Proposed Division I-A National Playoffs (by me...haha)

I think the I-AA playoffs are the example of what I-A wants and needs. ESPN and ABC should put some emphasis on these smaller schools to show the NCAA that the BCS should go to some sort of playoff format.

I personally believe eight teams is not enough to put in a tournament for the national championship. Because there are more than 8 conferences in Division I-A. The conference champions should be given an automatic berth into the BCS regardless of ranking. But as far as At-large teams go, BCS ranking should count to get the best teams in. This playoff would also use the same ranking system as I-AA uses.

ESPN came up with the best way to have these games, as all games would be at neutral sites. Not only to have the traditional bowl game for the teams that did not qualify for the I-A Playoffs, but to also use the bowl game sites for the national playoffs. Also use the nearest bowl site for the higher seed for a sort-of "home game". Kinda looks like this....

(Im using who I think will be the champions of each conference and the at-large teams I would pick, and also seeded the teams by the current BCS Standings. Also will avoid same conference matchups in the first round.)

Conference Champions
---------------------------------
ACC: Virginia Tech (5)
Big East: West Virginia (11)
Big Ten: Penn State (3)
Big XII: Texas (2)
Conference USA: Central Florida (14)
MAC: Akron (15)
Mountain West: Texas Christian (12)
Pac-10: Southern California (1)
SEC: Louisiana State (4)
Sun Belt: Arkansas State (16)
WAC: Boise State (13)

At-Large Teams (Top 5 non-conference champion teams)
----------------------------------------------------------
Ohio State (6)
Notre Dame (8)
Oregon (7)
Miami, FL (9)
Auburn (10)

First Round Games:
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At San Diego (Holiday Bowl):
(16) Arkansas State
(1) Southern California

At Nashville, TN (Music City Bowl):
(9) Miami, FL
(8) Notre Dame

At Charlotte, NC (Tire Bowl):
(12) Texas Christian
(5) Virginia Tech

At Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl):
(13) Boise State
(4) Louisiana State

At Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl):
(14) Central Florida
(3) Penn State

At Detroit, MI (Motor City Bowl):
(11) West Virginia
(6) Ohio State

At San Francisco, CA (Emerald Bowl):
(10) Auburn
(7) Oregon

At San Antonio, TX (Alamo Bowl):
(15) Akron
(2) Texas

Quarterfinal Games:
-----------------------------------------
At Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl):
(8) Notre Dame (Revenge!)
(1) Southern California

At Houston, TX (Houston Bowl):
(5) Virginia Tech
(4) Louisiana State

At Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl):
(11) West Virginia
(3) Penn State

At Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl):
(10) Auburn
(2) Texas

Semifinal Games:
------------------------------------------
At Atlanta, GA (Sugar Bowl, relocated):
(8) Notre Dame
(4) Louisiana State

At Miami, FL (Orange Bowl):
(3) Penn State
(2) Texas

NCAA Division I-A Championship Game:
--------------------------------------------------------------
At Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl):
(4) Louisiana State
(2) Texas.....NATIONAL CHAMPION

So guys it can be done. Let's just take example of the "inferior" I-AA teams. :-D

 

Just use the BCS as a playoff nominating system. Really what it is now, it's just a two team playoff. That way we don't have to suject people to Penn State at Central Florida.

 

We don't need a playoff system. The idea that they actually result in the best team winning is absolute nonsense anyway. It took 60+ years for the NCAA tournament to actually match up the #1 and #2 teams in basketball, and given that football is so much a matter of match-ups, you'd almost be guaranteed not to get the best team as champion. If anything, college football ought to go back to the pre-BCS bowl system.

 

Bowl games as they are, +ONE if need be??

 

Well, their is always someone who gets screwed. Or feels so.

BCS worked this year. Gave everybody the clear 1 and 2.

 

We need a playoff system because the American collegiate football fan is sick and tired that a computer and a media representative are telling them that one team is better than another. Which is complete bullshit. I'd rather see teams EARN the national championship on the field than have the title placed on them.

So we got #1 vs #2...BIG DEAL. What about teams like Auburn and Utah last year that were among the best in the nation but played meaningless bowl games because the media and a damn computer said they weren't good enough! Hell, one of those two would have given USC a better matchup than Oklahoma did! What would it have been like if Auburn and Utah been in a playoff with USC and Oklahoma? Most likely you would have seen USC and Auburn slugging it out with honor, with the winner EARNING the National Championship instead of a computer handing it over.

SCREW THE BULLSHIT CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, BRING ON THE PLAYOFFS!

 

1...2 POWWWWWWWW

yep!!!!

 

I am with you on this one but alas, D1A football is all about cash and the powers that be are not about to relinquish that in order to "do the right thing."

 

It would take too long to have a true playoff with all the conference champs and then you gotta consider conferences like the B12 with two divisions plus the at-large selections.
I tried to lay something out a few years ago that used the existing bowl games as the playoffs including all of the top 25 plus any unranked conference champs (which shouldn't happen, but too often does) and it looked OK on paper, but your talking about games starting the second week of Dec and running through mid Jan.
Even something like having the top 10 ina playoff would suffice, IMO...but alas, it will never happen. Too many bean counters involved.

 

What I proposed would begin the week after the conference championships (If it was now, it would be not this sat, but the next Sat). With four weeks worth of games, they would end with the finals around the first week of the new year, or the current end to the bowl games.