CFP Expansion

[Lobot]

Big Ten Commish Jim Delany just went on record being interested in discussing Playoff expansion to 8 teams. Maybe we'll get here eventually.

[MI Bearcat]

Of course he did. The Big Ten didn't make it in this year so time to discuss expansion.

[London 'Cat]

I say leave it at four teams. There was some discussion this weekend on tv about FCS and the number of teams that make the playoffs. The argument was how it’s right for FCS, and how only the top four teams have won the playoffs. There is no need to expand since the top four teams are the only ones that matter for the championship. If you expand to 8, for example, then 9 and 10 will complain about being left out and will want to expand further. We have a system that albeit is not perfect, it rewards teams for their dominance throughout the season. You lose a game to an inferior team then you don’t belong in the playoffs.

[Lobot]

I'm in favor of 8 simply because it would ,or at least should, give the best G5 team a spot in the playoffs. Even if it's only one spot, it's better than the current system which essentially guarantees zero chance due to schedule strength. Honestly If they don't expand it eventually, one of the conferences, likely ours, is going to sue the CFP for collusion.

What the Florida AD said in reference to UCF this week smacks of an unwritten agreement to not schedule G5 teams on the road or neutral site.

[London 'Cat]

I'm in favor of 8 simply because it would ,or at least should, give the best G5 team a spot in the playoffs. Even if it's only one spot, it's better than the current system which essentially guarantees zero chance due to schedule strength. Honestly If they don't expand it eventually, one of the conferences, likely ours, is going to sue the CFP for collusion.

What the Florida AD said in reference to UCF this week smacks of an unwritten agreement to not schedule G5 teams on the road or neutral site.

The P5 holds all the cards in the selection process. If the playoffs expand to 8 teams, then they will just rank G5 teams lower to start the season to make it more difficult to ascend up the playoff standings. The G5 conference have absolutely no leverage in the fight.

[Lobot]

The P5 holds all the cards in the selection process. If the playoffs expand to 8 teams, then they will just rank G5 teams lower to start the season to make it more difficult to ascend up the playoff standings. The G5 conference have absolutely no leverage in the fight.

I agree with you.mostly but I think what leverage the G5 does have is threat of antitrust proceedings.

The dumb thing is they've managed to create a system with more human bias than the system it replaced. The committee input is very subjective and the process is not transparent. For all it's flaws, the BCS was a better system than this. For me a move to an an 8 team CFP would alleviate a lot of that.

We've now got 2 P5 commisioners crying foul because they keep getting left out.

[Gilenerm]

Expanding it to 8 teams is the right move for our conference and the G5 as a whole. Most likely, our conference would benefit because the highest ranked team from our conference would possibly be ranked high enough to make the playoff. Then, you could recruit with the pretense that you could possibly play for the National Championship. Right now, you can't in a G5 conference. Even if the top 4 are the ones that advance every year, it still gives that Cinderella chance that every team not named Alabama hopes for. You can recruit on that

London Cat mentioned that they would just start voting us lower at the beginning of the season. However, the only voting for this comes from the playoff committee midway through the season. If he is referring to the top 25 polls, then the G5 coaches also vote in the coaches poll, not just the P5. And the AP is writers from all media markets, not just the P5. So, I disagree that it would have any bearing on the outcome of our posturing to get into the expanded playoff.

[made_hand]

I know this has been discussed before (and it seems like the trend thus far) but you should have to win your conference to be in the playoffs.
Conference champs of the 5, Highest ranked conference champ from the non-conferences, and two alternates. **** I would even be happy if there was a play in game between the top two non power 5 conferences during the army-navy game weekend. Defacto additional bowl game and rating boost. Use the revenue from that game and share it with the non-5 conferences as a whole - equal split. (to fund the future antitrust case)