College football has become one big quagmire.

[Drake's Tan]

Wrong year to complain about a 12-team playoff. We've seen teams like Vandy defeat Alabama... and it wasn't a fluke. They whipped their defense ass.

Parity has arrived in college football this season and it's due to the transfer portal and NIL.

Who cares what teams play in what conference? I know it's not "traditional" but this season has been fantastic.

So far it has been great.

Let's wait and see in rivalry and CCG weeks to see if this new system negatively affects those, which my concerns are that they will.

Until then, I'm with you, I'm going to enjoy what's been a wild season so far.

 

[RammerJammer]

It was a "bad look" for players to "opt out" of bowl games. Won't happen this year because the old system is still entrenched.

But when some star, like say the dude at Boise, for a G5 that has no shot looks at his situation and realizes that his team has not realistic shot and can not play and get drafted high, these dudes will make business decisions.

I would not be surprised if it happens sometime in the next 3-5 years.

Yes, it was a bad look for players to sit out of bowl games, as a fan it was shytty but it at least made sense from the standpoint of that team not playing for a title.

Also, you bring up Boise, Boise almost beat Oregon early in the year, who just beat Ohio State, clearly they can play with anyone in the country.

Really the only team worth a damn right now is Texas.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

So far it has been great.

Let's wait and see in rivalry and CCG weeks to see if this new system negatively affects those, which my concerns are that they will.

Until then, I'm with you, I'm going to enjoy what's been a wild season so far.

I think no matter what happens Alabama/Auburn or Ohio St./Michigan or any of these big rivalries are still of great importance. I miss a single loss being devastating to one's season but since the 4-team playoff hit that's not really been a reality for the big teams

 

[DropTopDoc]

Bowl games still mattered during the BCS, even early on in the CFP era

Players opting out is when bowl games really died though

Things changed when the money changed and the demand for a on the field champ, superseded going to a bowl and beating a rival

There was a time winning the big 10 and heading to Cali was something coveted for midwestern people

The championship culture fukked it, the greed for extra bowls no one honestly cares about(I’m happy there are more bowls, kids get a chance to travel, eat good, swag) however it’s just a chance to see what you got next season, yeah no one is happy their 7-5 school is going to boise or Shreveport in late December.

Now because the money has spread out the fields getting more even, after this season, yeah the usual suspects are there but would you bet them vs the field ??

This whole playoff thing just gives us a chance to see a team get an actual chance, Pat white and the boys never went to a nc because they lost the back yard brawl, it was a good game but are we better for them never getting a shot, hell they may have won it

 

[Drake's Tan]

Yes, it was a bad look for players to sit out of bowl games, as a fan it was shytty but it at least made sense from the standpoint of that team not playing for a title.

Also, you bring up Boise, Boise almost beat Oregon early in the year, who just beat Ohio State, clearly they can play with anyone in the country.

Really the only team worth a damn right now is Texas.

I brought up Boise because they have the most high profile player in the G5. They've also been a BCS buster before so maybe not the best example for my point. They were like a less douchey version of UCF since back in the day with a chip on their shoulder. So they probably would go all out in a playoff opportunity.

But say Coastal Carolina has a star and they make they playoffs. I would not be surprised if their star sits out when he realizes they have no chance of winning it all.

 

[Drake's Tan]

I think no matter what happens Alabama/Auburn or Ohio St./Michigan or any of these big rivalries are still of great importance. I miss a single loss being devastating to one's season but since the 4-team playoff hit that's not really been a reality for the big teams

Without a doubt of great importance.

But what will it be like if Michigan plays at the horseshoe knowing that they play Ohio State again in Indy the following week?

 

[In The Zone '98]

The standard of excellence for the chip is still pretty high

The only ways in are 13-0 or 12-1

 

[Jplaya2023]

12 teams is fukkin perfect. The problem is there are 110+ D1 teams so someone is always going to be slighted.

Plus you can get better regular season matchups now that you dont have to go undefeated or have 1 loss to make it now. The B10 and SEC are talking about the SEC/B10 challenge like what they do in basketball. This is a GOOD thibg. No longer do we have to watch ohio state or bama or someone play 3stodges university and win 67-0 and they cut them a 100k check.

I also need the CFP to give higher seeds home field advantage in every round except the national championship game. That makes sense to do.

 

[Silkk]

The standard of excellence for the chip is still pretty high

The only ways in are 13-0 or 12-1

False af

 

[Silkk]

I preferred the old models because it made Championship weekend playoff games for the most part.

I know @smitty22 feel what im saying

 

[RammerJammer]

Without a doubt of great importance.

But what will it be like if Michigan plays at the horseshoe knowing that they play Ohio State again in Indy the following week?

I mean it has happened before



Edit: I forgot Florida played in the SECCG that year

Point still stands, rivalries won’t take a hit, in a way, it might enhance it

I mean imagine 3 Iron Bowls in a year, the state of Alabama might burn to the ground

 

[MustafaSTL]

The funny thing is they keep making the same mistakes. They created a bunch of meaningless bowl games, then the media/fans/etc got mad when players started skipping them to prepare for the draft. Now we're going to have a 12 team playoff system and I guarantee you players will skip games on lower seeded teams. If you're say...James Pearce and Tennessee is the 12 seed come January, are you risking injury in a meaningless playoff game or are you preserving your potential top 10 status and bouncing to the draft process.

The playoff expansion should have been 6 teams total (top two seeds get a first round bye). I'd be fine compromising and doing 8, but 12 is way too fukking much.

There is zero chance a player is sitting out of a playoff game. Zero. You’re saying a player will look at his team and know they don’t have a chance to win and decides not to risk it? Zero chance.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Without a doubt of great importance.

But what will it be like if Michigan plays at the horseshoe knowing that they play Ohio State again in Indy the following week?

Is that possible? I think the first round of the playoffs is at a campus site. So if the two were to have a rematch in round one it'd have to be at either location.

 

[Drake's Tan]

Is that possible? I think the first round of the playoffs is at a campus site. So if the two were to have a rematch in round one it'd have to be at either location.

Yes. There's no more divisions in the B1G or SEC now.

So Texas-Texas A&m, Auburn-Bama, The Game, etc with any in-conference rivalry week games, could be played back to back with this format.

 

[Drake's Tan]

Point still stands, rivalries won’t take a hit, in a way, it might enhance it

I mean imagine 3 Iron Bowls in a year, the state of Alabama might burn to the ground

We'll have to wait and see if they enhance it. I hope you are right though.

I see what you mean in terms of maybe improving the overall rivalries, but I think the actual Game in rivalry week itself will be weakened if it's guaranteed that they'll play again that year, particularly the following week.


For the most part, a playoff rematch is different than a CCG rematch the following week. Many games between rivalry week and the playoffs. As you noted FSU-UF in 97. Maybe Bama-LSU in 2011 although I know they play that game in the middle of the season so not quite a good example since it's not a rivalry week rivalry.

In 2022 we had a rematch potential but Ohio St and Michigan both lost in the semis. But that wasn't guaranteed, and didn't end up happening, so the Game still had the "all or nothing stakes". But say in 2-3 years Michigan and Ohio State come into the Game with one loss and clinch their spots in Indy. Then The Game in rivalry week means...???