And the slide down the slippery slope continues.

I don't think they'd use the AP & Coaches polls, so preseason rankings probably don't mean a lot. The first Selection Committee poll comes out in late October when teams have played more than half of their games. Still, with the Selection Committee poll, getting ranked early gives teams a leg up.

What I'd like to see is conference champs getting a home game in the first round. It should mean something that they played an extra game, even if they're not ranked 5-8. Probably won't happen because they want big, packed stadiums and most G5 stadiums are quite a bit smaller than the typical "P" stadium.

The rich get richer for certain under this new set up. As the system is now, the regular season is very important, especially to the power five conferences. One upset loss in the middle of the season can knock out a power five team.

Here's what the first six full seasons under the CFP would've looked like (*-team gets a first-round bye):

2019 -- Conf champs: #1LSU*, #2O$U*, #3Clemson*, #4Okla,* #6Oregon, #17Memphis
The rest: #5Georgia, #7Baylor, #8Wisconsin, #9Florida, #10Penn St, #11Utah

2018 -- Conf champs: #1Bama*, #2Clemson*, #4Okla*, #6O$U*, #8UCF, #9Wash
The rest: #3ND, #5Georgia, #7Mich, #10Florida, #11LSU, #12Penn St
(Note: UCF was undefeated through the conference championship game.)

2017 -- Conf champs: #1Clemson*, #2Okla*, #3Georgia*, #5O$U*, #8USC, #12UCF
The rest: #4Bama, #6Wisc, #7Auburn, #9Penn St, #10MiamiF, #11Wash
(Note: UCF was undefeated through the conference championship game.)

2016 -- Conf champs: #1Bama*, #2Clemson*, #4Wash*, #5Penn St*, #7Okla, #15WMU
The rest: #3O$U, #6Mich, #8Wisc, #9USC, #10Colo, #11FSU

2015 -- Conf champs: #1Clemson*, #2Bama*, #3Mich St*, #4Okla*, #6Stanford, #18Houston
The rest: #5Iowa, #7O$U, #8ND, #9FSU, #10UNC, #11TCU

2014 -- Conf champs: #1Bama*, #2Oregon St*, #3FSU*, #4O$U*, #5Baylor, #6TCU, #20 Boise
The rest: #7Miss St, #8Mich St, #9Ole Miss, #10Ariz, #11KSU
(Note: The B12 had no championship game in 2014. Baylor and TCU finished tied for first and were declared co-champs even though Baylor beat TCU during the regular season.)


In each year, there would have been only one G5 team in the playoff. And unless conference champs would have been guaranteed a first-round home game, the G5 team would have had only one home game in the six years, UCF in 2018.

To win the championship in this new system it will require winning 3-4 games against elite competition. With the top heavy 4 team playoff it was the best of the best in there to compete but now you're letting programs compete that don't have Top 10 recruiting classes (a few not even Top 50).

The answer for the non-elite programs to be able to win in the playoff is to have a Heisman level player with the ability by themselves to take over games and will themselves to victory. That is the only way to get through a 4 team grind like this.

To attract that Heisman level player IMO it requires having a highly productive offensive scheme. A scheme that is going to make that player look good to the pros and a high probability of winning the conference championship. Those kind of players aren't going to be attracted to a G5 team that averages 27ppg while holding the opposition to 19ppg.

Boise State's development is a case study in this. First they developed an explosive offense, then won a Fiesta Bowl. From the Fiesta Bowl win they recruited better defensive talent so by the 2010 team they were winning by such margins to make a statistical case they were the #1 team in the country (they were ranked around #3 in the polls that season).

The question though is where is the recruiting heading with the format? With the second tier P5 programs getting an easy ticket to the playoff by winning their conference I believe it would favor a TCU in the Big 12 over Houston from the AAC where finishing as a Top 6 champ is in doubt. That shifts the overall recruiting away from the G5 but that could lead to a Boise State in the WAC situation where one program is so far ahead it can't possibly lose a conference game. They end up recruiting that one special player to put them over the top.

Note that in the admittedly bizarre and (hopefully) not to be replicated 2020 season, 2 G5 teams would have been in and no PAC12 teams would have

I think the goal should be to include all D1 FBS conferences in the playoffs. This deal doesn't make that happen. If this is the way it's going to be, then the top 5 or 6 FBS conferences really do need to form their own group. Then the G5 and maybe the top tier FCS conferences need to work together to develop a playoff system.

The goal of the other major D1 team sports isn't to get just the best teams in their playoff/tournament. It's to placate smaller conferences by giving their conference champs a shot at the national title. Occasionally, those conference champs surprise the big guys with a deep run into the tourney. Gonzaga did it, then became a perennial power. Coastal Carolina won the College World Series a few years ago. All the conference champs in basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball get automatic bids, and there are as many as 32 of those. I'm not sure about the other sports. The 1AA/FCS playoff includes automatic bids for all but, I believe, the three conferences that choose not to participate. That's the difference between NCAA-run playoffs and the CFP-run mini-playoff. Yeah, most G5 conference champs don't have much of a chance of winning it all, but they should at least have a shot.

If we are being honest, only a handful of power five teams have a chance at winning it all in football. Duke, Vandy and Rutgers play in power five conferences, but they aren't going to win the title in football. They are members of those leagues in football to collect a paycheck and to participate in many other college sports. The football goal at those schools and many others, should be to win as many games as possible as well as have success in the post season. Achieve those goals and more than likely, a coach will move on to a higher paying job.

A 12-team playoff, of course, would bring in large amounts of revenue for all schools involved. Several states have passed bills that will allow college athletes to start profiting off their name, image and likeness — something the NCAA has been working with Congress to implement nationwide for some time — later this summer.

How that works with an expanded playoff field, which can also bring an increased risk of injury, is puzzling to Blumenthal and fellow Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy.

“This is another example of the big-time college sports executives and administrators making decisions just to increase their own revenue, while continuing to put the needs and health of college athletes on the back burner,” Murphy said, via USA Today.




The above is what Connecticut senators think about the 12 team playoff.

Well with the “expansion” to 12 teams in the playoffs being discussed let the Peden “expansion” plans begin in 3-2-1.

I still enjoy college football but my passion for it has been eroding. When I renewed my season tickets for this year, I knew I'd likely not be attending more than a couple home games. Other things have taken on increased importance. The ongoing evolution of college football in ways I find unattractive has been resulting in the erosion.