OT: D1

[TheBigCat2192]

When the proverbial line in the sand has been drawn, and the powers that be in the networks, B1G, and SEC are doing everything to separate their product, I give the ACC credit for attempting to aggressively help their brand (something they failed at during the original wave of this iteration of expansion) with this approach. Either conference championship model would be fine in my opinion.

For what it's worth, this is not the first time they have considered something like this. There was consideration prior to conference expansion (which eliminated the divisions) that they would create a "pod scheduling" model where teams would effectively be bunched into mini divisions of 4 teams. That structure would then be used to create an interconference playoff system amongst the pods. They discussed that a while back, but it never got any legs. Shortly after, the league had to expand.

I remember the “pod” proposal. Don’t think that ever got anywhere. I don’t blame them for changing how they pick their conference champion either; I’m mostly knocking them for not being subtle. It’s still less insane than the PAC-12 floating the idea of bringing back freshman ineligibility for basketball and football a few years ago. We are living in crazy times for college sports.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For those who haven’t seen the ACC is considering changing how they do conference championships; I can only assume this is to try and juice the SOS for their potential at large teams and to potentially protect the record of a regular season champ in the case of a paper tiger winning the league. From ESPN:

The first option is the dumbest thing I've heard yet. They can't call it a 'championship game' if the No. 1 seed isn't playing in it. They can bill it as The Pretend ACC Championship Game.

Does the winner have an on-field ceremony and get the second place trophy?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Outside of diehard college football junkies, and yes, fans of the two finalists, I think most people had college football fatigue. This is a sport that traditionally ended on New Year’s Day (and probably still should). With this format, I doubt there are many matchups that will excite the masses six weeks after the regular season ends. Maybe if you get two dominant, undefeated teams who actually make it through, but I don’t see that happening often, if ever.

Having said all that, I personally enjoyed the playoff. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something we never had before. It was something you could play on the old college football video games and only think about how cool it would be in real life.

The perfect part about it was the best team won.

OSU may not have been in early November, but it clearly was in late January.

Stuff changes in a freaking 6-month long season. Some teams get better. Some teams get worse.

[IUP24]

The perfect part about it was the best team won.

OSU may not have been in early November, but it clearly was in late January.

Stuff changes in a freaking 6-month long season. Some teams get better. Some teams get worse.

I'm not denying that Ohio State had the best roster in the country. Not a single player in their 2-deep that is out of eligibility or declaring for the draft won't be in an NFL camp next summer. That said, it's a shame that what used to be massive upsets are now just learning moments for the big schools. I cannot fundamentally ever get past Ohio State and Notre Dame owning the two worst losses in the CFP field and being the teams playing in the final game.

People enjoy that teams don't get punished for a terrible loss during the course of the season. I'd argue that's what made college football unique and special.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I'm not denying that Ohio State had the best roster in the country. Not a single player in their 2-deep that is out of eligibility or declaring for the draft won't be in an NFL camp next summer. That said, it's a shame that what used to be massive upsets are now just learning moments for the big schools. I cannot fundamentally ever get past Ohio State and Notre Dame owning the two worst losses in the CFP field and being the teams playing in the final game.

People enjoy that teams don't get punished for a terrible loss during the course of the season. I'd argue that's what made college football unique and special.

It was unique. But, that's over.

These teams can only play in the current system.

I much prefer this set-up. I didn't love all 12 teams or some of the seeds, but, baby steps.

[IUPNation]

I'm a fan of football. So I'll watch the games, and I agree that I enjoyed the tournament structure, but I cannot get past what this actually does to the regular season. We spent weeks debating whether Indiana and SMU belonged, or if Alabama or South Carolina should have been there. We exhausted conversations about where Boise State should get seeded. All the while, the two teams who factually had the worse two losses in the entire field were playing in the national championship game.

- Notre Dame lost at home to Northern Illinois
- Michigan lost at home to a 6 win Michigan team who they were favored to beat by nearly 4 touchdowns.

Neither loss mattered or had any relevance. Both teams had home games and reached the National Championship. At a fundamental level, I cannot get past that.

Josh Pate made a great statement last night in a social media post... "The only college football Cinderella you will ever get is Goliath as a lower seed."

No other sport punishes teams for losing one game and tanking a season like college football did…

Why should March Madness open it up to so many but foosball can only be undefeated teams where schedules aren’t the same strength?

Inthink it worked well. It made conference title games important. It made the regular season more about jockeying for a playoff spot and seeding. It might force OOC games not to be so cupcakey.

Im not so sure The Overrsted Stste University will dominate. 3-4 game tournaments..anything can happen.

This also proved the SEC was given preferential treatment when it was at four teams and possibly better teams were left out,

[IUP24]

It was unique. But, that's over.

These teams can only play in the current system.

I much prefer this set-up. I didn't love all 12 teams or some of the seeds, but, baby steps.

I get it. You prefer an invitational tournament for the pleasure of seeing the helmets you prefer while watching at the holidays, regardless of what they did during the season, as we’ve previously established.

Why do we celebrate that Ohio State got a mulligan? Outside of Ohio State fans I cannot understand why people think it’s great that they got a do over.

[IUP24]

No other sport punishes teams for losing one game and tanking a season like college football did…

Why should March Madness open it up to so many but foosball can only be undefeated teams where schedules aren’t the same strength?

Inthink it worked well. It made conference title games important. It made the regular season more about jockeying for a playoff spot and seeding. It might force OOC games not to be so cupcakey.

Im not so sure The Overrsted Stste University will dominate. 3-4 game tournaments..anything can happen.

This also proved the SEC was given preferential treatment when it was at four teams and possibly better teams were left out,

Basketball and football are fundamentally different sports. In terms of “opening up the field,” it’s not even an apples to apples comparison.

In what world was the SEC “given preferential treatment” in the four team playoff? Give me actual examples and real data points. I can start you off with one… Florida State was left out in favor of Alabama.

[IUPNation]

I get it. You prefer an invitational tournament for the pleasure of seeing the helmets you prefer while watching at the holidays, regardless of what they did during the season, as we’ve previously established.

Why do we celebrate that Ohio State got a mulligan? Outside of Ohio State fans I cannot understand why people think it’s great that they got a do over.

But then they had to play a 4 game gauntlet. You cannot deny the took out 4 good teams.

We can’t sit here and say Slimey had a great run but bag on D1. Slimey didn’t play in the Stste Game..win the region and took the eventual champion to the 4th qtr on their home field.

The punishment is now you get a four game route instead of the bye.

[IUPNation]

Basketball and football are fundamentally different sports. In terms of “opening up the field,” it’s not even an apples to apples comparison.

In what world was the SEC “given preferential treatment” in the four team playoff? Give me actual examples and real data points. I can start you off with one… Florida State was left out in favor of Alabama.

They got most of the slots. It was a terrible way to crown a title. This was the best year of top
level college foosball. Who is to say that if there 12 teams all these years the SEC would have dominated the titles?

[IUP24]

They got most of the slots. It was a terrible way to crown a title. This was the best year of top
level college foosball. Who is to say that if there 12 teams all these years the SEC would have dominated the titles?

Okay, so you have no other examples. Got it.

The four team playoff existed for 10 years. Only 2 times did the SEC have more than one team in. The B1G was provided that opportunity one time as well. All other years there was only one representative from each of the conferences in the field.

So I will ask again, how was the SEC “given preferential treatment?”

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I get it. You prefer an invitational tournament for the pleasure of seeing the helmets you prefer while watching at the holidays, regardless of what they did during the season, as we’ve previously established.

Why do we celebrate that Ohio State got a mulligan? Outside of Ohio State fans I cannot understand why people think it’s great that they got a do over.

Actually I could give a F. Keep that in mind. You get all anal anytime somebody doesn't agree with your belief. That's fine.

It's just fun board banter because it gets reactions. It is what it is. Get used to it.

I could care less who they put in. Makes no difference.

Do I think the ACC was a weak conference? Yes. Did I disagree with Boise getting a bye? Yes.

My opinion and a dime will give you 10 cents.

OSU was the best team in the country at the right time. People can debate how or why they got there. End of the day nobody cares. They won.

[IUP24]

But then they had to play a 4 game gauntlet. You cannot deny the took out 4 good teams.

We can’t sit here and say Slimey had a great run but bag on D1. Slimey didn’t play in the Stste Game..win the region and took the eventual champion to the 4th qtr on their home field.

The punishment is now you get a four game route instead of the bye.

Yes we can. Apples to oranges. A regionalized playoff structure that exists in Division 2 football where every conference is represented isn’t remotely comparable to the format that exists at the level we are discussing.

Acknowledging that Ohio State, who had the best odds to win the national championship at the start of the season, won four games, doesn’t change that their loss to Michigan would have disqualified nearly every other team not of their status. And the “punishment” allowed Ohio State an opportunity to make additional money from a home game they can now turn into an NIL check, further widening their gap.

The sport has fundamentally changed in favor of the teams that just reached the final four, and we’re using, “they won four games” as the data point to justify the devaluation of what was once the greatest regular season of any sport.

[IUP24]

Actually I could give a F. Keep that in mind. You get all anal anytime somebody doesn't agree with your belief. That's fine.

It's just fun board banter because it gets reactions. It is what it is. Get used to it.

I could care less who they put in. Makes no difference.

Do I think the ACC was a weak conference? Yes. Did I disagree with Boise getting a bye? Yes.

My opinion and a dime will give you 10 cents.

OSU was the best team in the country at the right time. People can debate how or why they got there. End of the day nobody cares. They won.

The root of my issue is that I have a fundamental disagreement with the justification of the state of college football pertaining to the class system as it currently exists with the expanded playoff.

NIL magnifying college football into tiers isn’t necessarily anything new. Those classes have always existed. But it would be far more tolerable if when those who were in the upper class slipped up, it meant something.

It no longer does. Plenty of people are okay with that. I am not.

I like having these conversations, because I like talking football. But I mostly have a problem with the masses everywhere unknowingly supporting a format that’s just going to continue to build the divide, when nearly all of them root for a team who won’t ever have a seat at the table.

[IUPNation]

Okay, so you have no other examples. Got it.

The four team playoff existed for 10 years. Only 2 times did the SEC have more than one team in. The B1G was provided that opportunity one time as well. All other years there was only one representative from each of the conferences in the field.

So I will ask again, how was the SEC “given preferential treatment?”

By getting two bids in when the second team didn’t win the conference. The BIG didn’t deserve it either.

I don’t understand why you want the old way. It sucked. One loss should not tank your chances. Schedules aren’t even. Polls are crap and committees choosing who gets to play is even worse. This opened it up..and gave everyone a chance. The old way felt the same teams were always getting the chances while teams who had great seasons had. I **** because the pedigree was less.