Dan Wetzel article on a NCAA football playoff

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:48 pm

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug ... &type=lgns

I know, I know. Who T F is Dan Wetzel?

Still a pretty good read. And what say y'all?

I started out opposing the playoff. I loved the traditions of the bowl games. But the BCS has wrecked those traditions. In a decade, they've been trashed. And I see less and less reason to oppose a playoff.

Check the bracket, and it gets you salivating. Gators-VT in the first round, another humbling of OSU in the second, probable rematch with LSU in the third...

[img]http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/ ... 153818.jpg[/img]

a1bion · Post by **a1bion** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:05 pm

The match up with tOSU assumes they get past UCF. That's a pretty big assumption.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:11 pm

tennesee gets FUCKED!!! [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lmao.gif[/img]

IHateUGAlyDawgs · Post by **IHateUGAlyDawgs** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:14 pm

tennesee gets FUCKED!!! [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lmao.gif[/img]

which is thus the problem. a playoff won't solve anything. there will still be bitching about who did and did not get in the playoff.

I"m ok with the way it is now.

TTBHG · Post by **TTBHG** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:18 pm

IMO. The top 12 should be the Top 12 in the BCS standings. With 4 at large bids. You can kiss my ass if you think Troy or Central Michigan deserves to be anywhere near the conversation of the best 16 teams in the country.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:26 pm

Ah, TTBHG, you and I will have to agree to disagree on this. We've butted heads over Hawaii too.

I think you put the conference champs in. You don't want to get rid of the David v. Goliath factor.

I agree with your second sentence, frankly. No way these are even top 25, 30, or 40 teams. But there's also the endless bitching about who gets to go to the playoff. The nice thing about giving all the conference champs a slot is that it's cold, easy, objective -- no controversy. Win your league and you get a chance.

While it's true that CMU and Troy aren't deserving of "best 16 teams" status, it's also true that the polls don't necessarily tell us anything objective about who's good. How many of you think that Missouri has a chance against either Oklahoma or USC or Florida? I say the big boys skunk them. So why is #1 #1?

TheTodd · Post by **TheTodd** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:27 pm

IHate, there will always be bitching, but it doesn't matter IMO. Odds are the lower ranked teams, ie the 7-16 probably won't win the thing anyways so it doesn't really matter who gets in towards the end. I do agree though, UT gets screwed here. Three teams from the SEC and one from the PAC-10 probably wouldn't happen. He basically follows the same setup for the basketball tourney. Auto bids for conference winners and some at large bids.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:32 pm

My credo, in times of doubt or trial, is F--k Tennessee.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:49 pm

Ah, TTBHG, you and I will have to agree to disagree on this. We've butted heads over Hawaii too.

I think you put the conference champs in. You don't want to get rid of the David v. Goliath factor.

I agree with your second sentence, frankly. No way these are even top 25, 30, or 40 teams. But there's also the endless bitching about who gets to go to the playoff. The nice thing about giving all the conference champs a slot is that it's cold, easy, objective -- no controversy. Win your league and you get a chance.

While it's true that CMU and Troy aren't deserving of "best 16 teams" status, it's also true that the polls don't necessarily tell us anything objective about who's good. How many of you think that Missouri has a chance against either Oklahoma or USC or Florida? I say the big boys skunk them. So why is #1 #1?

agreed.

if we were not to include those lesser conferences, essentially, half of the teams in america could start out not even having played a game and realize that there is nothing they can do to win a national championship...not even go undefeated.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:00 pm

I like the premium that including conference champions puts upon the regular season. It's like, WIN the f**king GAMES. Shouldn't that be the objective week in and week out?

Florida has lost three times -- we are a better team than half the teams in that bracket (tell me we wouldn't REAM Virginia Tech, even on their field). But the Gators, quite frankly, haven't gotten it done this year. Damn right we're top 10 in terms of talent and power. But if we got left out, I don't think it should be an outrage. We have lost three times. Simple as that. Win the frigging games if you want to go to the dance.

You're damn right that we'd employ the same logic against Wisconsin or Michigan or Oregon or FSU with its annual great recruiting classes that don't add up to shit. Why did you bitches not win in the regular season? Take a seat.

To answer Rad: even though a 12-0 minor conference team would possibly have a shot to get the at-large bid, and thus has a chance to make the playoff, it shouldn't have to come to that. (There's still gonna be a Texas or a Boise State or, yes, a Florida saying, who's a better team, us at 9-3 or them at 12-0?) Put the conference champs in. Give every conference a bid. That way every league in the country gets a little more attention when they play their championship game.

This playoff structure actually emphasizes the regular season, and I like that.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:03 pm

well if you go undefeated, i'm assuming you win your conference.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:15 pm

Right. We're saying the same thing -- it sucks to rule out teams on the basis of their conference affiliation. I think it sucks that Hawaii has no chance at all to play for the national championship.

MinGator · Post by **MinGator** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:16 pm

bigger fan of the +1. you go beyond 4 and you're stretching to find a true champ imo.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:22 pm

But doesn't the +1 have the same who-gets-in problems that the BCS championship does?

Even more -- if you have clear-cut #1 and #2 teams, do you keep them apart from each other in the first round? Do you make sure they get approximately equal opponents? How does the fact of the plus-one help shape or distort the bowl selection process?

I don't like the plus-one.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:24 pm

Right. We're saying the same thing -- it sucks to rule out teams on the basis of their conference affiliation. I think it sucks that Hawaii has no chance at all to play for the national championship.

agreed

we should allow hawaii to play for the national championship so they can get beaten like seals thus having the powers that be restructure the 'post season' so as to not allow for such a mockery of an event.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:35 pm

Right. We're saying the same thing -- it sucks to rule out teams on the basis of their conference affiliation. I think it sucks that Hawaii has no chance at all to play for the national championship.

agreed

we should allow hawaii to play for the national championship so they can get beaten like seals thus having the powers that be restructure the 'post season' so as to not allow for such a mockery of an event.

I tend to think so too. Yet there's a small chance that Hawaii pulls the big game out of their asses and beats (fill in the blank). Small chance, but a chance. And wouldn't that be f888ing amazing?

And if they lose? Yes, what Rad said. In fact, it helps the big conferences' argument.

But don't tell me that a national champion will never come along out of a minor conference.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:37 pm

^boise state should have won the MNC last year after their performance.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:51 pm

Just watched the highlights of that on the other thread. That was pretty great.

IHateUGAlyDawgs · Post by **IHateUGAlyDawgs** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:01 pm

^boise state should have won the MNC last year after their performance.

you must be kidding me???

they showed up for their one hard game all year against an unmotivated Oklahoma team. The key is whether you can sustain it over the course of the season.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:09 pm

^boise state should have won the MNC last year after their performance.
you must be kidding me???

they showed up for their one hard game all year against an unmotivated Oklahoma team. The key is whether you can sustain it over the course of the season.

They did sustain it -- 13-0.

G8rMom7 · Post by **G8rMom7** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:31 pm

I essentially agree with Toothy and Rad, except what do you say to those conferences like the SEC (actually JUST the SEC) where every friggin' team is good and it's practically impossible to go undefeated or even only loose one or two games? I would think that SEC teams would be at a disadvantage because they are beating themselves up each week. If I were a decision maker at UF in a sitch like this, I would just as soon become independant like ND and then play whoever would get me the best chance at an undefeated season. I dunno...just a thought.

Toothy · Post by **Toothy** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:42 pm

But as an independent, you'd soon cease to have the battle-tested teams that the SEC fields in January, and soon enough you'd suck, like Notre Dame does now.

The "SEC will eat itself" argument doesn't hold water, I don't think, because a) someone emerges from the chaos most years with a legit chance at the crown, and b) when they get to playing some overstuffed Big Ten team all crazy on Christmas cookies, we steal their frickin lunch money.

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:48 pm

also - kids come to the SEC to play SEC style football.

no recruit is joining us if we were an independent playing air force and navy every year.

we'd lose the allure of getting the cream of the crop.

IHateUGAlyDawgs · Post by **IHateUGAlyDawgs** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:20 pm

^boise state should have won the MNC last year after their performance.
you must be kidding me???

they showed up for their one hard game all year against an unmotivated Oklahoma team. The key is whether you can sustain it over the course of the season.

They did sustain it -- 13-0.

easy to sustain when you play the likes of Idaho, Fresno State and Hawaii every year as your toughest games. C'mon Toothy...you're smarter than that.

TTBHG · Post by **TTBHG** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:22 pm

Ah, TTBHG, you and I will have to agree to disagree on this. We've butted heads over Hawaii too.

Idaho (1-11, 0-8)
Utah State (2-10, 2-6)
New Mexico State (4-8, 1-6)
Nevada (5-6, 3-4)
San Jose State (5-7, 4-4)
Louisiana Tech (5-6, 4-3)
Fresno State (7-4, 5-2)
Boise State (10-2, 7-1)

Non-conference:
Northern Colorado (1-11, 1-7, Division I-AA)
UNLV (2-10, 1-7)
Charleston Southern (5-6, 1-3, Division I-AA)
Washington (4-8, 2-7)

51-89. Take out Boise and it is 41-87. You are right......They should without a doubt get to play for a MNC.