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Get Rid of CCGs and Let the Top 8 Go at It

+5 HS
BeatMeechigun's picture
November 28, 2018 at 10:57am
34 Comments

Get rid of divisions.

Play 9 conference games.

If two teams wind up at 8-1 and haven't played, so be it.  If 4 teams wind up tied at 6-3, so be it.  We had co-champions for 100 years and it wasn't awful.

There is NO reason Pitt (7-5) and NW (8-4) should be playing in a post-season weekend when we could have:

5) OU at 4) UGA

6) OSU at 3) ND

7) Washington at 2) Clemson

8) UCF at 1) Bama

I hate the idea of an 8-team playoff if CCGs exist - too many CCG losers would make the playoffs and too often CCG favorites  (Auburn 2017 for example) are faced with a must-win while a division runner-up (2017 Alabama) sits at home with a chance to jump them.  But if we scrap the CCGs the 8-team playoff looks amazing.

2017: 8) OSU at 1) Clemson, 7) Miami at 2) Auburn, 6) UGA at 3) OU, and 5) Bama at 4) Wisconsin

If all P5 conferences need represented then USC is in at 8 and OSU is out.  I don't love Wisconsin in over OSU, but I'd still take this scenario most years as OSU would have been in every other year.

2016: 8) Colorado at 1) Bama, 7) PSU at 2) Ohio State, 6) Wisconsin at 3) Clemson, 5) Michigan at 4) Washington

If all P5 conferences need represented then OU is in at 8 and Colorado is out.  I don't love rematch scenarios, but I like it better than debating whether 1-loss OSU deserves in or a 2-loss PSU team that beat them head-to-head.

2015: 8) ND at 1) Clemson, 7) Stanford at 2) Bama, 6) Ohio State at 3) OU, 5) MSU at 4) Iowa

2014: 8) MSU at 1) Bama, 7) Arizona at 2) Oregon, 6) Baylor at 3) TCU, 5) Ohio State at 4) FSU

Not a fan at all of these two rematch scenarios, but I'd argue the 2014 Dec 2 CFP rankings were a cluster.  TCU, OSU, and Baylor could have been 4, 5, and 6, very easily with 12-0 FSU at 3.  So Baylor at FSU and OSU at TCU.

Just for fun, some pre-CFP years the Bucks would have been represented based on pre-CCG AP polls:

2013: 8) S. Carolina at 1) FSU, 7) Stanford at 2) Ohio State, 6) Ok State at 3) Auburn, 5) Mizzou at 4) Bama

MSU and Baylor both get shafted here, but I also think there was some serious bias placing the 10-2 Gamecocks ahead of the 11-1 Spartans who only lost at ND by 4.

2010: 8) Arkansas at 1) Oregon, 7) MSU at 2) Auburn, 6) Ohio State at 3) TCU, 5) Stanford at 4) Wisconsin

With all P5 represented, VT would take the place of 8) Arkansas

2009: 8) OSU at 1) Florida, 7) Oregon at 2) Bama, 6) Boise State at 3) Texas, 5) Cincinnati at 4) TCU

Really odd year with TCU, Cincy, and Boise all running the table.  To get the ACC in and keep the Big Ten represented, 6) Boise despite being 12-0 would have been out which is a shame, especially as the Broncos beat TCU in the bowl, 17-10.  But that would have meant 8) GT at 1) UF, 7) OSU at 2) Bama and 6) Oregon at 3) Texas. 

2007: 8) USC at 1) Mizzou, 7) Kansas at 2) WVU, 6) VT at 3) Ohio State, 5) LSU at 4) UGA (these were the two top SEC teams and actually never met in 2007 as Tenn made the CCG)

2006: 8) Arkansas at 1) Ohio State, 7) Wisconsin at 2) USC, 6) L'ville at 3) Michigan, 5) LSU at 4) Florida in a rematch.  VT in at 8 over Arky if we got for all P5 as L'ville was not yet in the ACC.

2005: 8) Oregon at 1) USC, 7) ND at 2) Texas, 6) Ohio State at 3) LSU, 5) VT at 4) PSU - one PAC rematch.

2003: 8) Ohio State at 1) OU, 7) Tenn at 2) USC, 6) Texas at 3) LSU, 5) UGA at 4) Michigan.  9) FSU jumps 8) OSU if all 5 P5 conferences are accounted for.

2002: 8) K-State at 1) The U, 7) ND at 2) Ohio State, 6) USC at 3) OU, 5) UGA at 4) Iowa.

1998: 8) Wisconsin at 1) Tenn, 7) Florida at 2) K-State, 6) Arizona at 3) UCLA, 5) Ohio State at 4) FSU

1997: 8) UNC at 1) Michigan, 7) Florida at 2) Nebraska, 6) UCLA at 3) Tenn, 5) FSU at 4) PSU.  The Bucks just miss out at 9).

1996: 8) PSU at 1) Florida, 7) BYU at 2) FSU, 6) Ohio State at 3) Arizona State, 5) Colorado at 4) Nebraska.  I hate the CU-Nebraska rematch, but love seeing these top 6 teams.

1995: 8) FSU at 1) Nebraska, 7) Colorado at 2) Florida, 6) ND at 3) Northwestern, 5) Ohio State at 4) Tennessee

Bucks were actually 11) in 1993 after the bad loss.

1979: 8) Houston at 1) Ohio State, 7) Nebraska at 2) Bama, 6) Arkansas at 3) USC, 5) OU at 4) FSU

1975: 8) PSU at 1) Ohio State, 7) Az State at 2) A&M, 6) Nebraska at 3) OU, 5) Michigan at 4) Bama (don't love the Nebraska-OU rematch a week after they played..)

1974: 8) Nebraska at 1) OU, 7) PSU at 2) Alabama, 6) Auburn at 3) Ohio State, 5) USC at 4) Michigan (again, don't love the Nebraska-OU rematch a week after they play - likely that 9-2 ND would get in over 8-3 Nebraska though in retrospect).

1973: 8) Texas at 1) Bama, 7) USC at 2) OU, 6) PSU at 3) ND, 5) Michigan at 3) Ohio State. (I don't like the rematches, but in this case, that tie turns into an 8-quarter home-and-home football game)

1972: 8) Michigan at 1) USC, 7) Texas at 2) OU, 6) Auburn at 3) Ohio State, 5) PSU at 4) Bama (again, don't like the Texas-OU rematch)

1970: 8) AZ State at 1) Texas, 7) Michigan at 2) Ohio State, 6) ND at 3) Nebraska, 5) LSU at 4) Tenn.   Those two best teams in the SEC never met so that one's new, but I don't like the OSU-UM rematch a week later.

1969: 8) LSU at 1) Texas, 7) Michigan at 2) PSU, 6) Mizzou at 3) Arkansas, 5) USC at 4) Ohio State

1968: 8) Tenn at 1) Ohio State, 7) ND at 2) USC, 6) Kansas at 3) PSU, 5) Texas at 4) UGA. (I don't like the ND-USC rematch a week later, but it was a tie, so that one now goes 8 quarters).

 

Overall, I love these scenarios save for the rematches in round 1.  I have no issues with swapping a 6 and 7 seed, etc. so long as home field scenarios are preserved to avoid those.  I'm guessing Ohio State's titles in 1968 and 2002 might have been tougher, but the Bucks probably pick up some others.  In some scenarios SEC teams are coming North and PAC 12 teams have to come East.  Play these on campus the first or second week of November, then place the 4 champions in the bowls as we do now.

(Mod Edit: moved to the College Sports Forum.)

 

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