After following CFB for 40+ years, the sport is more screwed up than ever.

[NewEra 2014]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

 

[Cowbell Man]

5 conference champions. 4 spots.

Simple math. There is no code to crack. All champions earn the right to advance. Not just 4. Or 3. Fix the playoff and suddenly the conference worlds will be rosy.

 

[roswelllion]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

Everything you say is accurate until the end.

"not having it's best team in the play off 3 of 5 years and no representative the last two years"
I am not sure about 2015 but
2014 - tOSU got in and won
2015 ???
2016 - Buckeye's got in above us and who was more deserving is debatable, but PSU had a 30+ point loss to scUM.
2017- 25 point loss to Iowa
2018- 29 point loss to Purdue

The reason tOSU and us in 2016 did not get in had much more to do with blow out losses than anything else in the league. If those 3 losses were all by 10 points or less I would argue at least 2 of the 3 years the outcome would be different. [us in 2016 and the Buck's in 17' and 18"]

 

[NewEra 2014]

Everything you say is accurate until the end.

"not having it's best team in the play off 3 of 5 years and no representative the last two years"
I am not sure about 2015 but
2014 - tOSU got in and won
2015 ???
2016 - Buckeye's got in above us and who was more deserving is debatable, but PSU had a 30+ point loss to scUM.
2017- 25 point loss to Iowa
2018- 29 point loss to Purdue

The reason tOSU and us in 2016 did not get in had much more to do with blow out losses than anything else in the league. If those 3 losses were all by 10 points or less I would argue at least 2 of the 3 years the outcome would be different. [us in 2016 and the Buck's in 17' and 18"]

In 2016, Penn State was playing better than OSU at the end of the year and won the conference championship. The BIG commissioner did not promote its own champion for the playoff. The SEC would have lobbied hard to have two teams in the 2016 playoff under similar circumstances.

I would argue that in 2017, the BIG scheduled itself out of the playoff. Penn State and OSU played a 39-38 slugfest. The next week, Penn State loses to MSU and OSU loses to Iowa. The SEC would have found a way to have OSU play Illinois and Penn State play Rutgers the week after they played each other. Or given them a bye. Or allowed them to schedule The Citadel.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

Not to nitpick but UF's protected rivalry game with the west is with LSU. UF v. GA happens every year because they're both in the East.

 

[JWB389]

The reason college football is more screwed up is the greater emphasis on generating revenue.

In addition, the rich will continue to get richer. I was looking at this the other day. Perhaps an extreme example, but assuming Bama wins their first round playoff, they will have played in 59 games in 4 years. Then look at like a Vandy. They'll have played in 50. That's nearly a full extra season over a 4 year period. Think of the money, the experience, the exposure. How does a Vandy compete with that?

 

[Grant Green]

Disagree that CFB is totally screwed up. The past few years, the best 2 teams have faced off in the championship game. It was way more screwed up when PSU had to go to the Rose Bowl to play Oregon instead of playing Nebraska. Looking back on that now is insanity.

 

[fastlax16]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

The sec doesn’t let two schools hold the conference hostage.

 

[pawildcat]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

I am more sick of college officials on high saying strength of schedule was going to be a component of the playoff selection system and then proceeding to penalize conferences that tried to improve their SOS. Put in the conference champions and stop the damn beauty contest.

 

[dbsteel]

5 conference champions. 4 spots.

Simple math. There is no code to crack. All champions earn the right to advance. Not just 4. Or 3. Fix the playoff and suddenly the conference worlds will be rosy.

Exactly.......then you can have your conference as hard as you want. If you win it, you are in.

 

[Howie'81]

I am more sick of college officials on high saying strength of schedule was going to be a component of the playoff selection system and then proceeding to penalize conferences that tried to improve their SOS. Put in the conference champions and stop the damn beauty contest.

This is an excellent point and one I wholeheartedly agree with. Wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest if NW got in this year. They would have earned the conference championship by the rules of their conference. And I mean by that that each conference should be allowed to decide how to crown their champion and that champion gets an automatic birth. End of story.

Good post @pawildcat .

 

[Cowbell Man]

This is an excellent point and one I wholeheartedly agree with. Wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest if NW got in this year. They would have earned the conference championship by the rules of their conference. And I mean by that that each conference should be allowed to decide how to crown their champion and that champion gets an automatic birth. End of story.

Good post @pawildcat .

+1. EVERY conference champion earns their championship. There is no argument about who is better and no argument about how they got there.

Major college football’s Mythical National Champion can not ever say these words.

 

[YorkLion]

Penn State's reluctance to schedule tough OOC competition will always be a burden.

 

[TJD88]

Penn State's reluctance to schedule tough OOC competition will always be a burden.

Well, we do have Auburn, Va Tech, and WVU coming up for six years after Pitt rolls off the schedule next year.

 

[Cowbell Man]

Penn State's reluctance to schedule tough OOC competition will always be a burden.

vs Portland State, Rutgers and Idaho?

Or it’s worse than Louisville, Louisiana Monroe, Arkansas State and the Citadel?

 

[fastlax16]

vs Portland State, Rutgers and Idaho?

Or it’s worse than Louisville, Louisiana Monroe, Arkansas State and the Citadel?

Shh. Don't make sense here.

 

[Hotshoe]

The B1G isn't done expanding. They want TX and OU in 2025 and so does FOX.

 

[Cowbell Man]

The B1G isn't done expanding. They want TX and OU in 2025 and so does FOX.

So the answer will be in order to fix the easiest thing....the playoffs.....is to move toward 4 conferences by paying lots of penalties and still sharing the same amount of playoff cash, and then it’s four champions? Lol.

Wait till the group of 5 files THAT lawsuit.

Heaven forbid anyone do the easy thing.

 

[wilbury]

We should not have gotten into the playoff in 2016. The regular season has to matter. You can't debate who's playing best at the end of the year. Every week needs to be a part of the playoff. We lost to Pitt. Sorry, but that's the end of any chance for the final four. Same with USC that year. They were playing better than anyone at the end of the year but lost two games in the regular season.

I have yet to hear anyone argue that the best team hasn't either made the playoff or won the national championship since the committee was formed.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

Disagree that CFB is totally screwed up. The past few years, the best 2 teams have faced off in the championship game. It was way more screwed up when PSU had to go to the Rose Bowl to play Oregon instead of playing Nebraska. Looking back on that now is insanity.

Totally agree the best two teams meet up for all the marbles, either in the CFP semis or championship game. That's nice. Otherwise, CFB is becoming ever-more like the (ever-increasingly messed up) NFL than the college game I grew up with. It's more entertainment/business than pure sport. That's a mixed bag, better in some ways and screwed up in others.

 

[sdwcpa]

It is almost as though the B10 goes out of its way to schedule NOT to be in the playoffs. For 2019 in the week before the Iron Bowl game Bama gets to play The Citidel (or some one along those lines ) and OSU gets to play you guys the week before the scUM game.

 

[PSU87]

It was so much better in 69 when the President picked the National Champions before the bowl games

 

[ivan brunetti]

A bigger playoff is not necessarily better. It is just bigger.

Would a 128 team playoff be better than 64? 64 better than 32? 32 better than 16?

If you allowed the fans to run things, college football would continue year 'round. A ten month regular season and then two months of playoffs. That would be great for the players!

 

[LionDeNittany]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

How balanced is the SEC? Alabama has won 5 of the last SEC championships.
What the SEC does right is the marketing.
They have marquee matchups early in the season and hype the heck out of them. Even if those teams end up stinking, it helps the other teams later in the season.
The SEC has somehow convinced everyone their teams are superior, even when they are not.

LdN

 

[Kiber]

5 conference champions. 4 spots.

Simple math. There is no code to crack. All champions earn the right to advance. Not just 4. Or 3. Fix the playoff and suddenly the conference worlds will be rosy.

Why?? Why, should a champion from a conference get an automatic berth simply by being the "best" in a conference. I believe atleast 4 teams from the SEC would have won the Pac12. Bama, Georgia, Florida and LSU would have probably won the Pac12. So we give an automatic bid to say Washington because they are the champ of the Pac12........... even though they would have been the 5th best team in the SEC???

 

[PSU Dave]

Much of the reason why it is screwed up is due to the Big Ten. I love the Rose Bowl, but part of the reason why we don't have an 8-team playoff already is protecting the sanctity and importance of the Rose Bowl and (usually) its tie ins to the Pac 12 and Big Ten.

Another problem is the bloated size of conferences, led by the Big Ten. Now that the Big Ten has figured out that conference divisions are dumb, how do you fix the situation when you have a 14-team conference? You can't play a true round robin schedule like the Big 12 does, so you may never get the two best teams to your championship game. Also, how does the Big Ten protect its precious OSU-UM game if it scraps its current divisional setup? You would think the problem is impossible to solve.

Yet somehow, the SEC figured out how to make things work with a 14-team conference. They have 8 conference games, balanced divisions, late season games against cupcakes, bye weeks before big games, and no back to back tough games for its marquee teams. They also have protected rivalry games sprinkled throughout their schedule: Bama-Auburn, GA-Fla, Bama-Tenn, etc. What dark magic has the SEC discovered that allowed them to make this work?

Let's look at just one example. I can go online today and see Penn State's Big Ten conference football schedule through 2025. Why does the Big Ten lock in its conference schedule so far in advance? The Big Ten doesn't think the CFB landscape may change a bit between now and 2025, and maybe it might make some sense to allow yourself some scheduling flexibility?

I see no problem with announcing the rotation of teams that will be on a schedule years in advance if you want to do so. The SEC does this. But why potentially lock in your marquee teams to playing an impossible schedule, or having all of your conference's important games stacked up in the middle of the schedule, instead of being spread out through the season? Heck, we don't even know who the Big Ten's marquee teams will be in 2025. But they have scheduled Penn State to play OSU and Michigan back to back in several of those years, just in case those historically strong schools are still good in the coming years. Is that really in the best interests of your conference?

Now, I expect the SEC and ACC are just fine with keeping the playoff system the way things currently are. The SEC in particular has "cracked the code", and as usual, the Big Ten is late to the party. This had led to the Big Ten not having its best team in the playoff in at least 3 of the 5 years the CFP has been in existence, and no representative at all for two years running. It couldn't have screwed up worse if it tried.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

 

[roswelllion]

Penn State's reluctance to schedule tough OOC competition will always be a burden.

I would like a better OOC but i disagree on how it affects the CFP. I think the PAC 12 and Big 12 need a tough OOC but the BIG 10 and SEC conference schedules are tough enough to give them a pass on the OOC. Look at UGa's OOC this year. REALLY weak and yet they almost made it with 2 losses.

 

[roswelllion]

How balanced is the SEC? Alabama has won 5 of the last SEC championships.
What the SEC does right is the marketing.
They have marquee matchups early in the season and hype the heck out of them. Even if those teams end up stinking, it helps the other teams later in the season.
The SEC has somehow convinced everyone their teams are superior, even when they are not.

LdN

Well they are pretty good but you are correct. The fanbase is unbelievable year round. When you have willing listeners/readers you have media. When you have media opportunities they then "market" the conference even more and and it becomes a self feeding cycle.

There is very little sports competition. Just think how much college football talk you could hear on the radio in March - July in say Wisconsin or New Jersey or Washington Dc vs Alabama, Mississippi, or Tennessee?

 

[nittnee]

Why?? Why, should a champion from a conference get an automatic berth simply by being the "best" in a conference. I believe atleast 4 teams from the SEC would have won the Pac12. Bama, Georgia, Florida and LSU would have probably won the Pac12. So we give an automatic bid to say Washington because they are the champ of the Pac12........... even though they would have been the 5th best team in the SEC???

Yes. In the same manner every other sport has figured out. BTW, these things tend to cycle over time.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

How balanced is the SEC? Alabama has won 5 of the last SEC championships.
What the SEC does right is the marketing.
They have marquee matchups early in the season and hype the heck out of them. Even if those teams end up stinking, it helps the other teams later in the season.
The SEC has somehow convinced everyone their teams are superior, even when they are not.

LdN

Their teams certainly tend to be among the best and the competition tends to be at the highest level with the most favorable conditions to full-season competition and the most fertile recruiting grounds. SEC teams have won or shared more than half of the national championships over the last 20 years (since TN won the first BCS title in 1998), and despite Bama’s redic number of them, the SEC also has had more of its teams (5) win natties over that modern era of CFB. They had TN, FL, AL, Aub and LSU. Last year, they had BOTH teams in the CFP final and both deserved to be there.

Next best is the ACC, which looks especially more relevant if we choose to include Miami’s pre-ACC successes. We’d have to also include expansion teams for the B1G (other than OSU) to start to look relevant, while looking back more than 20 years to pad our numbers—so we can finally include NE’s 2.5 and UM’s .5 MNCs. And then we’d have to count another by UF.

It’s not just marketing. More times than not, especially in the modern era, the best of the SEC is the best there is and they have more great teams.

 

[Kiber]

Because?

Because, why?

Because you say so? Because your "eye test" tells you so?

You're right, of course.
In the arena of athletic competition, much better to rely on Kiber's eye-test than to allow for competitors to compete on the field. Obviously



Who's gonna' be in the Super Bowl this year Kiber? I wanna' make some easy green.

No. My guess is that Vegas would also agree.

Washington vs. SEC #1 Alabama ... my guess is that Bama would be a huge double digit favorite

Washington vs. SEC #2 Georgia ... my guess is that Georgia would most likely be a double digit favorite

Washington vs. SEC #3 LSU ... my guess is that LSU would be about a 6-7 pt favorite

Washington vs. SEC #4 Florida ... my guess is that Florida would be a slight favorite

So, you can be sarcastic. But in all reality the Pac 12 Champ would be under-dogs by the Vegas boys to the top 4 SEC teams.

Not just "Kiber's eyes".

Heck. The Pac 12 Champ would be underdogs to both Ohio State and Michigan and would be like a "pick em" vs. Penn State.

So by your logic. A team that would be 5th in the SEC. 3rd in the B1G should just be given a spot to play for the National Championship? That sounds like a great plan.

 

[Grant Green]

Totally agree the best two teams meet up for all the marbles, either in the CFP semis or championship game. That's nice. Otherwise, CFB is becoming ever-more like the (ever-increasingly messed up) NFL than the college game I grew up with. It's more entertainment/business than pure sport. That's a mixed bag, better in some ways and screwed up in others.

Trade off. It's become more commercial because there is high demand for it on tv. The trade off is that in the 80s and even 90s, I couldn't watch all the games on tv - usually only a select few. Now, I can see every single PSU game from the comforts of my home. I'll take that trade any day.

 

[Grant Green]

No. My guess is that Vegas would also agree.

Washington vs. SEC #1 Alabama ... my guess is that Bama would be a huge double digit favorite

Washington vs. SEC #2 Georgia ... my guess is that Georgia would most likely be a double digit favorite

Washington vs. SEC #3 LSU ... my guess is that LSU would be about a 6-7 pt favorite

Washington vs. SEC #4 Florida ... my guess is that Florida would be a slight favorite

So, you can be sarcastic. But in all reality the Pac 12 Champ would be under-dogs by the Vegas boys to the top 4 SEC teams.

Not just "Kiber's eyes".

Heck. The Pac 12 Champ would be underdogs to both Ohio State and Michigan and would be like a "pick em" vs. Penn State.

So by your logic. A team that would be 5th in the SEC. 3rd in the B1G should just be given a spot to play for the National Championship? That sounds like a great plan.

Alabama -18 to -20 vs UW
UGA -10 to -13 vs UW
LSU close to pick'em
Florida +1 to +2 vs UW

I am quite sure that I'm within a few points on all of these.

 

[psuro]

It was so much better in 69 when the President picked the National Champions before the bowl games

And did it incorrectly.

 

[eilion]

Same schools make it every year. Best athletes go to those schools every year. Rinse and repeat. System is broken but can be fixed with a bigger playoff field and NCAA enforcement (neither of which I expect to happen in any meaningful way). I'm definitely losing interest and I was once a die hard.

 

[Kiber]

Sorry, I can't take credit.
Your statement would appear to be a mash-up of Kiber-Logic... certainly not mine.


BTW: What's the "line" on Bama v Oklahoma and Clemson v Notre Dame?
They aren't actually going to PLAY those games are they? That would be a complete waste of time

Exactly my point. ... The lines for Bama/OU and Clemson/ND are already at -13.5 and -12.5. And that is just the differences in the top 4. So your solution would be to dilute it even more.

Thanks. Glad you came around.

 

[Kiber]

We should not have gotten into the playoff in 2016. The regular season has to matter. You can't debate who's playing best at the end of the year. Every week needs to be a part of the playoff. We lost to Pitt. Sorry, but that's the end of any chance for the final four. Same with USC that year. They were playing better than anyone at the end of the year but lost two games in the regular season.

I have yet to hear anyone argue that the best team hasn't either made the playoff or won the national championship since the committee was formed.

I agree.

No matter how you slice it. There is no "perfect". Since this system has been installed, it is hard to argue with any of the national champs who have been crowned.

This thread is largely about expanding to 8 teams and making each conference champ an automatic qualifier............ So when all this is said & done, and either Alabama, Oklahoma, ND or Clemson is crowned the champion, can Washington really complain that they would be the true champ ?

 

[LionDeNittany]

Their teams certainly tend to be among the best and the competition tends to be at the highest level with the most favorable conditions to full-season competition and the most fertile recruiting grounds. SEC teams have won or shared more than half of the national championships over the last 20 years (since TN won the first BCS title in 1998), and despite Bama’s redic number of them, the SEC also has had more of its teams (5) win natties over that modern era of CFB. They had TN, FL, AL, Aub and LSU. Last year, they had BOTH teams in the CFP final and both deserved to be there.

Next best is the ACC, which looks especially more relevant if we choose to include Miami’s pre-ACC successes. We’d have to also include expansion teams for the B1G (other than OSU) to start to look relevant, while looking back more than 20 years to pad our numbers—so we can finally include NE’s 2.5 and UM’s .5 MNCs. And then we’d have to count another by UF.

It’s not just marketing. More times than not, especially in the modern era, the best of the SEC is the best there is and they have more great teams.

If Alabama and LSU get a rematch in the NC game, tell me which conference other than the SEC will get the NC title?

Prior to the playoff the SEC was masterful in making certain they had an undefeated team (or 1 loss) at the end of the season. Tebow's final year when there were two random PFs called on Arkansas was a good example.

Now that there is a playoff there has only been one team from the SEC to win... Alabama. Other than Alabama Clemson and Ohio State both won NCs.

Last season the mighty Georgia had to get to overtime to beat the team everyone thought couldn't match up... Oklahoma.

LdN

 

[JosephNit]

Anyway, sorry for the rant. But I am sick of the Big Ten.

You don't have to be sorry. Every word of the "rant" is right on target.

I've been sick of the Big-10 since, oh, 1994, the year after Penn State made the fateful mistake of joining. Our membership promptly deprived one of the great offenses in the history of the game and an undefeated team of the chance to play for a national championship.

It's been pretty much downhill from there, what with the ridiculous politics of the league where the two Sacred Cows come first, the arrogant leadership, the laughably (except it's not funny) biased officiating, and so on and so forth.

Re the scheduling, I could not agree with you more. You just don't see the SEC powerhouses having to play three tough games in successive weeks. And let's not even talk about their November cupcakes that amount to glorified scrimmages.

Anyway, get ready for more of the same next year, with us having to play at Iowa, then home against Michigan, then at Michigan State three straight weeks in October.

It's very difficult for anything less than a dominant team to maintain the emotional pitch necessary to beat three tough opponents like that, two on the road, in succession.

The only consolation is that it's not just Penn State paying the price. If it were, Delany and company would have no problem with any of it. But in fact, it's costing his precious Buckeyes too. Which may be why he's suddenly started making noises about the possibility of "changes." Ya think, Jim?

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

If Alabama and LSU get a rematch in the NC game, tell me which conference other than the SEC will get the NC title?

Prior to the playoff the SEC was masterful in making certain they had an undefeated team (or 1 loss) at the end of the season. Tebow's final year when there were two random PFs called on Arkansas was a good example.

Now that there is a playoff there has only been one team from the SEC to win... Alabama. Other than Alabama Clemson and Ohio State both won NCs.

Last season the mighty Georgia had to get to overtime to beat the team everyone thought couldn't match up... Oklahoma.

LdN

I'm responding on the assumption that you actually believe what you're writing. Looking at AL, LSU and OKST in 2011, OKST wasn't one of the best teams in the country. Those were the only undefeated or 1-loss teams in sniffing distance to the top of the polls. OKST lost to a mediocre Iowa State team while LSU beat AL 9-6 in an incredible game. Then AL shut-out LSU in the championship. The two best teams played (again) and the best team won. By a mile.

I don't even know how to respond to the rest. I see you're suggesting the SEC cheats to get its teams to the championship. Folks here have also suggested (convincingly) the B1G has done the same for OSU. But the conference officials can't cheat in the championship to benefit their conference and the SEC has won more than half the times since the BCS. Congrats to OK for losing close to GA. They still lost.

And when AL hasn't played in the championship, the SEC rep frequently won in its stead. How can you possibly say the perception of the SEC as the best conference was born of marketing? Forget I asked that. I'll just assume you believe it and move on.

Best of luck to ND and OK this year in the CFP. Let's circle back around if a non-SEC team wins the championship.