Vote: Bama or tOSU for the last CFB Playoff Spot?

[Tugg Speedman]

I assume the first three spots are locked

Clemson
Georgia
Oklahoma

So the fourth spot is the only one in question.

Who gets it?

I voted Alabama.  The committee has a history of screwing over conference champions.  Ask the Big 12.

[PVMagic]

Full disclosure, Buckeye fan.

3 top 15 wins (vs zero), conference champ.  I think Auburn being handled today helps OSU as well (Alabama essentially becomes the #3 team in the SEC).  Alabama compares to OSU in 2015 (not 2016), who was widely considered a top 3 team, but didn't exactly kill it in the regular season and lost the one game they needed to win.

Of course, maybe they will just burn it down and throw in UCF.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Full disclosure, Buckeye fan.

3 top 15 wins (vs zero), conference champ.  I think Auburn being handled today helps OSU as well (Alabama essentially becomes the #3 team in the SEC).  Alabama compares to OSU in 2015 (not 2016), who was widely considered a top 3 team, but didn't exactly kill it in the regular season and lost the one game they needed to win.

Of course, maybe they will just burn it down and throw in UCF.

LOL. Should be OSU, will probably be Alabama.

[GGGG]

This is interesting. I think Alabama would win face to face. But I think OSU has the better track record this year. Alabama really hasn’t beaten anyone. 

[GooooMarquette]

This is interesting. I think Alabama would win face to face. But I think OSU has the better track record this year. Alabama really hasn’t beaten anyone.

This.

I picked tOSU because they deserve it based on their track record, but nothing the committee does will surprise me.

[MU82]

There might be some years in which the "wrong" choice would be a "severe miscarriage of justice."

Whether OSU or Bama is chosen, that will not be the case this year. Even USC has about as good an argument as either of them - and that's kind of who I'd like to see because it would get the most undies in a bundle!

[GGGG]

Alabama it is.  Versus Clemson in the semifinals.  I'm sure Dabo is thrilled with that.

[Pakuni]

This is interesting. I think Alabama would win face to face. But I think OSU has the better track record this year. Alabama really hasn’t beaten anyone.

On the flipside, Alabama didn't lose by 30 to an unranked team. Guess that mattered more.
In all fairness, Bama (and every other team) can only do so much about their schedule. They opened the season against the #3 team in the country. They couldn't have known FSU would lose their Heisman candidate QB in that game and become a dumpster fire.

[Dr. Blackheart]

It seems like the PAC and B1G get edged out more often than not. Mostly because the SEC have better football. But, this alliance is all about money for the Power 5. How long until the playoffs expand?

[Mr. Nielsen]

Jim Delany is on line one.

[Pakuni]

It seems like the PAC and B1G get edged out more often than not. Mostly because the SEC have better football. But, this alliance is all about money for the Power 5. How long until the playoffs expand?

I think they'll eventually go eight.
That said, a B1G team was selected for each of the previous three playoffs.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Two years in a row the B1G Title Game winner didn't make the playoff.

[Tugg Speedman]

It seems like the PAC and B1G get edged out more often than not. Mostly because the SEC have better football. But, this alliance is all about money for the Power 5. How long until the playoffs expand?

Expand to eight, the five power conference champs and three at-large bids.

This way everyone of the 65 power five conference schools have a guaranteed path to the playoffs ... win your conference and you are in.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Funny, the Rose Bowl host the playoff this year. So, no Pac-12 vs Big Ten match up. Plus, both leagues don't even make the playoff. The Rose Bowl would love a USC vs Ohio State game.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Expand to eight, the five power conference champs and three at-large bids.

This way everyone of the 65 power five conference schools have a guaranteed path to the playoffs ... win your conference and you are in.

This makes sense...I think good for TV ratings too.  The weird alliance of bowl hierarchies will be tough to untangle, though.

[GGGG]

Funny, the Rose Bowl host the playoff this year. So, no Pac-12 vs Big Ten match up. Plus, both leagues don't even make the playoff. The Rose Bowl would love a USC vs Ohio State game.

Georgia / Oklahoma is going to draw huge crowds to Pasadena.

 

[GGGG]

This makes sense...I think good for TV ratings too.  The weird alliance of bowl hierarchies will be tough to untangle, though.

So how do you do this?  Campus sites for the first round this weekend?  Does Army v Navy no longer get its own weekend?  Do the quarterfinal losers go to bowls? 

[GGGG]

Saw another idea on Twitter.

Six teams. 1 and 2 get byes. Power 5 champs and a wild card. Two games on campus sites. Winners to semis. Losers to other bowl games.

[Tugg Speedman]

So how do you do this?  Campus sites for the first round this weekend?  Does Army v Navy no longer get its own weekend?  Do the quarterfinal losers go to bowls?

Quarterfinals around Dec 20.  So about a month/three weeks to prepare.  Lesser bowls can bid to host these games.  Need four, most likely spread out a geographically.

Semis are new years day (like now).  Major bowls bid, like now.

Championship around Jan 10, (like now).

[Mr. Nielsen]

Georgia / Oklahoma is going to draw huge crowds to Pasadena.

It will. The Rose Bowl loves it's traditional match up. Helps that Georgia fans are willing to make the trip, as if they win, the title game will be zero travel.

[#UnleashSean]

Saw another idea on Twitter.

Six teams. 1 and 2 get byes. Power 5 champs and a wild card. Two games on campus sites. Winners to semis. Losers to other bowl games.

Why not just 8 teams?

[MU82]

Campus sites in mid- to late-December ... hmmm.

Could be fun in Big 14 spots like Ann Arbor, Columbus, East Lansing, Evanston, etc. Or really fun if the Gophers ever have a lucky year.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Why not just 8 teams?

Maybe. That is tough asking kids to play 16 games if they reach the finals.

[Tugg Speedman]

Maybe. That is tough asking kids to play 16 games if they reach the finals.

Don't FCS, D2 and D3 do exactly this?

[GGGG]

Don't FCS, D2 and D3 do exactly this?

Their regular seasons are shorter.

[Lennys Tap]

According to the oddsmaker, #4 seed Alabama has the best chance to win it all at 35%.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Expand to eight, the five power conference champs and three at-large bids.

This way everyone of the 65 power five conference schools have a guaranteed path to the playoffs ... win your conference and you are in.

Agreed with one amendment.  If a non power 5 goes undefeated and is ranked at least 15th (made up number put it wherever you think makes sense)  they get an auto bid too. Cinderellas are good for the sport

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Get rid of conference championships. Use the extra week to expand the playoffs. Make campus sites host the first round.  Easy peasy

[wadesworld]

Get rid of conference championships. Use the extra week to expand the playoffs. Make campus sites host the first round.  Easy peasy

Agreed with one amendment.  If a non power 5 goes undefeated and is ranked at least 15th (made up number put it wherever you think makes sense)  they get an auto bid too. Cinderellas are good for the sport

So you agree with expanding to 8 and giving the power conference champions an auto-bid, but then want to get rid of conference championships?  How are you going to determine conference champions then?

Some conferences have divisions.  Almost no conferences have round robin schedules.  You kind of need a conference championship these days to determine your conference champion.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I would get rid of divisions personally.  Even if you didn't you can put in a series of tiebreakers to determine conference champs

[Tugg Speedman]

Agreed with one amendment.  If a non power 5 goes undefeated and is ranked at least 15th (made up number put it wherever you think makes sense)  they get an auto bid too. Cinderellas are good for the sport

That is what we have the selection committee for. 

Even if we have the five auto-bids, still need the selection committee to seed and pick the three at-large bids.

[wadesworld]

I would get rid of divisions personally.  Even if you didn't you can put in a series of tiebreakers to determine conference champs

I guess my point is that if you do get rid of divisions you still can't possibly play each team in your conference if you're the B1G and you have 14 (I think that's what they're at now?) teams.  So let's just say they did get rid of divisions and UW ends up with the schedule they had this past season.  They then don't have to play the B1G title game and represent the B1G in the CFP, but they didn't even have to play PSU, MSU, or OSU, the 3 best teams (aside from them) in the B1G.  I think with the size of conferences these days making it impossible to play each team and thus creating uneven scheduling, you need a conference title game to determine your conference champion.

You could try to cut the conference season by one or maybe take out 1 non-conference matchup and have the conference title game a week earlier if you start the CFP earlier.  Or you could have less time between the conference title game and the CFP beginning.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I guess my point is that if you do get rid of divisions you still can't possibly play each team in your conference if you're the B1G and you have 14 (I think that's what they're at now?) teams.  So let's just say they did get rid of divisions and UW ends up with the schedule they had this past season.  They then don't have to play the B1G title game and represent the B1G in the CFP, but they didn't even have to play PSU, MSU, or OSU, the 3 best teams (aside from them) in the B1G.  I think with the size of conferences this day making it impossible to play each team and thus creating uneven scheduling, you need a conference title game to determine your conference champion.

You could try to cut the conference season by one or maybe take out 1 non-conference matchup and have the conference title game a week earlier if you start the CFP earlier.  Or you could have less time between the conference title game and the CFP beginning.

In that situation, with an expanded playoff Wisconsin would get in and Ohio State would likely get in as an at large.