College Football - Championship Week

[UMFan83]

I am not sure what you are getting at. I'm saying to guarantee a GO5 champion a playoff spot because if you are going to have 8 playoff teams I think its important to ensure that every FBS team has a realistic pathway to a championship. Right now it would take an individual program with a multiple year run of success to the point where they feel comfortable scheduling solid P5 teams that they can beat, build up some name recognition, not have the coach bolt to a P5 program and then most likely go undefeated.

 

I'm sure that GO5 team would be whalloped by the 1 seed a majority of the years but whatever, I guess thats a reward for earning the 1 seed.

 

What I'm saying is that even if you don't guarantee a GO5 champ a playoff spot, that's still better than their chances were with the BCS or 4 team CFP.

 

Yeah I see what you are saying now. There was a nice little run where some GO5 teams made it to the top 8 of the standings (Boise State, TCU before B12, Hawaii, Cincinnati). But with the selection committee pouring over every teams resume, I am not sure if they award any of those teams a playoff spot besides maybe Boise State. If you reward 1 team a year from the other 70 non-Power 5 schools with a playoff spot, there is at least something to play for and maybe your coach stays instead of bolting to a P5 school.

 

I'm sure there are good reasons why they wouldn't do this and most of them are likely economic and the consolidation of power between the big conferences, but whatever.

[UMFan83]

Damn, Indiana fired Kevin Wilson...that's a step back for the program.

 

https://indiana.rivals.com/news/report-indiana-fires-kevin-wilson

 

Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson has been dismissed from the program, a source tells the IndyStar. The school has not commented.

 

Sources at SB Nation report the decision comes after “repeated clashes with administration.” Based on Tweets from players, a few listed below, it appears nobody on the team saw it coming.

 

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported in a Tweet that Wilson rushed a former player back from an injury too soon.

 

A source with ties to the team told TheHoosier.com that he believes the firing was the result of mishandled player safety. Wilson apparently butted heads with the training staff, the source said, and it led to tension between Wilson and the department.

[jersey cubs fan]

Damn, Indiana fired Kevin Wilson...that's a step back for the program.

 

https://indiana.rivals.com/news/report-indiana-fires-kevin-wilson

 

Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson has been dismissed from the program, a source tells the IndyStar. The school has not commented.

 

Sources at SB Nation report the decision comes after “repeated clashes with administration.” Based on Tweets from players, a few listed below, it appears nobody on the team saw it coming.

 

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported in a Tweet that Wilson rushed a former player back from an injury too soon.

 

A source with ties to the team told TheHoosier.com that he believes the firing was the result of mishandled player safety. Wilson apparently butted heads with the training staff, the source said, and it led to tension between Wilson and the department.

talk of indiana football should never be in a "championship" thread

[CubinNY]

Damn, Indiana fired Kevin Wilson...that's a step back for the program.

 

https://indiana.rivals.com/news/report-indiana-fires-kevin-wilson

 

Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson has been dismissed from the program, a source tells the IndyStar. The school has not commented.

 

Sources at SB Nation report the decision comes after “repeated clashes with administration.” Based on Tweets from players, a few listed below, it appears nobody on the team saw it coming.

 

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported in a Tweet that Wilson rushed a former player back from an injury too soon.

 

A source with ties to the team told TheHoosier.com that he believes the firing was the result of mishandled player safety. Wilson apparently butted heads with the training staff, the source said, and it led to tension between Wilson and the department.

Now Western Michigan's coach will have 2 Big 10 teams wanting his services.

[soccer10k]

8 team playoff plz. 5 conference champs + 3 at-large bids.

 

No thank you. I don't need some 3 or 4 loss team to get in just because they won a weak division and got lucky in the conference title game.

 

I'd be more okay with 8 of it was a straight 1-8 (with maybe a group of 5 team if they're close) but there's no chance it goes to 8 without giving the conference champs a spot. They'd probably limit the number of teams per conference like the BCS games did which this year would mean leaving out one of the Big 10 teams.

 

Keep it at 4.

[OleMissCub]

8 team playoff plz. 5 conference champs + 3 at-large bids.

 

No thank you. I don't need some 3 or 4 loss team to get in just because they won a weak division and got lucky in the conference title game.

 

Does that happen often enough for that to be a legitimate concern every year? I doubt it. Also, if some 3 loss team Cinderella's their way into the playoff, so be it.

[Derwood]

The only thing that would really kiss me off is if Penn State wins but they pick Michigan for the Rose Bowl instead

Isn't the B1G champion locked into the Rose if they don't make the playoff? I know normally those slots go to 'highest ranked team outside the playoff', but I think that's under the assumption that the champ is in the playoff.

 

No I think that changed but I could be wrong. They were talking about how if Michigan was selected for the Rose Bowl and Colorado was the Pac 12 champ but didn't make the playoff, they might switch out Colorado so there wouldn't be a rematch.

 

Either way, if for some reason the Rose Bowl selected Michigan over Penn State, PSU would almost certainly be selected for the Orange Bowl and play Florida State or Louisville instead of playing Washington, Colorado or USC.

 

I'm hearing speculation that PSU would play W. Michigan in a bowl (puke)

[Derwood]

I mean, sure, usually it would end up being a monster like Bama or Ohio State just mauling on the group of 5 team. But the most exciting, most memorable college football game I've ever seen involved a blue blood top tier team and a small conference team.

 

2007 Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma.

 

Excellent point.

 

I've said it many times, but a New Years Day with all 4 quarterfinal games being played throughout the day would be the most epic sports day in America.

 

You could'nt have the round of 8 that late. You'd have to do the quarterfinals sometime between championship week and new year's day, probably at the top seeds' home stadiums

[OleMissCub]

I mean, sure, usually it would end up being a monster like Bama or Ohio State just mauling on the group of 5 team. But the most exciting, most memorable college football game I've ever seen involved a blue blood top tier team and a small conference team.

 

2007 Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma.

 

Excellent point.

 

I've said it many times, but a New Years Day with all 4 quarterfinal games being played throughout the day would be the most epic sports day in America.

 

You could'nt have the round of 8 that late. You'd have to do the quarterfinals sometime between championship week and new year's day, probably at the top seeds' home stadiums

 

Why not? So what if the championship game is on January 14th or whatever? One extra week of football for the 2 teams that play in the finals isn't that big of a deal.

[Derwood]

I think it would be more exciting to have the Final Four on New Year's, but that's just me

[soccer10k]

8 team playoff plz. 5 conference champs + 3 at-large bids.

 

No thank you. I don't need some 3 or 4 loss team to get in just because they won a weak division and got lucky in the conference title game.

 

Does that happen often enough for that to be a legitimate concern every year? I doubt it. Also, if some 3 loss team Cinderella's their way into the playoff, so be it.

 

2016: Virginia Tech (9-3)

2015: USC (8-4)

2013: Duke (10-2 but ranked No. 20 going in)

2012: UCLA (9-3), Wisconsin (7-5), Georgia Tech (6-6)

2011: UCLA (6-6)

2010: South Carolina (9-3), Florida State (9-3)

2009: Nebraska (9-3), Clemson (8-4)

 

Those weren't winners but they were conference championship game participants. One win from getting in. Hard pass on that. If it was top 8, I could get on board. But to me, 4 is fine. Reward excellence throughout the entire season. I've always liked that college football differed from the other sports in that way.

[Andy]

We have this argument every year.

 

You could sell me on 8 if there were 2 conditions:

 

1) Straight 1-8. No guaranteed conference champs. Any Power 5 champ is going to be in the Top 8 anyway, especially because my 2nd condition is:

2) Get rid of conference title games (and divisions while we're at it). 15 games is already too many for as-yet-unpaid college kids. 16 is patently ridiculous. And in an 8-team playoff, all they'd serve to do is potentially put a mediocre division champ in the playoff, unlikely as it is.

 

The thing is, they're never going to 8 without automatic bids for the P5 and a Group of 5 auto-bid, and they're probably never dumping conference title games, so you're never getting the best 8.

[Andy]

Isn't the B1G champion locked into the Rose if they don't make the playoff? I know normally those slots go to 'highest ranked team outside the playoff', but I think that's under the assumption that the champ is in the playoff.

 

No I think that changed but I could be wrong. They were talking about how if Michigan was selected for the Rose Bowl and Colorado was the Pac 12 champ but didn't make the playoff, they might switch out Colorado so there wouldn't be a rematch.

 

Either way, if for some reason the Rose Bowl selected Michigan over Penn State, PSU would almost certainly be selected for the Orange Bowl and play Florida State or Louisville instead of playing Washington, Colorado or USC.

 

I'm hearing speculation that PSU would play W. Michigan in a bowl (puke)

That must only be if PSU loses. Even if UMF is right and the Rose could pick Michigan over a B1G champ Penn State, the Nittany Lions would be locked into the Orange as the highest-ranked SEC/B1G team available.

[Tim]

We have this argument every year.

 

You could sell me on 8 if there were 2 conditions:

 

1) Straight 1-8. No guaranteed conference champs. Any Power 5 champ is going to be in the Top 8 anyway, especially because my 2nd condition is:

2) Get rid of conference title games (and divisions while we're at it). 15 games is already too many for as-yet-unpaid college kids. 16 is patently ridiculous. And in an 8-team playoff, all they'd serve to do is potentially put a mediocre division champ in the playoff, unlikely as it is.

 

The thing is, they're never going to 8 without automatic bids for the P5 and a Group of 5 auto-bid, and they're probably never dumping conference title games, so you're never getting the best 8.

So...

 

On the one hand, "Any Power 5 Champ is going to be in the Top 8 anyway". On the other hand, you're never getting the best 8 partially because of auto bids for the Power 5 champs?

[Andy]

Conference title game upsets and (more to the point) the Group of 5 auto-bid are why you will never get the best 8. I probably did a poor job of phrasing it, but Power 5 champions without conference title games would always be in the top 8 because there would be no title game upsets to knock things off kilter.

[weis21]

Win the conference title game and you're in. If you don't, then you won't. How is that at all really different from NFL playoffs?

 

That is, of course, with the caveat that you're a team like Alabama who would get an at-large bid this year if they somehow screwed up the game bad enough against Florida.

 

The conference championships would in effect be the "first round" of the playoffs for most teams. I don't see the issue.

[CubColtPacer]

Win the conference title game and you're in. If you don't, then you won't. How is that at all really different from NFL playoffs?

 

That is, of course, with the caveat that you're a team like Alabama who would get an at-large bid this year if they somehow screwed up the game bad enough against Florida.

 

The conference championships would in effect be the "first round" of the playoffs for most teams. I don't see the issue.

 

Well, for one, you have non-conference games that are 1/4 of the season that have absolutely no effect on the main way to get into the playoff. It's hard to get much interest in games that only matter if the top team gets upset and needs an at-large spot 10 weeks later.

 

Plus, you end up subdividing what is already a very small sample size. When you only have 9 games to decide from, tiebreakers and which teams miss the strong teams in their conference or have them at home instead of on the road become very important factors. There's a large emphasis on luck to who makes the conference championship game. The relative lack of parity in college football helps mask some of that, but that's still a pretty big departure from what the hope of any playoff system has been in the past.

[Derwood]

lol Florida. GG

[Derwood]

Florida's QB is playing like he has money on the Tide

[soccer10k]

When it was 16-9, Bama had negative total yards.

[Derwood]

Welp, this game couldn't have started worse. Down two scores and Barkley out after one play

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Welp, this game couldn't have started worse. Down two scores and Barkley out after one play

and it ain't getting much better

[Ding Dong Johnson]

also, someone should let James Franklin know that it's OK to punt from your own territory and play the field position game for a spell in the first half instead of giving Wisconsin 40 yards to go on every drive

[Derwood]

They might want to pick up a block every now and then

[OleMissCub]

How did Penn State win so many games with such a poor QB?