My Outdated College Playoff Plan

OK, with all the conference re-alignment crud going on... I want to to emphasize that this is my "old plan", and it probably won't work when everything shakes out in the end.  So, it will need to be "adjusted" once all this conference swapping settles down.

However, I still feel like it's a good starting point, toward the development of a College Football playoff system.

Right now, the following conferences are Automatic Qualifiers for the BCS Bowls.
The ACC, The Big 12, The Big 10, The Big East, The Pac 12, and the SEC.

That's six of the schools right there, to qualify for either:  The Rose Bowl, The Fiesta Bowl, The Orange Bowl, The Sugar Bowl, or the BCS Championship game.  So that's five games.  Five games would need ten teams... 6 of which are decided by conference champions, and 4 basically at large teams.  However, only 2 of these teams will play for the championship... no matter if 3 teams are undefeated, or if there are several one loss teams stacked into the top ten.

I've heard arguments that College Football doesn't need a playoff system, because the regular season is their playoffs, and by adding a playoffs system, you would devalue the regular season.

Now, I have also heard the argument time and time again, that you cannot get rid of the Bowls, because they pay the schools too much money, and school officials do not want to miss the big payout they receive for being a bowl game attendee. 

So my thought is this....  is there a way we can do it all?  Can we have a playoff, have the regular system mean something, and still incorporate the Bowls to mean something?  I think we can.

First of all, as of right now I think the Big East and/or Big 12 should be stripped of their "automatic qualifier" status until they are able to host a championship game.  Only conference champions of 12 member conferences are "automatic qualifiers".  The Big East is down to what...6 Football schools with Pitt and Syracuse's departure?

So let's say the Big 12 gets back up to 12 members... for the heck of it.  And so we have 5 Automatic Qualifiers...  These five get an automatic birth in the 8 team tournament.  The other 3 teams are selected "at large" from the field, an undefeated team from a lower conference (like Houston this year), or a one loss team to a team from a power conference in the same division (like Alabama this year)... whoever.  We will use the rankings, top 3 teams that aren't Conference Champions are in.  I don't even care which ranking system we use.  We can use the current BCS rankings if they want to.

That is a field of 8.  5 Automatic Qualifiers and the top 3 "At Large" teams.

Round One of the playoffs will occur the week after Conference Championship Game week.   This will be seeded 1-8 by their ranking.  Seeds 1-4 will host... seeds 5-8 will play on the road.  Typical seeding would be used 1vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5.

Round 2 of the Playoffs would be the Semifinals and Bowl Week.  Depending on the winners of the first round... You could have Orange and Fiesta be the semi-finals one year, and Rose and Sugar the next year... or however you want to do it... say a Big 10 and Pac 12 team are matched up for the Semi's that would be the Rose Bowl.  Each of the Bowls would still get a quality (think top 8 in the country) team to play in their game, and two of the games would be semi-finals for the national championship game.

Round 3 would include the two winners of the Semifinals, and would be played one week following the bowl games, for a true National Championship Game.  It would be played during the same week

In one stroke of genius, you've included everything, a true playoff system, the bowl games, and the regular season still counts.

For those people who cry out about "extending the season" or other such nonsense... For 8 teams, you would extend the season by ONE GAME.  And two teams would play two extra games.  That's it.

It could work.  It doesn't cheapen the bowls.  Are the bowls cheapened now?  In fact, with two of the Bowls being National Semifinals, it actually increases the importance of the Bowls.  Currently none of the teams playing in the Orange, Rose, Sugar, or Fiesta Bowl are contenders for the national championship.  This would change that.

I'm not saying it's perfect.  Maybe you want to hold the Round One two weeks after the Conference Championships so things are a bit more spread out.  Whatever, that's fine.  And I know, people will say.. .but, but, but what about the 9th best team, etc...  It's not basketball.  We're not going to be able to have a field of 64 or 68, the line has to be drawn somewhere.  In my opinion, this does the best job of covering all the bases needed.

Bloggity, Bloggity, Blog

What do you do when you have a blog, and opinions on everything, but really have nothing to say?

Like the NBA Lockout...  I'm really unconcerned.  Maybe that should be the message to Mr. Stern and his owners.  WE DON'T CARE.  And this is coming from a recent convert from "NCAA Basketball is the best" to "the NBA is better".  The NBA has too many games anyway.

The BCS mess.  I used to have a solution for this.  Before all the conferences went crazy.  Now, I don't have any idea what to think until all this conference swapping stuff settles down.  I do think the fact that they don't have a playoff is asinine.  Dear NCAA Conferences... figure it out.  Get yourselves together in a room, and come up with a plan.  Then, come up with a playoff system.

The World Series.  I hope the Rangers win. For the following reasons:
1.  I'm a Cubs fan, and the Cardinals are the Cub's main rival.
-although it's not much of a Rivalry, the Cardinals OWN the Cubs.
-I'm not that dedicated a Cubs fan, or baseball fan for that matter.  I lost interest about mid-June the past two seasons.
2.  For Ron Washington and Josh Hamilton.  Not because I am or was an addict.  But because that's simply an uplifting story.  I tip my cap to anyone who has overcome addiction and take their place on the highest level of their profession.
Otherwise, I really don't care.  In fact, the Cards could win the whole thing, and I'd probably be over it by the time I shrugged and said... "Hmm".

Maybe I should get upset and rage against something, like the lunatics on fan message boards, but I really don't have the emotion.  There are some very messed up people out there whose priorities are completely out of whack.  Personally, I think if you're that upset because a coach/player/gm/referee did something you didn't like....  You should really get a grip.

The Republican Presidential Nomination?  I'm not impressed with any of them.  I did like Jon Huntsman, but he's about in dead last place.  I do think Rick Perry comes across as not very smart.  Notice I didn't say he wasn't smart...just he appears that way.  He's probably smarter than me, OK?

Occupy Wall Street?  I guess it's kinda cool.  I like the idea of "taking it to the streets".  But why are they doing it?  Because big, mean, businesses do big, mean, things?  Ok.  I get it.

I like Google+ better than "the facebook".  But no one is switching.

I'm sort of excited to see Beavis and Butthead return.  But then again, I won't be too upset if I miss an episode or two. 

Did you see this year's ESPY's Arthur Ashe Award Winner - Dewey Bozella?  You should watch it.