A problem with the 12 team playoff

[BamaSully]

Now that it’s official, it’s time to start complaining about it, right?

Here goes

It’s never a good idea to have corporate executives telling blue collar folks how they need to do their job. It’s a recipe for failure. Things work significantly better when the top guys set the vision and then get out of the way and let the "little people" figure out the nuts and bolts of the operation. I feel like we’ve made this mistake with the format of the 12-team playoff model.

According to everything I’ve read, the top 4 conference champs get the top 4 spots and the 1st round byes that go with them. That means that if the 12 team model were applied this season, the top 4 spots would be…

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Clemson
4. Kansas State

That makes no sense at all.

With our current system, I fully expect today’s top 4 will be…

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. Ohio State

Why should the act of expanding the playoff to 12 teams also mean we no longer want the top 4 to be the top 4? It doesn’t and it shouldn’t so why in the world would we do that???

That’s what happens when the pencil-necks meddle in the business of the people actually doing the work.

My 2 cents. The last 8 seasons have proven that the committee approach we have now works very well. We should trust them to pick the right teams and seed them as they see fit. If I had a voice with any of the decision-makers that’s what I would be telling them now.

Please do us a favor and let the committee seed the 12 teams!!!!

PLEASE!!!

-Sully

 

[Tidewater]

Just playing devil's advocate, but wouldn't letting the committee select and seed all 12 also be "the pencil-necks meddl[ing] in the business of the people actually doing the work?"

 

[BamaSC]

I really wish we weren't going to 12 teams. We have a hard enough time finding 4 that are really worthy. That said, if we're going to do this then yeah, let's make the conference championships mean something.

 

[Elefantman]

No conference championship games, no conference ties. Best 12

If the top 5 come from the same conference, so be it.

 

[BamaSully]

Just playing devil's advocate, but wouldn't letting the committee select and seed all 12 also be "the pencil-necks meddl[ing] in the business of the people actually doing the work?"

It is. Lol. I saw that one coming and almost addressed it my OP but felt like the post was already long enough. It is and you’re right but I guess there are different levels. In this case, I’m saying the committee has already proven they get it. I believe they’ve gotten it right. So we don’t need to tell them how to seed the teams! When we try to tell them how to seed the teams by implementing arbitrary rules, we will get very uneven results like the example given in the OP.

 

[bamaga]

Here is the problem I see, how long until we go to 16 teams? As someone said yesterday, if the first round is in a home stadium and second round is at a neutral site with the top 4 getting a bye, how long until the top four complain they don’t get the extra revenue of a home game? They will be penalized for being good.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Here is the problem I see, how long until we go to 16 teams? As someone said yesterday, if the first round is in a home stadium and second round is at a neutral site with the top 4 getting a bye, how long until the top four complain they don’t get the extra revenue of a home game? They will be penalized for being good.

Then they should learn strategically how to lose better then, shouldn't they?

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Now that it’s official, it’s time to start complaining about it, right?

Here goes

It’s never a good idea to have corporate executives telling blue collar folks how they need to do their job. It’s a recipe for failure. Things work significantly better when the top guys set the vision and then get out of the way and let the "little people" figure out the nuts and bolts of the operation. I feel like we’ve made this mistake with the format of the 12-team playoff model.

According to everything I’ve read, the top 4 conference champs get the top 4 spots and the 1st round byes that go with them. That means that if the 12 team model were applied this season, the top 4 spots would be…

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Clemson
4. Kansas State

That makes no sense at all.

With our current system, I fully expect today’s top 4 will be…

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. Ohio State

Why should the act of expanding the playoff to 12 teams also mean we no longer want the top 4 to be the top 4? It doesn’t and it shouldn’t so why in the world would we do that???

That’s what happens when the pencil-necks meddle in the business of the people actually doing the work.

My 2 cents. The last 8 seasons have proven that the committee approach we have now works very well. We should trust them to pick the right teams and seed them as they see fit. If I had a voice with any of the decision-makers that’s what I would be telling them now.

Please do us a favor and let the committee seed the 12 teams!!!!

PLEASE!!!

-Sully

The 12-team playoff is only coming about because of the collapse of the bowl system infrastructure.

CFB has decided "playing a December tournament" will provide more meaningful games and more money than playing a bunch of bowl exhibitions that are sparsely attended and nobody really cares about.

 

[BamaSully]

I really wish we weren't going to 12 teams. We have a hard enough time finding 4 that are really worthy. That said, if we're going to do this then yeah, let's make the conference championships mean something.

Part of my intent was to find out if people agree with my line of thinking. So to be very specific, are you saying you’d rather have Clemson and KState getting the byes instead of TCU and OSU?

 

[Tidewater]

I could see conferences doing away with championship games and simply declaring the conference winner like we did before conference championship games, then playing the first two rounds at the home stadiums of the higher seeded team.

 

[BamaSC]

Part of my intent was to find out if people agree with my line of thinking. So to be very specific, are you saying you’d rather have Clemson and KState getting the byes instead of TCU and OSU?

Yeah.

To elaborate, with 12, there is no need to try to find the best 4 or the most deserving. They’ll be in the mix along with 9 or 10 teams that shouldn’t even be considered for a NC. If they want to make CFB like the NFL, go ahead and make conference championships like divisional winners with all the advantages that come with.

 

[Windsortide]

No conference championship games, no conference ties. Best 12

If the top 5 come from the same conference, so be it.

Huge media push right now to exclude. Remember the committee is supposed to be selecting the best four not most deserving. Whatever that means.

 

[denver]

The wrinkle to the Conference winners getting in by default and top seeds doesnt take into account any realignment....B12 is losing its top 2 programs to the SEC, others will move too...so you will end up with 2 strong conferences and the rest are mediocre...so they dont deserve a bye....lots to figure out but at least it will get past the weak crap of the committee that we've seen this season and be played out on the field vs "selection"....UGA must be salivating

 

[RammerJammer14]

Yeah.

To elaborate, with 12, there is no need to try to find the best 4 or the most deserving. They’ll be in the mix along with 9 or 10 teams that shouldn’t even be considered for a NC. If they want to make CFB like the NFL, go ahead and make conference championships like divisional winners with all the advantages that come with.

The problem is that unlike the NFL, college conferences are not created equal and the parity that exists in the NFL isn’t there. So treating an SEC conference champ like a PAC or Sunbelt conference champ is insane.

 

[BamaSully]

The problem is that unlike the NFL, college conferences are not created equal and the parity that exists in the NFL isn’t there. So treating an SEC conference champ like a PAC or Sunbelt conference champ is insane.

Amen. That’s my point. This year would be a perfect example of that insanity.

 

[PacadermaTideUs]

If I understand the 12 team selection correctly (and I may not), from what I gather, a 12 team playoff this year would look like this:

First round bye
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Utah
4. Clemson

Next 2 highest ranked conference champs
5. Kansas State
6. Tulane

Highest ranked remaining
7. TCU
8. Ohio State
9. Alabama plays at Ohio State, winner to face Georgia
10. Tennessee plays at TCU, winner to face Michigan
11. USC plays at Tulane, winner to face Utah
12. Penn State plays at Kansas State, winner to face Clemson

Looks to me like the top 6 conference champs requirement pushes some very good teams (OSU, Alabama) to lower seeds (7-10) thereby bracketing them with the highest ranked teams. Seems to not only punish the 7-10 seeds, but also 1 and 2.

As an aside, note that Tulane would make the playoffs and get home field advantage(?!)

 

[DzynKingRTR]

If I understand the 12 team selection correctly (and I may not), from what I gather, a 12 team playoff this year would look like this:

First round bye
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Utah
4. Clemson

Next 2 highest ranked conference champs
5. Kansas State
6. Tulane

Highest ranked remaining
7. TCU
8. Ohio State
9. Alabama plays at Ohio State, winner to face Georgia
10. Tennessee plays at TCU, winner to face Michigan
11. USC plays at Tulane, winner to face Utah
12. Penn State plays at Kansas State, winner to face Clemson

Looks to me like the top 6 conference champs requirement pushes some very good teams (OSU, Alabama) to lower seeds (7-10) thereby bracketing them with the highest ranked teams. Seems to not only punish the 7-10 seeds, but also 1 and 2.

As an aside, note that Tulane would make the playoffs and get home field advantage(?!)

The smart and fair thing to do would be to re-seed after the first round. Lowest team plays #1. But that makes way too much sense and is to logical.

 

[dvldog]

Just fill out an NCAA basketball bracket and start playing in September.

 

[BamaSC]

The problem is that unlike the NFL, college conferences are not created equal and the parity that exists in the NFL isn’t there. So treating an SEC conference champ like a PAC or Sunbelt conference champ is insane.

Not all NFL divisions are equal either, but I get your point. Because CFB doesn’t have the parity of the NFL, most years it’s clear in CFB who the best 2 teams are. Letting every conference champion and a few wildcards into a 12-game playoff to determine a champion is already absurd. Maybe seeding them like the NCAA tournament is an idea, but if they want an NFL-Lite experience, this is the result.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Not all NFL divisions are equal either, but I get your point. Because CFB doesn’t have the parity of the NFL, most years it’s clear in CFB who the best 2 teams are. Letting every conference champion and a few wildcards into a 12-game playoff to determine a champion is already absurd. Maybe seeding them like the NCAA tournament is an idea, but if they want an NFL-Lite experience, this is the result.

yeah 3 loss Utah getting a bye is insane. Tulane being ranked higher than anyone is insane.