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An 8-team playoff (and the unintended consequences as I see them)

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SCarolinaBuckeye's picture
December 1, 2015 at 10:52am
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First, let me start by saying I want an 8-team playoff.  The two years we've have a playoff there have been more deserving teams than have been allowed to participate in the playoff (see TCU, Baylor 2014 and OSU 2015, maybe more after the championships).  I think it will make more money, keep the regular season relevant (the problem I see with 16 teams), and allow for a loss without derailing an entire season (OSU, TCU and Baylor 2014).  It will also normalize most 1-loss teams; why does Alabama benefit from a loss but no one else, and the same argument could be said about OSU last year.

All that being said there are a few problems with an 8-team playoff.  Please add to my list and comment on my thoughts.

1.) It's another competitive game.  That's not a bad thing, but it does mean most teams would need to drop a weak game at the beginning of the season (unless you're the SEC, chickenshit Saturday will always live on).  It's one less opportunity to get your young players some saddle time and for the lower schools to make a huge pay day.

2.) It does make the regular season and going undefeated less valuable.  I believe it to be marginal, but some people will make that argument.

3.) The biggest problem I see is that of the 8 teams to make the playoff, some of them will not have played in their conference championship.  This year teams 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 have conference championship games (anticipated rankings*).  Oklahoma and Ohio State are off.  I'm sure we could have other years where 3 or 4 teams won't be playing this week.  That means the teams that are playing risk injury and even losing.  What about UNC and Stanford who would be in the playoff picture before the championship game and then fall out because they lost.  That would let FSU or ND slip back in because they had a bye.  Would we do away with conference championship games?

Again, I believe an 8-team playoff would be highly beneficial.  But there are some details that would need to be worked out.

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