16 team playoff is SMU's only hope

[fan]

A 16 team football playoff is the only way a school like SMU is going to remain in D-1.

Here's what needs to happen. The NCAA needs to sanction a football playoff taking the winners of the 11 D-1 football playing conferences. Then, just like for the hoops tourney, a committee would select 5 at large schools. The schools that go farther into the tournament get more money. (just like the hoops tourney). Therefore the power conferences would probably end up with the most money but at least a smaller school like SMU (or Tulane or BYU or TCU, etc.) would not be left out completely by going undefeated in the regular season as certainly would happen in the current system.

This needs to be initiated by the university presidents so I think all of us interested in SMU's football future should send a letter to Dr. Turner supporting this idea.

[This message has been edited by fan (edited 06-30-2003).]

[This message has been edited by fan (edited 06-30-2003).]

[Sam I Am]

I love the idea of a 16 team playoff but I'll bet that it starts out with only 8 teams and then expands later.

[MustangKurt20]

There is something about your post which lacks the ability to impliment. COMMON SENSE! As much as it makes total sense I just don't see the BCS schools releasing their stranglehold on college football.

[fan]

This has nothing to do with the BCS and everything to do with the NCAA. The NCAA does not sanction a football championship. If the NCAA steps up and begins this process then the BCS is dead. The universtiy presidents have been reluctant to go to a playoff format in the past because the "stakes get too high". They like the current bowl system because with 20+ bowls there are lots of "winners". I think that with the current atmosphere at the conference level that more that half of the university presidents at the 1-A level would support this system. (64 teams in the "power conferences" including the leftovers from the Big Least but I'd bet half of those would now be in favor of a playoff)

Again, it's time we write letters to Turner.

[MustangKurt20]

Don't get me wrong your plan makes absolute complete sense. But will the NCAA actually have the balls to take action against the BCS cartel? Will there ever be a playoff system as long as some D1A teams play 13 regular season games? Personally I think the regular season schedule should be trimmed to 11 for every school. Thoughts?

Kurt

[MrMustang1965]

Look at how the Div.1-AA schools do it. It makes sense...COMMON SENSE!

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[EastStang]

The 1-AA championship is a 16 team tournament. Four rounds. 11 regular season games per year. At the Div 1-A level that means for 103 teams that don't participate giving up one game per year. While some of the bowl game could be utilized as playoff sites, there are seven or so bowl games that would not be involved. They might find that they are more successful because there are more highly rated teams left to play in them.
Lastly, with a 16 team playoff system, do you include all 1-A conference champions or do yo have play-in games. Or do you have some system where all conference champions who are rated in the Top 30 are automatic invites. It won't be easy.

[Greenwich Pony]

Actually, with a 16 team I-A tournament, it is pretty easy. 11 Conference champions and 5 at-large bids. The field of 64(5) basically works that way for basketball, giving everyone in theory a shot at the title, though in practice, the smaller conference consider it a victory to get to the second round or the sweet 16. And the television rights $$ to a tourney would be huge.

[OldPony]

Actually a 32 team playoff would make sense and give almost all of the bowls a jump start. If the regualr season was reduced to 10 games, only 8 teams would play more games than now. The season would be over sooner than for all but maybe 4. The vast majority of schools would play less. This would kill conference playoffs though. How big would the money be for this system compared to thed current? It would dwarf it.

[fan]

Not sure you could get everyone to agree on only 10 regular season games. 32 team playoff seems too big to me.

[fan]

Again, see the Washington Post article in another thread. The NCAA MUST HAVE A FOOTBALL PLAYOFF!!

Also, TCU's position as represented in the DMN article this morning makes me laugh. If schools like Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt and West Viginia (who won a national championship only a few years ago) are potentially being left out of the BCS mix where does TCU think it fits in?

In fact, the best thing for TCU to do would be to support a football playoff and then get in to a conference like the WAC. If they're really that good then they could win the conference championship and go to the playoffs every year!!

[This message has been edited by fan (edited 07-06-2003).]

[Charleston Pony]

The 16 team layoff works for I-AA, so why not for I-A? In order to appease the current BCS group, which rightfully deserves the most representation in any playoff scheme, you could award automatic bids to the champions from any league fielding 11 or more teams. This would force the Big East and the non-BCS conferences to put together 11-14 member conferences that make sense geographically.

I would expect the 11 current I-A conferences would be reduced to 9-10, depending on how many schools fail to meet the I-A requirements. It would also allow some of the far flung conferences to form more regional divisions. You ultimately have inclusion for everyone, with Notre Dame and the current BCS conferences filling out the field with wild-card spots.

Part of the NCAA bball tourney's success is that EVERYONE is included and you play down to a true national champion. The average fan loves those 1st round David vs Goliath match-ups, and you'd have the same with Boise St taking on Florida in a 1st round game in football. It would also add interest to "championship week" when each of the conferences played championship games (like the bball tourneys) to determine who represents the various conferences in the championship tournament.

I think it's inevitable that I-A will eventually realize that I-AA has been doing this right for years.