If you’ve read my blog in the past you know I’ve always been in favor of a +1 system. I’m ok with the 4-Team playoff as well. This week has left us with the near certainty that a 4 team playoff will exist.
ESPN is reporting that the proposed post-season plan would link the sites and conferences, the details of which are just now being discussed and probably won’t be finalized for months. As a fan I’m pretty satisfied with this. No system is perfect, and there will always be those disagree with whatever system is instituted, but a 4-team playoff?
Yea that’s ok with me. You get to keep the bowls which I like, you didn’t de-emphasize the regular the season, but you opened things up just enough that there should be less arguing about the national championship game participants. That said there is just one thing that scares me about the proposed playoff and it’s the possibility of larger playoff.
I had a conversation on twitter with @KilroyFSU and @Jdubs88 that proved I’m not the only one concerned that a 4-Team playoff could eventually lead to the dreaded larger 8 or 16 team playoff. First the 8 and especially the 16 team playoff would dwarf any remaining bowls much the same way the NCAA basketball tournament does the NIT, but I don’t see the bowls surviving as the NIT has.
The bowls struggle as it is with attendance and this would be the final nail in the coffin. I still like the college football post-season not being so completely exclusive to only the best 8 or 16 teams in the country. I do think there are too many bowls, but overall I’m pro-Bowl.
I want the teams that play for national title that were the best over the course of 12-13 game season not just a team that gets hot for a couple of weeks. I can live with the number 4 team in the country beating number 1. I have a much hard time swallowing a number 8 and certainly a number 16 seed winning it all. The problem is once you get a 4-team playoff and if it’s successful, then there will be those that clamor for an 8 team playoff and then a 16 team playoff. They may argue there are too many teams from one conference or excluding quality 1 or 2 loss teams. Maybe a Boise St. finishes undefeated and ranked 5th or the playoff should be all major conferences and a couple of wildcards. Maybe the bigger playoff would be cash bonanza, and as we all know everything in big time college athletics is driven by $$$. Can’t we keep some sense of amateurism? The big playoff is not for me.
Give me the top 4 teams regardless of where they come from, add 1 caveat that any undefeated team ranked in the top 8 will leap frog any one loss team. I think the odds of 5 undefeated teams will be rather low and quite rare. It will be easy. You keep winning and you’re in, lose and you roll the dice. I’m all for the 4-team playoff, but the potential for playoffs increasing is a big concern.
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