M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[WM Wolverine]

re: 4-team playoffs

The controversy is still there (about who should be #4) but now the #3 & #4 team have a chance at a National Title they didn't before, which is the purpose of the playoffs...

If they figure out the logistics (8-team playoffs require 3 weekends) and how to divide the money we'll have an 8-team playoff when this current contract expires.

Four to me is correct, it requires an excellent regular season and puts a lot of value on the regular season and having a tough out of conference schedule (unless your in the SEC). Some years college football has a decent number of 2-loss teams in the top 8 before bowl season.

[iam416]

Four is much better. This year is a perfect example. Most people think Oregon is way better than FSU. In fact, they're 8 point favorites. But under the BCS, it would have been FSU-Bama and the SEC would have backed its way into another national title. Heh. It would be hugely telling if Oregon and, by some miracle, Ohio State win. And the halftime show featuring Mozart, Michael Jackson, all 4 Beattles and Big Foot would be off the hook.

The biggest problem with eight is logistics. The SEC is steadfast against home games for the first round. That's the only way it's really doable, IMO. Otherwise you're asking fans to go the CCG and then, potentially, three bowl games. That's a big ask.

The other thing about 8 is that the losers will be done earlier and it won't feel like a bowl game. I'm not so concerned about that, but one of the plusses of this arrangement is the great NYE and NYD lineup they put together. The teams that make the playoff get to experience that. With 8, I'm assuming the first round losers would not. I say that because the NFL really puts a hard break on how deep into January you can go.

The ideal scenario is four power conferences with the CCGs acting as the Round of 8. Someone needs to kill off the B12 and it's single-state market or the shitball ACC.

[Optimus Prime]

Bama only a 10 pt fav?

Good Luck Urbie, you might want to send Fickell out again to take the bowl beating on this one too.

[AlabamAlum]

Four to me is correct, it requires an excellent regular season and puts a lot of value on the regular season and having a tough out of conference schedule (unless your in the SEC). Some years college football has a decent number of 2-loss teams in the top 8 before bowl season.

Alabama's SOS is higher than any team in the field. While West Virginia isn't a top 20 team, they're decent. Most of the SEC plays at least one decent OOC team: Auburn (Kansas State), Ole Miss (Boise), LSU (Wisconsin), Florida (FSU), Georgia (Clemson, Ga Tech), Tennessee (Oklahoma), Kentucky (Louisville), Vandy (Temple), Arkansas (NIU, Texas Tech). Tough OOC opponents are great, but the overall schedule strength is what gets you in.

[iam416]

Wait...Temple? NIU? Texas Tech? I mean, if those qualify you forgot Missouri (Indiana).

Ohio State does battle with NIU next season. Huge OoC game for the Buckeyes after they hopefully avenge the VT disaster.

[WM Wolverine]

I didn't remotely refer to Alabama in that instance, AA. I'd just argue that any 1-loss SEC team would be in the playoffs.

[AlabamAlum]

I know, I included most of the other SEC teams. Just giving a vignette into the SEC's scheduling, which for the most part is, one decent team, and three dogs.

[iam416]

Ohio State scheduled 3 decent teams, by the foregoing standard, and 1 dog....Cincinnati (AAC champs!), VT (perennial power, at least amongst Roanoke-area teams) and Navy (Bowl Bound!!!).

They all suck.

Incidentally, does The Nick ever feel charitable around the holidays? Is there any chance he and Lane-O will call off the dogs in the 3rd quarter, or will they wait until there's five minutes left?

[AlabamAlum]

This is the ultimate revenge game for Urb. Last time they played, the beat down sent Urb to the hospital and made him resign to 'spend time with the kids'.

Make no mistake, Meyer wins this game. He'll out coach Saban, who is playing with house money in a rebuilding year.

[Mike]

You two sicken me.

[iam416]

The last first world team to win the national title was Florida in 2008, Mike. And yet AlabamAlum prances about as if his legion of malevolent mercenaries will somehow fail to vanquish, in most indisputable terms, UFM's wide-eyed sheep.

You're right. He sickens me, too.

[lineygoblue]

good lord

If the Mississippi floods this year, nobody will ever notice.

There's enough sandbags here to stretch from North Dakota to the southern extremes of Nawlins ...

[AlabamAlum]

Oh, we are a ragtag bunch of Warrior Poets. Even if it looks like we're winning, we will ultimately lose. Heck, hundreds of years from now we would actually vote to STAY beaten.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Herman to Houston I guess. I'm surprised that he didn't get any offers better than that

[hack]

Sucks for your bowl game certainly.