so the conference champion criteria only matters for the top three. I missed that part, I was worried for a little while. Thanks for pointing that out because I was thinking it applied to all four teams, silly me.
 

JD95

All-American
Oct 18, 1999
2,002
15
162
55
Birmingham, AL
Oh, so the conference champion criteria only matters for the top three. I missed that part, I was worried for a little while. Thanks for pointing that out because I was thinking it applied to all four teams, silly me.
Let's just watch what happens in a couple of years. No where does it say all 4 teams must be conferences champs -- it's just a factor. If that system had been in place last year, even with the conference champion factor, Alabama still would have gotten a spot. It's hard to say how this year will look with so many games left to play, but given the current rankings the SEC would have a great shot at a second team again this year. But you go ahead and rant about it for the next 24 months, along with rants about fans not satisfying you're expectations for stadium intensity, and whatever else you think is wrong with the Alabama program and college football in general.
 

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