Your 2020 and 2021 College Football Season Previews
Save yourself $10 and tell Phil Steele to go stuff it.
Did this after the loss last year and it was a hoot. Turns out, my predictions were basically spot on, although I assumed it was going to be Clemson vs Alabama part 5 and then part 6.
The same 4-5 teams will be in the playoff each and every year, taking advantage of weak scheduling, crap divisions (Alabama never plays Georgia/Florida in crossover, etc) and recruiting tricks and institutional sleaze. Don't forget to log on to your online class for at least 15 minutes each week!
2020: Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama (younger Tua takes them all the way, only to lose to Clemson / Dabo in round 5)
2021: Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia / LSU (Committee uses some excuse to get two SEC schools in after being "deprived" of the chance in 2019-2020).
This sport /industry (since that is what it is) was once unpredictable and fun but since the playoff and the feckless NCAA and conferences, it has become more predictable and stale until the final four games then ever before.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:16 PM ^
December 1st, 2019 at 1:21 PM ^
I agree. All the SEC schools schedule Southwestern Agricultural Tech of Puerto Rico and the like for their ooc games. The committee has shown they don’t give a shit who you schedule as long as you win. The playoff has made it useless to schedule strong out of conference teams. Change is needed, either expand the playoff or go back to the BCS where strength of schedule always somewhat mattered.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:51 PM ^
I'd argue we just go back to how it was before the BCS. No "clear champion?" Who cares ... half the fun of the off-season was arguing about that stuff, and wondering about "what ifs." It made for good sports/talk radio filler on cold February days.
It'll never happen, of course.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:18 PM ^
4 teams in the CFP has ruined the game. Yes, it's better than what was, but....the playoff games are all that matters. The NY6 Bowls are deemed as irrelevant, at least on this board and to many of our players. I could contend that UM is the 7th - 8th best team in the nation, but the divide between #6 and down is immeasurable.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:28 PM ^
You are spot-on. I also think increasing scholarship limit to 100 from 85 could help. One saving grace is that NCAA is opening up / allowing more transfers and has set up the portal. This adds to more roster management but it also deludes the depth a bit more for these top tier programs. But, ultimately, the playoff absolutely needs to be expanded. Divisions in the P5 need to be scrapped. Get rid of an out of conference game if needed or get rid of the "conference championship" game.
Do these basic things and you'll see a much more competitive product and less "anger" (as that one article alluded to) amongst fan bases like ours.
It is stupid that a 10-2 season is seen as a failure. Idiotic. Ridiculous. In the NFL, 10-6 is great and potentially a division championship. Only in stupid D-1A College football do 3% of the teams make the playoffs. You can't make this level of stupid up!
December 1st, 2019 at 1:36 PM ^
"It is stupid that a 10-2 season is seen as a failure. Idiotic. Ridiculous. In the NFL, 10-6 is great and potentially a division championship. Only in stupid D-1A College football do 3% of the teams make the playoffs. You can't make this level of stupid up! "
Never have truer words been written.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^
LSU is going to fall off considerably without Burrow.
December 1st, 2019 at 2:02 PM ^
Isn’t he a sophomore?
December 1st, 2019 at 2:03 PM ^
Don't count Rutger out with Schiano coming back...
December 1st, 2019 at 2:09 PM ^
A 32 team playoff is the answer. Mediates the focus of talent to certain schools to a degree, would make for awesome tv, could still involve major bowls without issue and eliminates conference championship games.
Build the rest of the bowl schedule around those games (Group if 5, non qualifiers and Sparty.
December 1st, 2019 at 3:43 PM ^
I gotta respectfully disagree. Sure, we'd probably be able to participate in a 32 team playoff, but the quarter/semi-finals will once again be the same four (or 8, I guess) teams. Not like our chances of beating Bama/OSU/LSU/Clemson/Oklahoma increase just because its the playoffs. I know you'll respond with "anything can happen," but unfortunately, no.
December 1st, 2019 at 3:44 PM ^
Something needs to change both nationally and in the big 10. You’ve got sec 2 plus teams every year, Clemson who plays NO BODY, Oklahoma who plays nobody and osu who plays pretty good teams.
big 10 is going to be three tiers from here on out with osu alone beating everyone with maybe one loss, um psu Wisconsin and then the suckie teams.
big 10 east is us and psu trading losses and losing out to osu.
December 1st, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
Wash rinse repeat. That is what college football has become