My problem with a playoff is that it devalues the regular season. What if we clinched a playoff spot and won the SEC West; would our coach rest our best players against Auburn at the end of the season? He's right that people love March madness, but it's more for making brackets and seeing who's "right" amongst friends rather than a playoff deciding the best team. A playoff just devalues the regular season and rewards a team that gets hot late. Nobody really pays attention to college bball or pro baseball until the postseason. Each and every regular season game means something in college football, which makes it the best regular season in the sport. There haven't really been many instances when there's a valid argument about who the top 2 teams have been. Unfortunately going to a 4 team playoff means eventually we'll go to 8 and then 16. It honestly would benefit the SEC because we'd be getting the most teams into the bracket.What's so wrong with what he's saying? A 16-team playoff would be way better than what we have now. We'd have a clear winner at the end of the season. Currently it's just who has the best record, arguably, at that.
The most I'd go is 4 (8 is compelling). I don't think there's ever been a season when the #15 ranked team has a valid claim at all to being a champ. Throw in automatic playoff spots or restrictions to # of teams from a conference (this'll happen if our conference continues to dominate) and you may have a team like Louisville (from 2012) or UConn (from a year or two ago) in the playoff system. I'd really hate to see an 8-4 or 7-5 team win a playoff because of some dumb luck of the draw or one off night from a better team. I'm with you in thinking the more teams in, the less the regular season means. Every Saturday is compelling because something happens almost every week that affects the national title game or conference championships.I don't think the formula is is jacked up as it's painted to be. The jacked up part is the conference restrictions and automatic bowl tie ins. That being said I am okay with a playoff system as long as it doesn't take away from the regular season. The more teams that get slots the less the regular season means. 16 is the absolute MOST I would ever want to see.
We still had to beat the barn to go to Atlanta. If a player at a position of little depth (this year DB, RB, and WR) was slightly injured, why would a coach risk playing them in the regular season finale when the team has clinched the division and a likely bid to a national title playoff? It happens in the NFL (remember the undefeated Colts resting everyone and then losing in the playoffs); it happens in pro baseball (Yankees rested a ton of players this year); it happens in the NBA (the Spurs rested their best players early this year because of the grind of a season). College football wouldn't be any different. The risk of injury to a star player in a meaningless game outweighs beating a rival when the "bigger" prize is a conference or national title. Even assuming we beat A&M and clinched the West, we would've needed to keep winning to guarantee our spot in the national title game. Losing one may not have given us the opportunity to play for the national title; so we would've play our starters against the barn anyway under the current system (loss at end of regular season is essentially title dream killer)We would not rest our players anymore than we did this year against auburn or any other team. Fans won't stand for tanking a game just because you clinched a spot in the playoffs.
You probably wasted more time searching for the term "Bama" than if you just read it (6 relatively short paragraphs).I hit control+F
When the search box opened, I typed in Bama.
I didn't see it anywhere in his comments.
I closed the article.
It wouldn't this year. I think that they were 3-9 or something like that. It was bad enough that Tedford was fired.Rodgers would like to expand to a 40 team playoff, that might get Cal in right?
That is my thoughts excatly.Rodgers would like to expand to a 40 team playoff, that might get Cal in right?
Not so. If there is any type of playoff system whereby Bama is already in the playoff and knows who their opponent will be, they will not only rest the starters, they will not even prepare for Auburn. They would be stupid to do otherwise. Which is why I am SO opposed to a playoff.We would not rest our players anymore than we did this year against auburn or any other team. Fans won't stand for tanking a game just because you clinched a spot in the playoffs.
NIU sits at #15 now. NIU? GIVE ME A BREAK!16 team playoff? Seriously? When has there ever been a team ranked 16th that had a legitimate claim to being the best in the country?
Top4 is plenty, if they want to push it to 6 I can possibly see it, but there's never been a 7th ranked team (rarely even a fourth ranked team) that can legitimately lay claim to being the best.
Top8+ just cheapens the regular season.
15th ranked Texas A&M beat us....16 team playoff? Seriously? When has there ever been a team ranked 16th that had a legitimate claim to being the best in the country?
Top4 is plenty, if they want to push it to 6 I can possibly see it, but there's never been a 7th ranked team (rarely even a fourth ranked team) that can legitimately lay claim to being the best.
Top8+ just cheapens the regular season.