The Big Ten is planning to propose a four-team college football playoff system to supplement, not replace the current bowl structure and BCS. Previously, the Big Ten was one of the fiercest opponents to a playoff system, but now recognizes that many, if not most, college football fans consider the current system a failure. Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips summed it up thusly:
"We have to listen to the fans; we cannot be tone-deaf. The Big Ten is open and curious."
This is not the "plus one" model that's been frequently been proposed, but instead a real playoff system. Oh, it still takes the top four teams in the final BCS standings, but rather than sending those teams to two bowl games as semifinals, the top two teams in the standings will host the number three and four teams in the BCS.
I've long felt that utilizing bowl games for the semifinal games was destined to fail. Travel costs for bowl games are high enough that expecting fans to travel to two separate bowl games is too much. Fans may be willing to drive, but flying across the country on short notice is not something most fans can do. Playing the games on home fields makes just too much sense. College stadiums typically hold more fans than most bowl games can accommodate. That means more ticket sales. Plus the games are located closer to the fans of the actual teams that are playing. They can drive instead of having to fly.
It also makes the regular season even more relevant. Why is that? While it's true that teams probably can get away with a loss (maybe even two) and still make the playoffs, there is a huge incentive to going undefeated and finishing in the top two. A home game. You play on YOUR home field, in front of YOUR fans.
Some argue that's not fair, pointing to the potential of playing a December football game in bad weather. Funny, but it doesn't stop the NFL from doing it. But it's actually more fair. Teams like USC, Florida, and Texas know that bowl sites in their states are close enough to give their teams a decided advantage in bowl games. Big Ten teams? They all have to fly a thousand miles or more to get to a bowl game. Bowls favor the "good weather schools" who have dominated the BCS title games as of late.
Imagine what Boise State might do, scheduling wise, if they know that a top-two finish in the BCS is going to be good enough to land a Florida or Southern Cal in Idaho for a national semifinal. Maybe they'll schedule up.
It's bold thinking on the part of the Big Ten. I've long been an advocate of a home-field based playoff system. I personally would prefer eight or 16 teams, but four, quite honestly, is good enough.
0 recs | 32 comments
Media rights
Suppose Delaney is thinking about the media rights here? Semi-final game on BTN because the game is played in Columbus or Lincoln?
Aaron Musfeldt - February 7, 2012
They wouldn't be on the BTN.
Far smarter to sell them to ESPN or FOX or whoever vs. broadcast them to a considerably smaller audience on the BTN.
meatybob - February 7, 2012
Agree. The B1G would get more money selling to a national audience than a regional one
nateforchiefs - February 8, 2012
I don't agree with your argument that reg season more relevant .
Because it lessens the importance of all the games before the team had the loss and that is going to probably be a far bigger amount of games. But overall, a four team playoff probably doesn’t affect it that much. And I doubt any team will necessarily schedule any better. Its nothing more than just offsetting the schedule difficulty with the increased probability of losing.
In fact, the reasons above is why I like the 4 team playoff. Its doesn’t affect a great product, it is still more or less fair to a great team like LSU that accomplished far more than anybody else in that they don’t have to play 3 or 4 more games to win the NC. And it’s plenty big enough to accommodate the undefeated teams in years past that didn’t have a shot, which is what I think is the biggest flaw with the BCS. And it absolutely not akin to the NFL, with is the biggest positive of all. I think it is an embarrassment that a 9-7 team won NFL’s championship, which given the relative distribution of teams in CF vs. the NFL, would be the equivalent of a 3 loss CF team.
Its called NFLAIDS for a reason.
meatybob - February 7, 2012
I think you, Teddy Greenstein, and a few worthless Bostonians...
…are the only ones whining about the Giants winning the Super Bowl.
But with a four team playoff, I think you can now make an argument to bring strength of schedule back into the mix. People have scheduled down, thinking you have to go undefeated to get to the BCS title game.
I’d rather have a two or three loss team in the playoff than an undefeated Big East team that filled out their schedule with 1-AA and Sun Belt foes.
Husker Mike - February 7, 2012
Hear hear!
I’ve always thought that the season needs to be “lessened” just a little bit, and SOS increased. What does beating up on Chattanooga or VMI tell you? Nothing. But yet these games get scheduled for…well…money for sure. But also a cheap win. Rather have a non-conference slate with Georgia, Oklahoma, and Washington, than South Dakota State, etc.
Yeah, I know it’s a pipe dream, and I’m in the minority. But that would make the season better, IMHO.
Wolvie - February 7, 2012
I agree completely
Especially the pipe dream part. :P
It’s not so much the free wins that attracts the scheduling of cupcakes, it’s the fact that you don’t have to do a return trip, and therefore get more home games.
$60 × 85,000 = a little north of $5 million per game in Memorial Stadium. Assuming in the payoff to the cupcake and other expenses, the AD is still going to net more than $4 million per home game. So, you can net $8-9 million by playing a cupcake two years in a row, or you can get $4-5 million by doing a home and home with a big boy. That’s the real reason this isn’t changing anytime soon.
Really the only way I see to sort of fix this is doing conference challenges like the Big Ten and Pac 12 are looking at where you sell the 12 games as a package deal to the highest bidder, split the pot, and hopefully that’d make the lost home game worthwhile.
jdhusker - February 7, 2012
I don't think you can settle this debate until you define what it means to be a national champion.
As the system is set up right now, it’s the team that has national exposure and puts together the longest string of wins.
Not winning your conference. Not playing quality opponents. Just winning games and letting the talking heads at ESPN lick your boots.
A playoff maintains that system while giving the illusion of giving the little guy a chance.
Salt Creek and Stadium - February 7, 2012
Any
playoff system is better than the JOKE we have now. Plus, I wouldn’t mind seeing a some of those warm weather teams have to come to Lincoln, Madison, Columbus, or Ann Arbor in late December early January instead of us always having to go there and play on their home fields or places that are really close for them to travel.
Huzkerfan - February 7, 2012
I think this'll make it worse
Instead of the annual rabble whining about who should be #2, they’ll be whining about who should be #4. The difference is that in the average year, the top 2 or 3 are usually pretty clear with 4-8 being a muddled interchangeable mess.
Cleaning up some of the loopholes in the BCS would be better. If you don’t win your conference, you can’t go, no rematches etc.
USC’s run in the 2000s convinced me to forever oppose a playoff system. They were the best team in the country for probably about 5 or 6 straight years. However, in addition to being the best team, they were also the most arrogant and overconfident team, ended up dropping one sweet sweet game to Stanford or Oregon State or someone most years, which cost them a trip to the title game. One of the things that makes CFB special is that the regular season rewards teams that consistently win and punishes those that lose games they shouldn’t. A playoff gives the USC’s of the world a mulligan on their home loss to 2-10 Stanford.
jdhusker - February 7, 2012
I think it all depends on how we want to define a national champion.
Salt Creek and Stadium - February 7, 2012
i'd say
it’s the one that wins the national championship game…. :)
Jon Johnston - February 7, 2012
That's too rational, Jon.
How the heck can ESPN crown the eventual NOT-champion if we have to wait for the game to be played?
Salt Creek and Stadium - February 7, 2012
I don't
think it gets a whole lot worse than sitting and listening to ESPN lobby for a rematch between LSU and Alabama. And them having enough pull to sway voters and they did that in my opinion.
Huzkerfan - February 7, 2012
People complain about who got left out of March Madness...
So I don’t think we’re ever going to avoid that without a 128 team playoff that starts at Halloween.
It’s become clear that a two team bowl championship is not sufficient.
And while yes, Southern Cal could still survive a hiccup, that hiccup comes with a price. Namely, having to go on the road if they fall below #2.
Husker Mike - February 7, 2012 via mobile
128 team playoff
ESPN’s eyes just lit up with dollar signs, try not to give them ideas like that. :P
In any case, I’m not going to go toe to toe with anyone on this because much of my opposition to a playoff stems from my desire to preserve college football’s traditional way of doing things, and that’s a pretty intangible thing to measure up against the goals of the pro-playoff people.
I could probably be nudged into supporting a plus one model where the BCS Title game is eliminated and the 4 BCS bowls then their old conference tie ins back and we run one last set of rankings to determine who gets to play for all the marbles.
jdhusker - February 8, 2012
I like it
Especially giving home-field advantage to the #1 and #2 seeds. I can’t wait for these southern schools to have to travel up north for a game in december, it’ll totally shock their system. At least it can’t be any uglier that both of the games between LSU & Bama last year. Just ugly. Who knows, these SEC schools might prefer playing a cold weather game since they don’t play any offense in that conference.
I also like what the Pac-12 does with their CCG, giving home-field advantage to the first team to clinch their division. I think the BigTen needs to do the same thing. These neutral site CCGs are lame.
Lake_show - February 7, 2012
Southern schools will cry like babies when a northern school gets homefield advantage
AND I WILL ENJOY EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!
My entire life southern schools have had all the advantages in college football. No longer! I haven’t been a big fan of adding a playoff, but I can tell you that for the first time I am coming around to the idea.
Billgrip - February 7, 2012
Or...
Alabama goes to a northern school and still dominates?
I mean really…its not like they’d be playing in the frozen tundra. Who is the northern most national title contender? Ohio State? I just don’t see the “tropical school gets a rude awakening playing in zero degree weather” scenario playing out very often.
Conspiracy* - February 7, 2012
I don't
think it’s a matter of just the weather. Southern (Warm Climate) schools have enjoyed the advantage in having tons of fans there as well.
Maybe some of it is old-age paranoia, but I remember getting jobbed pretty badly in some of those games back in the 80s. Then there’s that FSU fiasco that was the 1994 Orange Bowl. Maybe some of those would be evened out if those were played further North….
Cobby - February 7, 2012
Average December Low-High (deg F)
Wisc 32/15
tSUN 35/23
Boise 38/23
tOSU 42/23
Oregon 35/48
By comparison
Tuscaloosa 56/35
LSU 63/42
UF 68/45
To put it in perspective, there is a greater temperature difference between the listed SEC teams and northern teams than the northern teams and Anchorage, Alaska.
It probably wouldn’t be the coldest temperatures the SEC athletes have experienced, but it would likely be the coldest they have ever played in.
ProveIt - February 8, 2012
Anchorage is on the coast and has a pretty moderate climate :P
But yes, should this playoff go into effect, then absolutely give home field advantage to the higher seed.
jdhusker - February 8, 2012
Good luck with that one...
No real comment here – I just wanted to see if someone calling Anchorage Alaska winters “Moderate” looks as ridiculous in a quote box as it does in the body of a comment.
This goes without saying, but the question being bantered about is if climate acclimation makes a difference.ProveIt - February 8, 2012
Other than Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio State name even just one other school with a chance at a national title that has snow on the ground in december.
Conspiracy* - February 7, 2012
I think
he is trying to say it would be nice to see southern schools come north for a change. I would love to see it because they seldom do for one reason or another. That being said the SEC plays northern football anyway. At least Alabama and LSU play that way, tough defense ball control offense with no flash. Hell they should join the Big 10. Ha ha ha. Just a joke don’t take it to serious……
Huzkerfan - February 7, 2012
UMASS.
Salt Creek and Stadium - February 7, 2012
Sure...
…list of northern teams that came close to being ranked in the top 2 late in the season…
Oregon with an average December temperature of 35 degF.
Wisconsin was on the short end of 2 miracle passes of a title game berth.
WVU came within a score in the final regular season game of a title berth.
Boise had a good shot had they ran the table this year.
Cincinnati finished as high as 3rd.
PSU has finished within 1 close loss of a title game berth.
Missouri has been ranked #1 in the BCS late in the season.
Some day Notre Dame will get a coach who can do his recruits justice.
Sparty made a good run in 2010.
…that’s a decent starter list…
ProveIt - February 8, 2012
Iowa might eventually do something. Colorado has won a NC. Utah finished undefeated a couple years back
nateforchiefs - February 8, 2012
Your additions to the list run counter to Conspiracy's point and shall therefore be ignored.
ProveIt - February 8, 2012
All that work for nothing....
nateforchiefs - February 8, 2012
I continue to be miffed that you didn't include UMASS.
Salt Creek and Stadium - February 9, 2012
Ok... ok...
Oregon
Wiscy
WVU
Noise
Cinci
PSU
Missouri
Domers
Squawkeyes
Colorado
Utes
add
tOSU
rSUN
*UMass
Even without UMass, i suspect we have shown approx. 1/2 of the programs which are likely to have snow on the ground in December (apparently Conspiracy thought it important to limit it to snow on the ground as opposed to snow on the roof or under the ground?)
ProveIt - February 11, 2012
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