CFB Playoffs: Big Ten talks about campus-site semifinals
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-big-ten-idea-a-college…
The Big Ten is more-or-less okay with a 4-team playoff with the semifinals on campus sites. Obviously nothing is official, but it seems to me that with every major conference supporting a playoff-type substance, something will happen in the near future to improve the BCS.
I especially like the questions at the bottom, and hope very few compromises are made on those important points.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:42 PM ^
the truth for the most part I am okay with this set up. I think anything other than what we have now is going to have flaws, but I think if everyone really puts their heads together this could really work. Plus keep the other 78 bowl games so other teams still get their pay days.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:46 PM ^
Sounds good. I do really like the home site idea, and think it will be great for the sport. Can you imagine a Florida-UM semifinal in January in Ann Arbor? The weather alone could be a huge story. Plus, theres no chance a game like that would sell out (although it does favor the northern school, as opposing fans are far less likely to take a road trip north than we would be for, say, the Sugar Bowl).
February 6th, 2012 at 6:31 PM ^
That might be interesting, but a warm-weather school going someplace cold happened very rarely since the BCS era started. I've bolded them below. Some are just cold-ish (like VT and Oregon).
Year, #4 @ #1 and #3 @ #2
1998: osu @ Tennessee and KSU @ FSU
1999: Alabama @ FSU and Nebraska @ VT
2000: Washington @ Oklahoma and Miami @ FSU - To avoid a rematch, might have a 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 4 matchup, with Miami @ Oklahoma and Washington @ FSU
2001: Oregon @ Miami and Colorado @ Nebraska - they might switch it up here too, getting Colorado @ Miami and Oregon @ Nebraska
2002: USC @ Miami and Georgia @ osu
2003: Michigan @ Oklahoma and USC @ LSU
2004: Teaxs @ USC and Auburn @ Oklahoma
2005: osu @ USC and PSU @ Texas
2006: LSU @ osu and Michigan @ Florida.
2007: Oklahoma @ osu and VT @ LSU
2008: Alabama @ Oklahoma and Texas @ Florida
2009: TCU @ Alabama and Cincy @ Texas
2010: Stanford @ Auburn and TCU @ Oregon
2011: Stanford @ LSU and Okie St @ Alabama
February 6th, 2012 at 7:42 PM ^
Who knows, but I'd argue that voters probably would not have jumped Florida over us in 2006 if Florida had the chance to play their way into the game in the +1 scenario.
February 6th, 2012 at 11:11 PM ^
February 6th, 2012 at 7:14 PM ^
I have questions (and answers).
When would the semi-finals be held? I'd like to see them held on the same day the week after conference championships but two weeks might be necessary for travel arrangements. Either way the championship game could be played around new year's day.
Who picks and seeds teams? I think an impartial committee should do it. A group of experts who actually watch games. That means the coaches poll is out.
Can semi-final losers still go to bowls? Yes. I dont think it would be very hard to slot them in somewhere.
Can it be done this year? I wish.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:48 PM ^
Moving to a playoff system is an important and necessary step for college football. However, I think finding a way to incorporate the traditional big bowls (rose, sugar, etc.) is also important. We should have a thread for playoff format ideas. Bunch of Michigan guys thinking up great ideas....what could go wrong?
February 6th, 2012 at 6:49 PM ^
Incorporating the big bowls into the playoffs is a bad idea. It asks fans to travel long distances two weeks in a row. Very few will do that. Thus, the atmosphere for the championship game will be terrible, Super Bowl-type substance. Teams who lose semi-finals could still be invited to the traditional bowl games, though I'm sure the bowl committees will throw a shit-fit, because even fewer people would come to those games than go to the non-championship BCS games (Rose excepted) now.
February 6th, 2012 at 6:31 PM ^
The "traditional" Bowls can suck it for the reasons Seth outlined a mere 2 months ago: http://mgoblog.com/content/museday-depend-adult-undergarment
February 6th, 2012 at 6:51 PM ^
So no more B1G/PAC champions game in Pasadena because the Rose Bowl is "Presented by Vizio"? Sound reasoning, there.
The Rose Bowl is a major part of Michigan history, as well as Big Ten and Pac history; I don't want it to go away, especially for such a ridiculous reason.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:26 PM ^
The rose bowl already lost some of it's luster when the BCS was created. When they created a seperate game for the National Championship, it lost even more. The goal should be to play in the national championship, not the rose bowl. That logic has gotten us 1 NC in 50 years.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:48 PM ^
Sure, the Rose ain't what it used to be, but it's still a very, very important game that represents a Big Ten championship.
The Rose Bowl logic wasn't the problem, it was failing to close. USC won multiple national titles in the Rose Bowl from the Bo period-BCS period. We had a chance at least twice (winning in 1976 and being allowed to go in 1973) and just didn't pull it off.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:11 PM ^
and to some extent ohio. I would hate to see the luster and pagentry of the Rose Bowl be lost.
Although I have to say it. A playoff with the higher seed getting the semi final and the Championship game being bid out is the only system I can support. Can you imangine if we made it to the final game and we hosted it?
I would imagine that us, ohio, ND, Penn State and possibly Nebraska could bid a very high price for the NC game.
That's right...I said it. First I congratulate sparty then I half-@ssed support a playoff? What next? SB Championship for the Univeristy of Toronto????
February 6th, 2012 at 9:25 PM ^
Would they really let the big championship game be bid on by schools though? Or for that matter, would schools be bidding on it to begin with? I would imagine the Championship Game would be rotated among the New Orleans and Phoenixes of the country
February 7th, 2012 at 7:51 AM ^
having been to the rose bowl twice...it's a grand game with all the history behind it...however as a few have said it ain't what it used to be...BUT with that said you still see with regularity a B1G/PAC champions matchup unaffected by the four team playoff...and as they already have in place, let the conference winners be the first criteria, and if one or both of them are eligible for the national playoff system, then they can pick teams at large...and more importantly eliminate the 'autobid' system and allow the bowls themselves to select teams...assuming they follow the same conference agreements...you could rearrange the major BCS bowls to pit conference champions...this would reward teams that not only belong to a conference (ND reference here...) but also reward conference champions...and as said with the Rose, IF one of the champs/both are 'eligible' for the national champions playoff...the bowl has the option to select teams at large...the major bowls can still be featured and the playoff system could begin in late December and culminate on Jan 2....personally I HATE the current setup where everything drags on for weeks...by the MNC game I'm basically no longer as interested...we've lost the magic of New Year's day games...I'm ok with the feature bowls getting the spot light on Jan 1...and the national championship game the next day stand alone for it's own spotlight...just don't care for dragging this mess out so long.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:51 PM ^
That might be true, but the Rose Bowl needs to stick around
February 6th, 2012 at 6:34 PM ^
So, more or less on the same day, the Big Ten declares that home-site college football playoff games are worthwhile, but home-site college hockey conference playoff games are too much hassle? WHY CAN'T HOCKEY HAVE NICE THINGS?
February 6th, 2012 at 6:55 PM ^
Delaney said he is working on "coming up with something that does not kill the baby with the bath water." Yeah, that would be bad. Kinda like stabbing the messenger.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:05 PM ^
February 6th, 2012 at 7:10 PM ^
Unless you have a schedule where every team plays every other team the same number of times (a la European soccer), there is no way to ever determine who has a better resume. Look at the debates around which shitty team deserves to get the last at-large bid in the gargantuan tourna-splosion that is the NCAA basketball tournament.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:07 PM ^
Perfect. Every game still matters...ish, and you guarantee that the team with the best season is your champion, something that can't be said for either the current system or a larger playoff. Plus campus sites is awesome. The atmosphere would be unlike anything in North American sports that I can think of.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:23 PM ^
February 6th, 2012 at 7:25 PM ^
Of course we should have a four team playoff and of course we should have the semi's on campus. On MINNESOTA'S campus and have them there permanently every year. Playing a game or two in January in the Gophers nice, new outside stadium will teach those pansies from the SEC a thing or two.
If it's good enough for hockey it's good enough for football. I'm in.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:49 PM ^
Why do talented football recruits want to play in the South?
If the desired end result is to play in the NFL, you should get working on your ability to thrive in cold weather sooner rather than later.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:58 PM ^
"If you are going to fight in the North Atlantic, you have to train in the North Atlantic." - Admiral Chet Nimitz
February 6th, 2012 at 7:44 PM ^
I want to see every conference champion have a chance. 6 majors champions and two at-large slots from smaller conferences, and one slot allowed for the highest-ranked indie if the indie is in the top eight, would be great. They could have quarters at campuses, and then piggy-back it onto the B1G proposal.
If they allow every major conference champion in, it would make the conference championships actually mean something. Also, if it was a test of conference champions, instead of a beauty contest determined by polls, teams would be encouraged to schedule more games like Michigan/Bammer without risking a chance at the "championship" to do it.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:33 PM ^