TCU and Baylor out! Ohio State in!

Just want to throw this out there:

Let's imagine that Baylor and TCU are exactly the same strength teams. On a neutral field they'd play to a tie. What would happen if you moved the game to Baylor or TCU's home field? The home team would win of course. Home field advantage is well documented. This website says it's worth 3.5 pts per game:

http://www.cfbtn.com/2009/08/myth-of-home-field-advantage.html

SO, Baylor's whole argument that it was the better team because it beat TCU straight up by 3 points doesn't really fly. We know Baylor was better on its home field, but we don't know for sure which is the better team on a neutral field. If we go to secondary evidence, the Baylor loss to West Virginia (a team that finished 7-5) is clearly worse that TCU's loss to a top-6 team by 3 points on it's home field.

Anyway, this got me thinking. Since losses are the thing that disqualify you from the playoffs, and it is harder to win on the road, is it worth it for any team to schedule a good non-conference opponent on the road? You're basically starting the game down 3.5 points, and then if you lose people forget about the context of the loss and just see "L".

Yes, you'll have to play some tough road conference games each year, but if you want to play any decent non-conference opponents, you should definitely invite them to your house. You might end up getting a quality "W" where people forget the context of your advantage.

Sweet 16 wrote:

Another necessary change is to limit the cupcakes. A team can only schedule one FCS team per year, if they want to be considered for the final 16. Schedule more than one cupcake, then that team is out of contention.

They already do that. Which FBS team is playing more than 1 FCS school?

Alabama had 4 OOC games:

West Virginia (FBS Big 12)

FAU (FBS, Conf USA)

Southern Miss (FBS, Conf USA)

Western Carolina (FCS, Southern)

Try to keep up.

Conf USA = FBS . . . LOL

The $EC has to play someone legit. Conf USA it is then.... ROFLOL

Herbstreit and the selection show were too supportive of Ohio State in the selection show. Jesse Palmer (believe it or not) had the most valid argument of anyone on the show, stating that "Oklahoma State; a mid range big 12 team would have won the Big ten west" which is honestly a fair argument. Heck, even Iowa State the worst team in the big 12 beat Iowa, a mid range big ten team, even when they didn't play fully to their potential.

The timing of the schedules also burnt the big 12. TCU and Baylor burned through almost all of their games in dominating fashion averaging wins by upwards of twenty point, while Ohio State averaged less than that against undoubtedly lesser competition. Yes, not having a championship game hurt the big 12, as ESPN reporters continually smashed into our faces. But the big 12 vied multiple times for a championship game, while being turned down each time.

Ultimately, it was bias and money which did TCU and Baylor in, while elements such as non-conference strength of schedule, ended up doing them in.

Is this thread really questioning Alabama being included on the playoffs? Hard to criticize the four teams selected.

I think TCU, though, should demand to know why they are worse than FSU this week after being ahead of them last week. Nothing on the field would suggest that.

Some comments are questioning the legitimacy of some conferences scheduling too many "easy" wins, almost always at home, against very weak teams. A legit playoff format would helps prevent that from happening: one cupcake max, no conference championships, must play on another team's home turf.

The SEC is of course the biggest abuser of easy teams played at home. But, no conference championships, plus one fewer game (11 was suggested), should appease the SEC. The SEC champion plays 13 games. If they play two games in the finals that makes 15 games total. Play 11 games plus a possible 4 games in a 16 team championship that makes 15 games total.

I would make it an 8-team playoff every year.

The 5 major conference winners get an auto-bid:

Alabama, Florida St, Oregon, Baylor, Ohio St

The best non-major conference champion gets an auto-bid:

Boise St

2 At-Large teams from any conference:

TCU, Mississippi St.

1. The committee (finally) got it right. These are the four best teams.

2. Four is the perfect number for a college playoff.

Either TCU or Baylor might have beaten Bama which would have ruined the national audience for the final when people are back working again. They will make the most money with Bama/Oregon so they picked a Big 10 sacrifice to face them instead.

1) the guy above me is correct, no need for 8 teams.

2) to the guy above him, Baylor isn't big 12 champ. They are co-champs with TCU. Big 12 doesn't use h2h to break the tie, they just split as co champs

16 is the best number. 8 with 5+1 guarantee teams leaves only two other spots to battle for. That is not enough.

hansel960 wrote:

I would make it an 8-team playoff every year.

The 5 major conference winners get an auto-bid:

Alabama, Florida St, Oregon, Baylor, Ohio St

The best non-major conference champion gets an auto-bid:

Boise St

2 At-Large teams from any conference:

TCU, Mississippi St.

I like the idea, except people would scream if you have say an 8-4 conf champion. That could've been FSU this year if they had lost to Notre Dame, Florida, and Oklahoma St OOC. Like it or not, FSU played the only legit OOC schedule. Because of this, teams would all play cupcake OOC schedules.

1. The guy above the guy above me is right.

2. Smegma.

Dial it up wrote:

2) to the guy above him, Baylor isn't big 12 champ. They are co-champs with TCU. Big 12 doesn't use h2h to break the tie, they just split as co champs

Huh? Why is that significant?

It's ONLY in the Big 12 that *every* school plays *every* other school in the conference. You don't evade anyone, which makes a conference title game unnecessary since every one played everyone else on the field. If you have co-champions, they already met head to head. A conference title game would always be redundant, either neutralizing the previous contest or just reaffirming what was already decided.

And every Big 12 team plays NINE conference games in the regular season. The SEC and Big 10 play only eight and then a title game, so nine total. How is that any better than what the Big 12 is already doing?

"FSU played the only legit OOC schedule"

The Citadel is legit? Ummmm, if you say so.

Duh Citadel wrote:

"FSU played the only legit OOC schedule"

The Citadel is legit? Ummmm, if you say so.

They played 1 cupcake game out of 4 OCC games. Wow. They're really overdoing it there in Tallahassee with the weak scheduling.

Please list all the Big 5 schools that played fewer cupcake games.

think before you dial wrote:

Dial it up wrote:

2) to the guy above him, Baylor isn't big 12 champ. They are co-champs with TCU. Big 12 doesn't use h2h to break the tie, they just split as co champs

Huh? Why is that significant?

It's ONLY in the Big 12 that *every* school plays *every* other school in the conference. You don't evade anyone, which makes a conference title game unnecessary since every one played everyone else on the field. If you have co-champions, they already met head to head. A conference title game would always be redundant, either neutralizing the previous contest or just reaffirming what was already decided.

And every Big 12 team plays NINE conference games in the regular season. The SEC and Big 10 play only eight and then a title game, so nine total. How is that any better than what the Big 12 is already doing?

I wasn't saying it is all that significant, just correcting the poster saying Baylor is the big 12 champ. However, technically you are wrong. Read the interview with the big 12 chair. He was told that the big 12 was punished for not having a title game. The big 12 is now looking for two additional members to add a title game next year.

To those saying we need 8 or more teams....no. There aren't 8 teams with a real shot at a title, hell there aren't even 4. There is SUPPOSE to be debate and discussion on who is in, it's great. With 4 teams it creates a great regular season where every game still matters. Almost more so with all of this TCU Baylor drama. In college basketball the regular season gets horrible ratings because so many teams get in the tourney that the games don't matter until March.

It took a long time to get a 4 team playoff, just enjoy it. It's working out well.

wejo wrote:

Just watched the Ohio State lovefest on ESPN. Never once was it mentioned that Kirk Herbstreit was a quarterback for Ohio State. I don't think the casual fan would know that. .

What about ESPN on a mission to get Tressel fired even suing the university to try and dig up more dirt on him?

What about once they got Tressel fired, one of THEIR EMPLOYEES got the job?

What about ESPN then spending show after show telling how great a coach Meyer is which would clearly persuade the top recruits?

What about the Sugar Bowl being broadcast on THIS SAME ESPN?

Anybody else see any conflicts of interest here?

like the idea wrote:

hansel960 wrote:

I would make it an 8-team playoff every year.

The 5 major conference winners get an auto-bid:

Alabama, Florida St, Oregon, Baylor, Ohio St

The best non-major conference champion gets an auto-bid:

Boise St

2 At-Large teams from any conference:

TCU, Mississippi St.

I like the idea, except people would scream if you have say an 8-4 conf champion. That could've been FSU this year if they had lost to Notre Dame, Florida, and Oklahoma St OOC. Like it or not, FSU played the only legit OOC schedule. Because of this, teams would all play cupcake OOC schedules.

I offer this...

reduce D1 football conferences to 8

(merge the mid majors, big 5 won't go for it I know)

each conference must have 2 divisions

(north south, green blue, A B, whomever whatever)

each division has a champion

(yields a pool of 16)

Conference championship game required

(reduces the field to 8)

Regional quarter final games

(2 games east and 2 games west of the Mississippi River)

Semi finals

(again east coast- west coast split)

Championship game

No freakin' polls needed