What would you change about college football?
If you were in charge of college football what would you change?
I would start with scheduling. Each team must play the same amount of conference games; preferably 9.
All non-conference games must be played before conference play starts. No more Bama vs The Citadel in late November.
I would like to see the Playoff expanded to 8 teams. First round games should be played on campus of the teams ranked 1-4. Would make the regular season just as important and meaningful as it is now.
My teams would include the Power 5 conference champions, the highest rated group of 5 team and 2 at-large bids.
In non-playoff bowl games, I would make sure there are no rematches from at least 2-3 years. Nobody wants to see UM/UF for the 100th time. This would prevent the Bowls from getting stale and would guarantee new matchups every year.
Targeting needs revamped. I would say if you are called for targeting and the replay confirms it, there is just a 15 yard penalty. If you commit another targeting, then you will be ejected but not suspended for half of the next game. I would only suspend a player if they accumulate more than 3 targeting penalties.
Clock should not stop after a 1st down until the final 2 minutes of each half. A player should not be called down if he slips/falls unless he has been touched; like the NFL.
Referees need more accountability. I would like to see some sort of grading system made public and only the highest graded ones should ref the big games-playoff, NY6 Bowls, and rivalry games like Mich/OSU and Aub/Bama.
I know it’s all about money, but the amount of commercials is insane, especially on Fox.
Also, i would find a way to bring back the NCAA video game. This doesn’t have much to do with this post, but damnit, I miss the game and I am bored at work.
Im sure I missed some stuff, but just curious to see what your perfect college football world would like.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
This is correct, but doesn't recognize that there is no real way to determine who are the top 8 teams. Who should be in, a team with one loss that plays cupcakes or a team with 2/3 losses and a tough schedule.
Conference championships are determined mostly through objective measures and thus relying on conference championships eliminates much of the subjectivity involved in the ranking process.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:01 AM ^
I can't disagree with this. Some sort of hybrid system might be perfect, where the imaginary playoff selection committee is required to select at least 4 conference champions to be part of the field. In other words, first take the 10 conference champions and pick your top 4 and then take the next 4 best rated teams. So you might get 6 conference champions, or you might get 8, or you might get only 4, but you still get at least 4 "objective" champions in there.
Of course, if we did this the "NCAA Way," we would have a 20-team playoff, with all 10 conference champions plus 10 at large teams. 20 is a bit unwieldy for football, though.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:46 AM ^
Excellent point. However, the Big 12 only has 10 teams, so the round robin scenario is much easier for them to use. I’m not sure how that would work in a conference that has 14 teams.
I agree that it’d be bad if NW or Pitt would be in the playoff. I guess I was just assuming that those 8-4/7-5 teams would lose.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:04 AM ^
Right on I agree I forget sometimes they only have 10 total teams. Agree with all three of these posts ^^
November 29th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
i would change the fact that we lost to OSU.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:35 AM ^
If you were in charge of college football what would you change?
Michigan wins every game.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^
I would re-introduce real reporting rather than clickbaiters and hot take experts who work for the same network that owns the conference, so we could actually get some hard hitting reporting about Players getting paid and getting off easy for criminal activity. This will be regardless of if players start getting paid because you know those same teams are going to get fat signing bonuses beyond the set limit.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^
Step #1: Erase four letters .... N.. C ..A ..A
Step #2: Throw a bunch of those fat bald assholes in a dark pit
Step #3: Mandate all college football broadcasts be limited commercial interruption and student run by "amateur" sports journalists and producers.
Step #4: Offer pay per view services at $1-$10 a game and 100% of the profit goes to helping with tuition costs for those who need it.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
Every school and conference should have the same academic standards. Make the players student-athletes, not "ain't here to play school". If the NFL wants a minor league let them pay for it. Get the kids that don't belong on a college campus out of our universities.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:55 AM ^
Ok, but we're losing quite a few off of our team too.
November 29th, 2018 at 9:57 PM ^
Would that be a problem in the long run?
Even if the talent level was reduced somewhat uniformly 10-20% across the country? Would you still be interested in Michigan football if there was a parallel minor league for younger athletes who didn't want to "play school"? I would.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
Decrease the amount of prime time games. After the networks pick the best game and show in in the evening slot we are left with bad games in the afternoon and multiple good games we can’t watch all of at night.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^
Id change it so that michigan can beat Ohio state every now and then.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
Change the rule on ineligible blocking downfield to match the NFL rule
Change the hashmarks on the field to match the NFL
Change the illegal procedure rule so that if the QB looks to the sideline once his formation is set it’s illegal procedure.
Once the refs spot the ball allow a 10 second count for defensive substitution.
Tempo is bush league IMHO. If we’re going to allow that then we might as well allow the A11 formation and all that it entails.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:07 AM ^
I don't really care for any of these except the "illegal procedure" for looking at the sidelines rule. I love that, because I hate the fact that some guy in the booth is calling plays instead of the players on the field. Teach players how to react to different situations, rather than teaching them how to follow instructions from the bench!
I would also add: go back to the old rule that requires players to call timeout instead of the coaches. I don't care for coaches always bailing out their QB when the play clock gets down to 2 seconds, or when their "D" doesn't line up properly. It should be the player's job to know when they need a stoppage.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:31 AM ^
+1 on the inelegible blocking downfield rule.
Also move the conversion line from the 3 to the 2-yard line.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
Scheduling needs to be consistent. But I don't mind that "citadel before rival" thing as long as it's consistent. Bye weeks should be the same week for all teams or a "half one week, half the other". That way you don't wind up playing 3+ teams coming off their bye.
Keep the clock stop on first downs. I like that rule and wish the pros would do it. It would make ends of games more exciting in the NFL.
Agree on the playoff format.
Targeting needs to be consistent. That's all I ask for. If it's targeting on first week of September in South Bend, it needs to be targeting in November in Tallahassee. Too many judgement calls on it. The replay review of targeting should be done an office in the NCAA headquarters by the same people week after week. Keep the ejections/suspensions. That hit on Edwards against Indiana was brutal, cheap and damn near injured him permanently. The Indiana player was rightly tossed from the game. Your change would allow the dirty player to stay.
I think the 8 team is coming soon. A few years from now. Takes time to get the people on board. Look how long it took to get the BCS 2 team format and then to get the the 4 team format. 8 teams will follow in time.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^
Make it like European soccer. Pair a P5 conference with a G5 geographic equivalent. Bottom two of P5 conference and Top 2 of G5 conference switch. Provides for some fresh changes and incentive to not suck. Conference would hate it. As would schools. Don't suck.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:21 PM ^
So Illinois would be kicked out of the Big Ten and replaced by Northern Illinois? (Granted , I am sure there are those who would not mind Rutgers being replaced by Buffalo).
Another year, replace Maryland or Minnesota or Northwestern with Western Michigan or Ball State?
I'll bet faculty and other members of the CIC (not to mention BTN) would really love that.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^
I like the college rule of temporarily stopping the clock on first downs until the RFP signal. It's superior to the NFL rule. I would do the same for incomplete passes -- stop the clock until the RFP, on incomplete passes, runs out of bounds, and first downs, until the last three minutes of each half. (It's the increased amount of passing and stopping the clock on incomplete passes that has made much longer and variable in length.
I would like to see more non-conference play, not less, so I would prefer to see a bunch of 8 team conferences with round robin schedules to determine champions.
If playoffs, 8, 12, or 16 teams (conference champions and limited number of at large teams). play games every two weeks (not one) beginning mid-December, with the first round or so on-campus.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:20 AM ^
The Football Championship game must be played on a Friday night or a weekend. The NCAA should realize that most fans hate a Monday night championship game. In basketball its understandable with the FInal Four, but football? C'mon! And I know the NFL has their playoffs that time of year......they should save a spot for their free "feeder system" championship on a weekend in early January.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
Agreed, Why move it to monday when all season we have been watching on Saturdays.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
Well, I can give you 3 letters explaining why they don't do that. "N" "F" and "L".
The NFL Quarterfinals would outdraw the NCAA championship. Yes, that still leaves Friday night and Saturday at noon. But (a) there's no real difference between Friday night and Monday night, other than more people are watching TV on Monday, and (b) Saturday at noon wouldn't really appeal to the westerners among us.
November 29th, 2018 at 8:27 PM ^
I think the host sites prefer a Monday night as visitors are likely to spend more time (a few days) and $$ before the game than after. Also less interruption with school, etc. A Monday night game means most people traveling back on Tuesday and miss less work/school.
Networks can promote the game all weekend during their other sports programming. Less competition with other sports at that time as well.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
Send Rutger, Maryland and Nebraska back to their respective conferences
November 29th, 2018 at 12:40 PM ^
Fuck Penn State too.
November 29th, 2018 at 1:27 PM ^
Wait, were sending Rutgers, Maryland and Nebraska back to the Big Ten? I don't get the point. /s
November 29th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
Eliminate the long (3+ minute) commercial breaks.
Any stoppage for replay or injury go to one-minute commercial, and show replay after returning.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^
- An NCAA with teeth and transparency
- Hard cap on the amount of commercial time per game
November 29th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^
Michigan's OC...
November 29th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
I love all your changes and would only had having all the kickoff times decided before the season starts, that shit is annoying
November 29th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
No conference championship games and do away with divisions. No reason for a team like Norhtwestern to be in in the B1G title game. Change to 10 conference games and do round robin style through the years, even if it meant missing OSU for us every once in a while. Total conference record wins the title, then tie-breakers, then overall record, and if all of that cannot decide it, then have a conference title "play in game" for the playoff between the two top teams in that conference. Have 2 non-con games before conference season.
This would likely keep the Northwesterns of the world from being in the conference race, and would make winning your conference outright a bigger deal. Also may force Notre Dame even more to join a conference.
I guess only problem would be one less OOC game, but would make conference play that much more competitive and would create a little more mystery around strength of conferences and leave the playoffs and bowls to decide that.
8 playoff teams, the 5 power 5 winners and 3 at-large.
November 29th, 2018 at 1:37 PM ^
Northwestern is 8-1 in conference (and were reasonable close to being 9-0), seems to me they earned their ticket to the title game.
November 29th, 2018 at 5:15 PM ^
Agree that they went above and beyond this year in conference play, but if the conference season officially ended last Saturday, Ohio State already would have won outright and deservedly so even with indentical 8-1 records, as we beat NW, OSU beat us, but they also have the best record overall. And if anyone really thinks Northwestern is really the first or second best team in the B1G they are crazy.
I'm simply using them as an example that these divisions and conference championship games seem dumb when one team has 4 losses and clearly plays in a lesser division. I mean, I think about 4 years ago or so it was UCLA who made their conference championship at 6-6 when Stanford (Washington?) and Oregon were clearly the 2 best teams in a much better division. I know they divide these things up because more teams than games/more money in championship games, but it seems to put more stress on a team who has already had a maginifect conference winning season a-la Ohio State or Bama. Conference title games remind me too much of the pointless conference Basketball tournaments in March.
November 29th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
I would start the games at 1:00 and get rid of media time outs.
November 29th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Expansion to 8-team playoff is not the answer in my opinion. Makes it a lot easier to get in. It's fine the way it is.
Less commercials?
November 29th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
Move the number of scholarships for college football back to 100. At 85, I believe it hurts Michigan and all those programs "in the middle". Allows for more developmental players to get offers and will improve quality of games. Allows for more depth to be built. Will allow more kids to go to college and earn a degree and potential playing time.
I'd move season back. Move it to a kick off after Labor Day weekend. I'd shorten by one game, so max allowable is 11 game regular season. You have to be 6-5 to get a bowl game, not 6-6. And then, like everyone is saying here... 8 game playoff. ASAP.
November 29th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
You have to be 6-5 to get a bowl game, not 6-6
You'd run the risk of not enough eligible teams.
November 29th, 2018 at 8:33 PM ^
25 scholarships per year hard limit, Eliminate the incentive to "process" players.
Allow FCS schools to go to bowl games if not enough FBS schools qualify.
November 29th, 2018 at 8:35 PM ^
The NFL gives college football that long Labor Day weekend by not starting till the next weekend. College football would be stupid not to take advantage of that.
November 29th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
Targeting needs revamped.
Disagree. The rule works. Nothing is going to be 100% perfect but I've seen maybe 2 rulings which were questionable.
I wish the NFL would adopt the same standard.
November 29th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
I would never guarantee a spot for a Group of Five team. But I would love an 8-team playoff.
November 29th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
Can we give every Ohio State fan a muzzle?
November 29th, 2018 at 12:57 PM ^
Biggest thing to me is to get the big money out of the game. Drop the coaches' salaries down to the level of regular university faculty. Running on leaner budgets will give the universities/conferences the financial leeway to do without the fat TV contracts that drive all the screwy scheduling and advertising. Relieving that income disparity will also make it feasible to share revenue with student athletes (who will now become more reasonably true "student athletes" if they are being taught/coached by actual faculty) without freaking out the amateurism purists. As a former (small, liberal arts) college athlete, I firmly believe that sports are indeed educational; let's recognize and embrace that educational benefit and the vocational training being done in the same way that business, engineering, etc. schools do.
November 30th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^
I would fully agree with this if the free market link to the NFL didn't exist. I get that you are advocating for college coaches to be teachers and invested in the mission of the school. But I'm fairly certain taking even a position coach spot in the NFL would outpace NCAA head coaching salaries. IMHO, I think this would negatively impact the quality of the product on the field.
However, maybe having an overall salary cap for a football team that's supported by football revenue sharing could work. But that has to cover all player costs and coaching costs. Might work?
November 29th, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
I would create a new 40 team top-level football division - 4 conferences, 2 divisions each, with 5 teams per division. Eliminate majority of non-contenders since only ~20 teams really ever have a shot at winning the title.
Then create a consistent schedule format, something like:
- 3 initial non-conf games
- 4 division opponents next
- 1 final rivalry or out-of-division game
- conference championship
(and a bye week tossed in)
- finally a four game playoff with the conference champions
November 29th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
I've seen a few people advocate for fewer conferences with more teams, but I think we should have more conferences with fewer teams.
There are 65 P5 schools, and 66 if you wanted to add UCF.
Make six 11-team conferences that play round robin. That leaves 2 non-conference games for rivals or cupcakes.
Playoff would be 6 teams with the conference champion getting an auto bid.
I think we should eliminate the polls all together and just use some average of S&P+, FEI, etc. to rank the conference champions.
The rest is like the NFL with home games for the higher seed until the national championship.
The G5 can do the same thing and have their own championship. I would like some kind of promotion/relegation opportunities, but I am not sure how that would work.
November 29th, 2018 at 5:19 PM ^
I like the way you think. To hell with conference championship games and just win the thing outright by your record.
November 30th, 2018 at 9:40 AM ^
I love the fantasy of college football relegation (most any sport, really), and since fantasizing is what’s happening here....
How about 14-team, tiered divisions throughout college football. End of conferences.
Everyone plays everyone within the division once for a 13-game regular season. At the end of the regular season, the bottom two teams in a division are automatically relegated for next season. No postseason for them. There would be two types of playoffs within each division: one for promotion (or championship), and one for survival/relegation. The top eight teams make the promotion playoff: (1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5); the winners are promoted. In the relegation playoff: 9 plays 12, and 10 plays 11; with the losers joining the bottom two teams in relegation. So four move up, and four move down. The only difference would be in the top tier division, where the “promotion” tournament continues to the semifinal and final stages. Winner of that tournament is your national champion.
Every game counts--even in the lower tiers.
If we went with the current top 14 for tier one, our schedule next year could be the following:
- Notre Dame
- @Washington
- Georgia
- Penn State
- @Oklahoma
- Alabama
- @LSU
- UCF
- Florida
- @Central Florida
- @Clemson
- Washington State
- Ohio State
November 29th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
Okay here goes (blowing it up):
- Reduce number of FBS teams (top-tier, division 1, whatever you want to call it) to around 100
- 10 (or 11) -team conferences (10 conf x 10 teams or 9 conf x 11 teams)
- Round robin in conference
- 3 (or 2) non-conference games (no FCS schools)
- No conference championship games
- Conference champ gets auto bid to playoffs
- 16-team playoff (remaining slots for at-large teams determined by selection committee)