Let’s take a quick look at the current CompuDrew ratings. Part 2 of my playoff proposal is below (read Part 1).
So based on Part 1, the top 7 6 conference champions make the playoffs, as well as the two highest-ranked at-large teams (I called it a wildcard last week, but I’ll use the popular college football term) (Edited: September 2013). Those 8 teams, given the current rankings and assuming that the higher-ranked team will win the SEC, look like this:
1. Alabama (SEC)
2. Florida (at large)
3. Texas (Big 12)
4. TCU (MWC)
5. Cincinnati (Big East)
6. Georgia Tech (ACC)
7. Boise St. (WAC)
8. Oregon (Pac 10)
Here is where the system becomes really fun for fans and college campuses: the top four conference champions get to host the first round on their campus. The at-large team, if in the top 4, is moved to 5th place, and then the rest of the seeding continues. In most seasons, I think the schedule could support having the quarterfinals on the third Saturday in December. Could you imagine this schedule on a Saturday?
12 pm ET on ESPN – #5 Florida at #4 Cincinnati – Cinncinnati, OH
3 pm ET on CBS – #8 Oregon at #1 Alabama – Tuscaloosa, AL
6 pm ET on NBC – #6 Georgia Tech at #3 TCU – Fort Worth, TX
9 pm ET on ABC – #7 Boise St at #2 Texas – Austin, TX
Yes please. I wouldn’t leave my couch from 9 am central (start of College Gameday on ESPN) to midnight. Unless of course, I went to the game, which is one of the best parts of this playoff system: postseason games on college campuses. All bowl games are currently in pro stadiums. That’s fine, because it’s the best way for the bowls to make money. But could you imagine the electricity in Austin on gameday in December, especially since everyone will have just finished the semester? Or Gainesville? Or Tuscaloosa? Or Columbus or Eugene or South Bend? There is nothing like a college town on gameday, and we’re talking about putting even more huge games on campus.
Semifinals and Finals
The day after the first round will also be a fun day for fans and bowl organizers, because this is when the four major bowls would get to choose their matchups from the playoff teams. Here’s how it works: the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta bowls will rotate their draft slots each year so that each bowl gets their first choice of game every four years. Let’s say in 2009 the order is this: Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, Rose. And let’s say that the home teams won their playoff games. The Sugar Bowl organizers can choose any of these matchups:
- Cincinnati vs. Alabama (semifinal)
- Oregon vs. Florida (first round losers)
- Texas vs. TCU (semifinal)
- Georgia Tech vs. Boise State (first round losers)
Obviously in this case, the Sugar Bowl would choose Cincinnati vs. Alabama for the SEC connection. Then the Orange Bowl is up. Do the Orange Bowl organizers want the other semifinal (Texas vs. TCU), or do they want to honor their ties to the ACC and go with Georgia Tech vs. Boise State? I think both choices would be lucrative for the Orange Bowl. Let’s say their primary goal is to sell tickets so they go with Georgia Tech vs. Boise State. That would leave Texas vs. TCU for the Fiesta Bowl (Big 12 and MWC) and Oregon vs. Florida for the Rose Bowl (Pac 10 and SEC). Perfect. Two of the games will be played on New Year’s Day (Rose Bowl and one other on rotation) and the two others will be played on January 2nd.
That was too easy, right? Each bowl actually getting at least one of their conference ties? AND two of those games actually matter, and aren’t just postseason exhibitions? It won’t always work out perfectly, but to be honest this is one of those years in which not all the top teams are marquee programs, such as Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon, and Boise State. So think about the years in which USC and Ohio State are in there, too; You’ll have some great matchups and happy bowl organizers.
Who hosts the championship?
Okay, yes, there will be a few years in which the 4th bowl selection is kind of a stinker. Maybe a 11-1 Utah team vs. a 10-2 Pitt. That doesn’t sounds too lucrative to an event like the Rose Bowl. A game like this will pop up once in a while, so here’s how we make it better: the 4th bowl selector (in this case, the Rose Bowl) also hosts the National Championship during the second week of January. What this means is that if you pick last among the four bowls, you are still guaranteed the most watched and important game of the season. Fair? I think so.
So, the bowls still make their money and keep most of their conference ties. The teams get a system that is fair in that it lets in league winners, but only league winners who deserve to move on. The schools and conferences will still get their BCS money (no, the Big 10 wouldn’t get money this year, but do they deserve it?). And most importantly, the fans and players get a system that is exciting and equitable at the same time. Only four games total added to the schedule (those mid-December home games), and just the right amount of time between games for fans, teams, and ticket sellers. Tradition preserved and improved upon.
Thoughts?