A simple 12-team CFP reform idea

the fix to this is to not pay out more than 2 teams that participate.

I would say 3 is probably a good number.  6 conference champs, lets say 2 more BIG & SEC teams...probably ND/BYU and one more of ACC/Big 12/Pac12.

I mean it’s a stupid rule in a world with conferences of different sizes, and for a 12 team playoff could also guarantee some real bad teams in the playoff since it pushes essentially two teams from every p5 conference in. A two per conference cap just guarantees ND a spot every year and also puts teams like North Carolina last or whoever is second in the new trash pac 12 in the playoff every year. It’s a bad proposal. 3 is a fine number but really a cap overall is stupid. Just guarantee conference champs and pick after that 

I think a 4 team cap would be the most reasonable. 

If there are 4 power conferences of equal merit (not true but w.e.), then each would get an average of just shy of 3 bids. Also, we sincerely want the best teams in the playoffs - so a conference could reasonably have 4 of the best 12 teams in a good year.

A 5 team limit should be the maximum. An expanded CFP should not be half (or god forbid majority) represented by one conference. I know that the current CFP has been half represented by SEC schools (2 out of 4), but that's more understandable with a smaller number of spots.

That is what the state of Missouri does for high school football. The states divided into 8 district tournaments and the champions play in the state tournament.

32 regional groups of four teams each start the year where groups are balanced based on preseason rankings. They play three games in their group and the top two teams in each group enter a 64 team playoff with home teams decided by their group points, and score differential.  

10 total games max. 

Losers enter a “cup” round robin tournament for a full season

Yes, of course this sounds familiar, and the championship game after two full overtimes is decided …

…edit:  Having each team alternate and do 5 extra point attempts each. The team can go for one or two points. If they find themsleves down they can go for two to catch up by the end of five attempts. Or they can go for two from the start. 

The group play would be fun.  Every group game would be exciting and meaningful. Teams have to win to make the playoffs and/or need to run up the score for seedings and home field.  One rivalry could be included per group since both can make the playoff. That could be Michigan OSU one year and Mich MSU or Mich ND or Mich PSU in other years.  
 

Every playoff game would be meaningful and exciting.  Win or die.  The 5 extra point attempts, which was meant as a joke, could actually make each attemp riviting and the 2 vs 1 point(s) and probabilities would add intrigue. 

I went back as far as 2016 and applied the two team cap and in 2017 and 2019 the rule allowed a Notre Dame team outside the top 12 to leapfrog a third team from the SEC or Big Ten. It’s basically a guaranteed spot for Nd if they can make it into the top 16 of the CFP ranking. 

Everyone talks about the SEC bias (which is so obviously there) and how the powers that be favor them, but no one program seems to be more powerful in the “bending everything to work into their favor” than Notre Dame

If you are talking pre-BCS, I have very little faith in the coaches and AP choosing the winner of the National Title. Although it would be fun for those who love to argue at season’s end. 
 

To me, the only true way to have a fair playoff, would be to do something like a 32 team playoff. Maybe start it right after Thanksgiving, have a finals week and Christmas week break, ends in early-mid January sometime. Maybe go back to 11 game regular season so guys aren’t playing too many games. The number 33 team will for sure feel a little slighted, but not much more than your average bubble team in March Madness. We could still have all the bowls, just some of the better but not elite bowl games a la outback, citrus, Alamo, peach etc. could be grandfathered into the earlier playoff rounds, and  of course the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta could rotate the Nat’l Champ game and final 4 games. Just my thought. Would be cool to see a battle tested 4 loss team make some noise. Imagine the hype of being the last team in, so many teams would play all out, would probably see some great upsets in early rounds. Would also make for very fun December Christmastime weekends. Oh, and just use the votes of the AP or Coaches poll as your field of 32.

If it has to be about conferences, I hope one day there will be the SEC, let’s call them the NFC with like 40ish teams, then the Alliance (AFC) with about 40 teams, have 4 divisions each play a round robin, seat the playoffs just like the NFL with best out of each division and have a 32 or 16 or so team playoff that way. Again, with bowl tie ins, and still bowl games for those teams who were good/decent who just missed in their respective division. Maybe the G5 schools could be like the European soccer leagues where they have to earn their right to stay in a conference, or even unseat a perennial bottom dweller like Rutgers or Kansas. 
 

Also, force Notre Dame’s hand that they have to join a division or they can kiss their chances of a recognized national title goodbye. 

And as we saw

both Big 10 teams got shtoinked and didn’t belong 

I agree. An 8-team playoff with the P5 conference champions plus 3 at-large teams, with a conference cap of no more than two.

A&M is in the SEC. Soon, Oklahoma will be too. That makes it 5 for the SEC, 3 for the B1G and one each for the other conferences. 

While I see your point, TU, I disagree with your conclusion. I'd much rather seem some scrappy upstarts like BYU and Coastal Carolina than a 3rd place finisher from a major conference.

IMO It's more fun, and makes the regular/conference season super important.

Sure, there would be some debates (should 2nd place team in the B1G east get in, or the west winner who loses in the B1G championship game?) - but those debates can be fun, too. And if you want a certain spot, win your conference.

YOU would rather watch those games...but that hypothetical LSU team, we would've already seen lose to the best 3 teams in the conference.  No need to watch that game again. 

NCAA tourney is a bit of a different beast.  Power 5 programs have an advantage to getting into the tourney, plus reg season and conference champs get auto bids.  The dollars aren't as large either.  If the conference gets lets say $10-15m per participating team...does anyone else wanna allow the SEC to get up to $60m while every other conference would get $15?