I try to think of this like the basketball tournament. There are always debates about the last at-large teams being selected, but it's pretty rare that this actually makes a difference as to who is the champion. All of the top teams get in, and of course everyone always has a chance to just win their conference and guarantee a berth.
I try to think of this like the basketball tournament. There are always debates about the last at-large teams being selected, but it's pretty rare that this actually makes a difference as to who is the champion. All of the top teams get in, and of course everyone always has a chance to just win their conference and guarantee a berth.
I suspect the expanded FBS field would probably be seen the same way. Guaranteeing spots to all the top ranked conference champions means a lot, and the extra spot for a mid-major champion means that an undefeated Coastal Carolina or Boise State or whatever would also get their shot.
Definitely has no bearing on the actual champion. I dont think expansion past 4, or hell even 2 teams, really does now. It's just about what extra dollars you'd make and exposure for your program. Just think, one day we can get stomped by Bama on national tv! In basketball it's a big deal for recruiting for those small teams to make the tournament, and with such a big field of teams there is bound to be some entertaining magic. But the physical reality of football also doesn't allow for a dark horse the same way that basketball does.
There's more a "fairness" issue with the current 4-team system, since by its very nature it has to leave out at least one Power 5 conference champ (sometimes more) and will never let in a mid-major team. Under the proposed new system, there is a path for everyone.
Most of the time it's pretty clear that one of the top four teams would definitely win the championship. But still . . . we've seen years where neither of the Top 2 teams advance, or where the 4 seed wins the whole thing, so who's to say someone from 5-12 couldn't pull it off? And yes, I think a knock-on effect of this will be that recruiting wealth can be spread more broadly. The top recruits were increasingly gravitating to the select few programs that are seemingly always in the tournament (Bama, OSU, Clemson), but now more teams could legitimately claim to have a shot at the playoff and attract more recruits.
I try to think of this like the basketball tournament. There are always debates about the last at-large teams being selected, but it's pretty rare that this actually makes a difference as to who is the champion. All of the top teams get in, and of course everyone always has a chance to just win their conference and guarantee a berth.
I suspect the expanded FBS field would probably be seen the same way. Guaranteeing spots to all the top ranked conference champions means a lot, and the extra spot for a mid-major champion means that an undefeated Coastal Carolina or Boise State or whatever would also get their shot.
Whoa,
A game you play at most once a week is entirely different that one you can play every other day.
I don't see the point here.
Definitely has no bearing on the actual champion. I dont think expansion past 4, or hell even 2 teams, really does now. It's just about what extra dollars you'd make and exposure for your program. Just think, one day we can get stomped by Bama on national tv! In basketball it's a big deal for recruiting for those small teams to make the tournament, and with such a big field of teams there is bound to be some entertaining magic. But the physical reality of football also doesn't allow for a dark horse the same way that basketball does.
There's more a "fairness" issue with the current 4-team system, since by its very nature it has to leave out at least one Power 5 conference champ (sometimes more) and will never let in a mid-major team. Under the proposed new system, there is a path for everyone.
Most of the time it's pretty clear that one of the top four teams would definitely win the championship. But still . . . we've seen years where neither of the Top 2 teams advance, or where the 4 seed wins the whole thing, so who's to say someone from 5-12 couldn't pull it off? And yes, I think a knock-on effect of this will be that recruiting wealth can be spread more broadly. The top recruits were increasingly gravitating to the select few programs that are seemingly always in the tournament (Bama, OSU, Clemson), but now more teams could legitimately claim to have a shot at the playoff and attract more recruits.