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The Simplest, Best Playoff Plan

  • http://247sports.com/Article/The-Simplest-Best-Playoff-Plan-71677

    College football's power brokers are working on a format for a four-team national championship playoff. Steve Helwagen weighs in with his suggestion on how it could work.

    SteveHelwagen ●

  • As much as I like this in theory here are the problems I see with this Steve.

    1) I can't see the SEC, parts of the ACC, the Big 12 and parts of the Pac 10 agreeing to have home games in the NE, Midwest, etc. While playing games in a dome may benifit a team to a small degree having teams from Florida that don't play north of Georgia all year (or at least Kentucky) play in Michigan in the winter will provide too much of an advantage for them to approve of this.

    2) In 2009 Cincinnati was a reviewed incomplete pass away from hosting a game in this senario. This would be a game at 35,000 seat Nippert stadium. I can't see the income generation worth it for the game with the 35,000 seat venue.

    3) Speaking of size. How about having all of the media and visiting fans showing up to Boise idaho. Think Boise can handle this with hotel rooms?

    Yes, many of those would be isolated cases, but they are cases that could easily happen. I don't know the best way to do it, but I don't think that this will happen and I am almost sure that nothing like this will happen.

    This post was edited by shaunsimpson on 4/26/2012 at 9:53 AM

    shaunsimpson ●

  • I like this, I posted months ago the same idea only with 8 teams. The quarter and semi's on home fields of highest ranked teams the first two weekends in december

    SarasotaBuckeye

  • Great plan Steve. I never considered the teams going to bcs bowls after they lost but I like it.

    davebucknut ●

  • I agree wholeheartedly with your plan. I don't think the argument that home sites could not handle the crowds for the game holds water. If it were at home sites, most of the seats would be taken by home team fans, the majority of which would not need hotels or travel arrangements. The current plan being proposed is going to dampen BCS game attendance further and is going to make it nearly impossible for most middle class diehard fans to follow their teams.

    buk07 ●

  • buk07 said...

    I agree wholeheartedly with your plan. I don't think the argument that home sites could not handle the crowds for the game holds water. If it were at home sites, most of the seats would be taken by home team fans, the majority of which would not need hotels or travel arrangements. The current plan being proposed is going to dampen BCS game attendance further and is going to make it nearly impossible for most middle class diehard fans to follow their teams.

    That's my point ... the average fan and the parents of the kids playing have no chance (basically) to go to both the semis and the title game.

    SteveHelwagen ●

  • whats the difference between this and the nfl playoffs.....it happens

    signature image signature image signature image

    mrinder83

  • I think its a great idea. It seems to me like most people can find some kind of a flaw in any system that anybody comes up with (nothing is perfect). But if you just look at some of the match ups we missed out on over the years according to your system, its almost impossible to say this isnt a good idea.

    signature image signature image signature image

    Downtown

  • Doesn't the NFL do a playoff? I know this is naive, but can someone lay it out for me why we can't do things exactly the way the pros do? Are politics really the only barrier?

    Tenfold

  • shaunsimpson said...

    As much as I like this in theory here are the problems I see with this Steve.

    1) I can't see the SEC, parts of the ACC, the Big 12 and parts of the Pac 10 agreeing to have home games in the NE, Midwest, etc. While playing games in a dome may benifit a team to a small degree having teams from Florida that don't play north of Georgia all year (or at least Kentucky) play in Michigan in the winter will provide too much of an advantage for them to approve of this.

    2) In 2009 Cincinnati was a reviewed incomplete pass away from hosting a game in this senario. This would be a game at 35,000 seat Nippert stadium. I can't see the income generation worth it for the game with the 35,000 seat venue.

    3) Speaking of size. How about having all of the media and visiting fans showing up to Boise idaho. Think Boise can handle this with hotel rooms?

    Yes, many of those would be isolated cases, but they are cases that could easily happen. I don't know the best way to do it, but I don't think that this will happen and I am almost sure that nothing like this will happen.

    You really are thinking about this with a glass half empty midset. Nothing is going to be perfect.

    signature image signature image signature image

    Downtown

  • Shaun.

    Screw the southern teams who are worried about playing in cold weather. And as for uc or Boise they could move those games to larger near by arenas. Uc likes playing games at pbs anyways for big games.

    davebucknut ●

  • Tenfold said...

    Doesn't the NFL do a playoff? I know this is naive, but can someone lay it out for me why we can't do things exactly the way the pros do? Are politics really the only barrier?

    Yeah, but the way the NFL is going these days I dont think we need to copy them. If there is one thing I like about the bowl system its that half the teams end the season with a win. With this system, for the most, part can still happen. And we get a small playoff. Everybody wins.

    signature image signature image signature image

    Downtown

  • shaunsimpson said...

    2) In 2009 Cincinnati was a reviewed incomplete pass away from hosting a game in this senario. This would be a game at 35,000 seat Nippert stadium. I can't see the income generation worth it for the game with the 35,000 seat venue.

    3) Speaking of size. How about having all of the media and visiting fans showing up to Boise idaho. Think Boise can handle this with hotel rooms?

    These are the 2 of the reasons people are not buying-in to the higher seeds hosting a game. As an alternative, there may local or regional stadiums that could be used but logistics and scheduling (conflicts, etc.) could be a challenge in a shortened timeframe.

    Overall, I think Steve's on the right track with everything else but this issue will need some creativity to work through. IMO, a 4-team playoff should be viewed with an open set of eyes and not be held back by the constraints of today's model / environment.

    BucksinCT

  • Shaun, in a case like Cincinnati and a smaller stadium, they could move the game to Paul Brown (seating over 70,000) or even to Indy and play it indoors. There are always solutions if you look hard enough.

    SteveHelwagen ●

  • Shaunsimpson, I can see your arguments. However, like I said, most of the fan's of the host team will not need hotel arrangements or airport access. It will be like any other home game.

    I also thought about the case of Boise State or UC getting a home game. With enough notice, UC could arrange to have the game on a Friday or Saturday at Paul Brown, TCU could arrange to have the game at JerryWorld, Boise State would be tough, but most of the mid-major teams that my make some noise would have a large stadium close enough that it could accomodate a large crowd. Additionally, these teams would have to be ranked 1 or 2 for it to even be an issue.

    I agree with you about the warm weather teams not wanting to play in the Midwest. That is really what this comes down to, along with money. Does the BCS mean to tell me that Columbus, Happy Valley, Ann Arbor, Madison, or even East Lansing cannot handle a night game at which most of the fans will be for the home team and will not need travel arrangements? Please! This is all about UF, LSU, and Bama not wanting to come up north and having their players more worried about how cold they are than about the next play. Also, the BCS probably wants to have more sponsors and control over the gate so it can control the payouts more. If you have it at a homesite that is not going to happen.

    buk07 ●

  • shaunsimpson said...

    As much as I like this in theory here are the problems I see with this Steve.

    1) I can't see the SEC, parts of the ACC, the Big 12 and parts of the Pac 10 agreeing to have home games in the NE, Midwest, etc. While playing games in a dome may benifit a team to a small degree having teams from Florida that don't play north of Georgia all year (or at least Kentucky) play in Michigan in the winter will provide too much of an advantage for them to approve of this.

    2) In 2009 Cincinnati was a reviewed incomplete pass away from hosting a game in this senario. This would be a game at 35,000 seat Nippert stadium. I can't see the income generation worth it for the game with the 35,000 seat venue.

    3) Speaking of size. How about having all of the media and visiting fans showing up to Boise idaho. Think Boise can handle this with hotel rooms?

    Yes, many of those would be isolated cases, but they are cases that could easily happen. I don't know the best way to do it, but I don't think that this will happen and I am almost sure that nothing like this will happen.

    Good points indeed. I think the small stadium problem could be fixed by simply using the closest big stadium. For example instead of playing in Cincinnati they could play in the shoe. Is that reasonable? I do like Steve's idea but perhaps with a few tweaks.

    GrayBuck

  • I say 18 team playoff. The top 2 teams of each automatic qualifying conference. theres 6, with the teams in the non AQ's only getting 1 team in (independents, sun belt, mountain west, conference usa, mid american and western athletic) Just to keep it fair to the Boise st, Houston, Central FL teams. The east coast teams playing in the east, west coast teams playing in the west. The team with the highest bcs average of the 2 become the home team and play in their house. The NC should be held to an equal distance respectively to the 2 schools. For instance OSU plays USC in the NC. We then would play maybe in Omaha.

    Also maybe the top 4-6 teams sitting out until the semis and letting the next top AQ's and non AQ's go at it.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by COODanke on 4/26/2012 at 11:35 AM

    Those who leave, will be champions. - Justin Boren

    COODanke

  • Yeah, was with you until you threw out the early Semi game followed up several weeks later with the loosers of that game playing in whatever Bowl they would have normally gone to. Those teams have nothing to play for at that point and those games are worthless. Their fans would not travel IMO. The semi game needs to be played in the Bowl game with the Championship as a plus 1.

    buckalum

  • They do it in basketball, and you have teams like Norfolk st beating Mizzou.
    They put houston and Boise in BCS games. Why not the playoffs?

    Those who leave, will be champions. - Justin Boren

    COODanke

  • It gets awfully cold here in Columbus New Year's Day..........wouldn't the poor little SEC complain too much????

    soha

  • They gotta get used to the cold if they wanna play with a good NFL team.
    Minn, GB, Pitts, NY, Baltimore, NE, Det, Chi, Den. Get my point.
    A vast majority of the really good NFL teams are in the north. I think thats funny.

    Those who leave, will be champions. - Justin Boren

    COODanke

  • At least Cincinnati would have had the option to rent a pro venue. Boise does present a problem, though.

    bucknutnut

  • SteveHelwagen said...

    Shaun, in a case like Cincinnati and a smaller stadium, they could move the game to Paul Brown (seating over 70,000) or even to Indy and play it indoors. There are always solutions if you look hard enough.

    And enough money to go around. Best plan I've seen yet.

    signature image

    ..pay forward ........................................he made them pay...............................he'll make them pay again and again

    BuckeyeDog

  • SteveHelwagen said...

    Shaun, in a case like Cincinnati and a smaller stadium, they could move the game to Paul Brown (seating over 70,000) or even to Indy and play it indoors. There are always solutions if you look hard enough.

    Thats the first thing I thought too Steve. Your scenario makes the most sense of anything I have heard thus far.

    freethebucks

  • The SEC has been dodging the Big Ten for years when it comes to coming up north and playing in a cold weather stadium late in the season. The SEC has had regional advantge for decades. We all know how important home field advantage is especially in college football. The Big Ten has had to travel for decades to play in the Rose Bowl (USC west coast advantage) The Sugar Bowl (LSU/Alabama advantage) or a myriad of other places that are traditionally closer to the fan bases of the schools that the Big Ten teams have had to face. If the SEC really thinks its the big dog in college football then come and prove it in Columbus/Madison/Ann Arbor/Happy Valley/Lincoln in November!!!! If the Delaney rolls over on the semi-final hosted by the higher seeded school proposal then the Big Ten really has nothing to gain. The Rose Bowl transcends college football and our current stewards of the sport and traditions need to hold fast that if we don't get to host potential semi-final games in the midwestern footprint then I think we will have lost more then we will have gained in this process.

    JohnLeva

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