The Real National Champion

[Big Sexy]

The sports stadium seems to have some good threads, but nobody is posting in them. Hopefully this will garner some good discussion.

I want to know who you believe would win the National Title if College Football had an 8 team playoff. Now college football is never going to be perfect. There's always going to be some team left out no matter how many teams are given a shot. Because of the importance placed on the conferences the first 6 teams that would be in the playoff are the 6 major conference winners: Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, Oregon, Ohio State, and Georgia Tech. Then there are two at large teams, and this year I would have given those spots to TCU and Boise State.

Now I know that leaves Florida out of the playoff which seems ludicrous, however, Florida had their chance. They had a chance to win their conference and not only did they lose, they lost big. Like I said earlier, even if there is a playoff there are always going to be some teams that feel left out. This way at least all of the undefeated teams are going to be given a chance barring some inexplicable year where there are three undefeated teams outside of the major conferences.

This is how the bracket would look for me.

1. Alabama
8. Georgia Tech

4. TCU
5. Boise State

3. Cincinnati
6. Oregon

2. Texas
7. Ohio State

Bama wouldn't have too much trouble with Tech. They could run all over them with Ingram much like Spiller did. TCU I think could take care Boise in what would be a very exciting game. For my first upset I think Oregon would take out Cinci. The Ducks offense is one of the best in the country and Cinci doesn't have much of a defense. Then I think Texas would beat OSU

1. Alabama
4. TCU

6. Oregon
2. Texas

TCU would put up a good fight, but I think Bama's defense would hold them in check just enough to win. In another upset I have Oregon taking out Texas. Texas struggled somewhat against high powered offenses like Texas Tech and A&M. Oregon is much better then those teams.

1. Alabama
6. Oregon

In the title game I would see Alabama winning it all. Oregon has a great run but it stops with Alabama's defense getting the job done against that high powered offense, and Mark Ingram running all over that subject defense.

The Real National Champion: Alabama. I think they will win it in the current BCS situation as well, but this would be much more exciting and it would give all of the deserving teams a shot.

So if you could have have a playoff what would you do? Bare in mind that any more then 8 teams would probably be pushing the envelope in what could realistically happen. Also I don't know if conference champions would ever be left out, especially if they had only 2 losses or fewer. Maybe there could be a rule where a conference champion with 3 losses or more could be left out, but now I'm just rambling.

 

[TheProdigy]

I've come up with a similar idea in the past only making it an 11-game regular season with mandatory conference championship games for each league on Thanksgiving weekend. Then it becomes a 10-team tournament.

The criteria for the 10-teams in the tournament is simple:
1. Major 6 conference champions
2. Next four best at-large teams including at least ONE non-BCS team
3. Two teams at most can come from a single conference
4. At Large teams are selected using a committee as well as all rankings.

This years field would look like:
1. Bama
2. Texas
3. Cinci
4. Oregon
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia Tech
7. TCU
8. Boise State/Florida
9. Florida/Boise State
10. Iowa/Penn State

Now I know your thinking, why 10? Simple, your 6 major conference winners get a bye round to start the tournament which would've began this past Saturday.

The 9th and 10th seeds would travel to the 8th and 7th seeds respectively. In this years case you would see Iowa/Penn State going to TCU and Florida traveling to Boise or vice-versa. For all intents and purposes I'll award TCU and Florida victories.

The second round would see the top four seeds host the tournament game for this upcoming weekend.

We would see this time of bracket remaining:
(8/9) Florida at (1) Alabama
(5) Ohio State at (4) Oregon
(7) TCU at (2) Texas
(6) Georgia Tech at (3) Cincinnati

a handful of intriguing games that's for sure. I'll call Alabama, TCU, Georgia Tech, and Oregon the winners. (BTW I'm not using personal feelings or anything on this, just using random winners)

Okay so now come the semi-finals to be played New Years Day (it gives teams 3-weeks off for finals and holiday break)
You would now incorporate the BCS Bowls.
Semi-final #1 played at Sugar Bowl:
(1) Alabama vs. (4) Oregon

Semi-final #2 played at Fiesta Bowl:
(7) TCU vs. (6) Georgia Tech

For this round let's call Alabama and Georgia Tech the winners:

Onto the final round. Now you may be thinking uh your leaving a BCS bowl out of it...wrong. There will be a 3rd place game, or they could simply decide to match up the traditional Big 10 - Pac 10 game for the Rose Bowl and use the Orange/Fiesta/Sugar to rotate the National title game. The Rose Bowl will always draw due to tradition. The weekend after New Years (or if you want to try something new wait until either Super Bowl weekend or the weekend between NFL conference championship games and the Super Bowl to hold it...but you don't have to)

Rose Bowl: 3rd place game or traditional matchup
TCU vs. Oregon - or Oregon vs. Ohio State
-I can guarantee you here that it would be TCU vs. Oregon. Simply because earlier in the tourny Oregon and OSU actually played. However that could be different in some years. If by chance Oregon or Ohio State would be in the title game you could choose the runner-up in Iowa or Oregon State, or again go with the 3rd place game

Orange Bowl: National title game
Alabama vs. Georgia Tech

Like I said these are in no ways my feelings of who would win each game, it's more or less just a random prediction. Last years you wouldve seen Texas at #7 and Bama at #8...the second round would've seen rematches of Texas-Oklahoma and Bama/Florida in order to get to the semi-final round.

With this format you still have the same amount of teams that are used in the BCS you just determine them slightly differently and let them decide it on the field.

I actually messed up in the second round. The second round is actually played at a neutral site closest to the site of the higher seed. So you could actually see Alabama playing in New Orleans, Texas playing in Dallas, Cincinnati playing at Ohio State, or even Paul Brown Stadium. Then you could see Oregon playing in Seattle.

Either way we need a tournament. With a 10 style format you still use 10 teams like the BCS does now, and we also settle it ON the field. It also gives the major bowls their revenue. Simple as that.

 

[TheProdigy]

Here's also my opinion on the BCS matchups in general:
Smart move by the BCS in bowl pairings. They are trying to assure themselves of as little drama as possible after the season. Of course that is pending Florida whips Cincinnati.

By putting Boise and TCU together, even though we saw those two matched up in a bowl last season, they are assuring themselves that only one non-BCS team can win, instead of two. Could you imagine what would happen if either TCU or Boise were pitted against Florida AND won, and the other pitted against like Cincinnati AND won? It would just give more fuel to the "little guys" of college football.

It's a smart move by the BCS and one that I HATE. I would have sooner seen:
Penn State vs. Florida in the Sugar Bowl (tradition vs. tradition)...but having Tebow play a good Penn State defense in his last game is not how they want him to end his career.
TCU vs. Cincinnati in the fiesta bowl...the two best undefeated teams not named Texas and Bama (and no, I don't want to get into a TCU vs. Texas debate...because I strongly feel TCU is, but the BCS did the right thing and stayed with the title game they said would happen if teams ran the table)
GaTech vs. Boise State in the Orange Bowl...that would've been a very intriguing matchup in pitting one of the strongest ACC winners of recent memory against the BCS giant killer Broncos.

Anyway, it's a smart move by the BCS...one I don't support though.

 

[Baller]

I agree with the 10 team method as that is exactly what I was thinking, and have the 6 BCS Winners be 1-6 then 4 non winners in.

Originally Posted By Big Sexy
1. Alabama
8. Georgia Tech

4. TCU
5. Boise State

3. Cincinnati
6. Oregon

2. Texas
7. Ohio State

Where the hell are the Gators? I am sorry but if you put Boise State over the Gators you are out of your mind. I dont care if Boise is undefeated they will not get in over the Gators. That is why the 10 team playoff is best as you just use the 10 teams that made the BCS Bowl Games to begin with.

So it would be TCU vs Iowa and Boise vs Florida based off the BCS Rankings.

The overall seeds are:

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Cincinnati
4. Oregon
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia Tech
7. TCU
8. Gators
9. Boise State
10. Iowa

 

[Big Sexy]

Where the hell are the Gators? I am sorry but if you put Boise State over the Gators you are out of your mind. I dont care if Boise is undefeated they will not get in over the Gators. That is why the 10 team playoff is best as you just use the 10 teams that made the BCS Bowl Games to begin with.

Where are the Gators? Maybe if they would have shown up in the SEC title game then they would still be undefeated. Why should they get another chance when they just lost a game to one of the top 8 teams. I don't like Boise, but they went undefeated and in this hypothetical situation they would deserve it more then Florida. Like I said in my original post, no matter how many teams get a chance to prove they are the best team in college football there are always going to be teams that are left out.

 

[Shocky]

Seriously, Oregon? Geogia Tech? Did no one watch Cincinnati play at all this year. They went undefeated. They went to Oregon State and handled the Pac 10 Runner up on the road. They have the most wins against teams currently in the top 25, tied with Alabama. The defense has problems, sure, but they did their job good enough to win the games, and at the end of the day, UC had zero losses against better competition. UC would man handle Georgia Tech and Oregon this year.

Onto the thread though. As far as the 10 teams in the current BCS system and the Bowl games, I think for entertainment value, we got the right teams, and as far as the games, I'm excited for the games that we have. Iowa vs. GT is a snoozer no matter how you cut it, as I don't care for the style of play in the Big Ten or the ACC. Likewise with the Rose Bowl. A down Pac 10 conference winner vs. an over rated conferences winner from the Big 10, I'll pass on this game.

The two bowl games that are going to be a thriller and a half will easily be Boise and TCU. If Brian Kelly doesn't jump ship and go to Notre Dame, then expect 100 points on the board with Florida and UC.

As far as a playoff goes, I take the top 8 teams in the BCS and play them off against each other, regardless of conference affiliation. GT finishes #9, sorry about your luck. There is no one in their right mind that thinks that Georgia Tech should be on the same field with Florida. Florida had one bad game, but they are still deserving of a #6 ranking, not #5.

So as far as what I would do for a playoff. 1

1. Alabama
8. Ohio State

4. TCU
5. Boise St.

2. Texas
7. Oregon

3. UC
6. Florida

Regardless, we still get two of the current BCS games.

 

[TheProdigy]

Seriously, Oregon? Geogia Tech? Did no one watch Cincinnati play at all this year. They went undefeated. They went to Oregon State and handled the Pac 10 Runner up on the road. They have the most wins against teams currently in the top 25, tied with Alabama. The defense has problems, sure, but they did their job good enough to win the games, and at the end of the day, UC had zero losses against better competition. UC would man handle Georgia Tech and Oregon this year.

Onto the thread though. As far as the 10 teams in the current BCS system and the Bowl games, I think for entertainment value, we got the right teams, and as far as the games, I'm excited for the games that we have. Iowa vs. GT is a snoozer no matter how you cut it, as I don't care for the style of play in the Big Ten or the ACC. Likewise with the Rose Bowl. A down Pac 10 conference winner vs. an over rated conferences winner from the Big 10, I'll pass on this game.

The two bowl games that are going to be a thriller and a half will easily be Boise and TCU. If Brian Kelly doesn't jump ship and go to Notre Dame, then expect 100 points on the board with Florida and UC.

As far as a playoff goes, I take the top 8 teams in the BCS and play them off against each other, regardless of conference affiliation. GT finishes #9, sorry about your luck. There is no one in their right mind that thinks that Georgia Tech should be on the same field with Florida. Florida had one bad game, but they are still deserving of a #6 ranking, not #5.

So as far as what I would do for a playoff. 1

1. Alabama
8. Ohio State

4. TCU
5. Boise St.

2. Texas
7. Oregon

3. UC
6. Florida

Regardless, we still get two of the current BCS games.

Nothing wrong with that. But like I said in my thread choosing the winners had nothing to do with personal feelings...I was just creating a hypothetical situation, and by creating a hypothetical situation I had to choose winners. So I randomly selected teams. Creating two upsets in the second round, thus I went with the TCU and Georgia Tech upsets. Granted I don't 100% think that would happen. I think Georgia Tech - Cinci would be an AWESOME game and I think Cinci would come out on top, but I was just creating off a hypothetical situation.

Anyway, I think 10 would be the way you'd need to go. Give your 6 major conference champs a spot and 4 at-large teams. Same way the BCS does it now.

 

[Shocky]

Yeah I read that properly after I posted everything.

If you're going to 10, then you might as well go 12 and give the top 4 teams a bye in week one. If your'e going to do a playoff, I like the higher seeds the first 2 rounds getting home games. They've earned it at that point in the season. Then use the Bowls as playoff spots.

However, if you're going to do the playoffs, fuck the bowl system in all of it's forms. Seriously, how "fair" is it for say UC to have to go and play the Sugar Bowl against an SEC team in an SEC city, when UC is ranked 2 spots above Florida? Make it like College Basketball, have 4 regional cities host big games. That way, let's say Indianapolis is a host city, UC would then make Florida have to come up here to play that game.

Again, the system is so damn flawed.

 

[TheProdigy]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-ncaafplayoff120709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Wetzel again destroys the BCS after the season and offers yet another solution.

His idea is a good one as well. I dont think the amount of teams matter, simply that there IS a tournament.

I know I'd be really excited to see that Florida - Penn State game among others.

What do you guys think?

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

and he's right! the BCS is a shit system! its been outdated because teams have been getting better. even the weaker conferences have gotten better. Texas should NOT HAVE WON THAT GAME! you can't tell me the fix wasn't in. you just can't! Nebraska should have won the Big 12. the BCS national championship should have been Alabama vs TCU. THAT'S IT! PLAIN AND SIMPLE