college playoffs--predictions

[74_75_78_79_]

First off, CONGRATS to the Georgia Bulldogs for winning the 2021 National Championship!

Wasn't expecting it but Vegas, obviously, knew best by making them favorites. I thought 'Bama beating them last early-December served as a 'teller'. They convincingly beat GA and yet Dawgs were still faves going in - and vs a Nick Saban team! You'd think Georgia would have been more motivated to knock off 'Bama so they wouldn't have to possibly play them again. I guess it was simply a case of them having had a bad game. And, I guess, the odds-makers knew it. Leading up to December 4th, they were the best team in the country thus far!

Me personally, I think it should stay a 'final four' format as it already is. There's always going to arguments no matter what! Adding more teams will never be the answer. If you finish #5 or #6 - even if there is a strong consensus case that you may actually be better than #3 or #4 - hey, that's the breaks! You simply should have done better; win an extra game, blowout a team or two whom you should have blown out, play a tougher schedule, etc.

There's never been a #5 or #6 team that's ever been 'mistaken' for possibly being best in the land! Four is enough. By the time you hit #5 and below...do you really want to see them at the dance? College football is simply different. You simply can't have too many playoff teams nor should you. It's meant to be regular-season heavy. And with addition to conference championship games, that should be enough to determine reasonable final four.

The only thing I think they should do differently, is make the 'final four' two weeks after the CCGs. And have each game played at the home stadium/campuses of #1 and #2 respectively. Why call each one a major bowl game? Each game is always going to be remembered as a semifinal so just call it that; or give 4@1 and 3@2 each a special name. The losers of both games shouldn't have to play in a bowl - their season now over (no further motivation to play anyway) - and hold the National Championship Game on January 2nd (don't have it start so late) and end the college football season already.

The last time Georgia won-it-all was 1980, my first football season following. I remember it. And I thought, "their helmets look like Green Bay's!" I do know that Green Bay's design came before Georgia's. But my question is, did GA need GB's permission to use it? Did Iowa need the Rooneys' permission for their unis? And how about high school teams in-general all across the land who use NFL logos or something resembling those due to being named the 'Patriots', 'Broncos', 'Eagles', 'Rams', etc?

[racepug]

Me personally, I think it should stay a 'final four' format as it already is. There's always going to arguments no matter what! Adding more teams will never be the answer. If you finish #5 or #6 - even if there is a strong consensus case that you may actually be better than #3 or #4 - hey, that's the breaks! You simply should have done better; win an extra game, blowout a team or two whom you should have blown out, play a tougher schedule, etc.

https://sports.yahoo.com/se-cs-chokehol ... 08263.html

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

If I remember right, the bowl system was part of the reason why the playoff took so long to get started. One big stumbling block was that several travel companies had contracts with the bowl games -- you could get a plane/hotel/ticket package. I can't remember why the powers that be made such a big deal about that, but that was one reason that was cited that a playoff couldn't happen.

Since the traditional bowl matchups (Big 10/Pac 10 Rose Bowl) had been dispensed with quite a while ago, I do like that the major bowls are part of the playoff system. I guess you could start including the Independence Bowl, Gator Bowl, Sun Bowl, Liberty Bowl -- games that have been around for a long time -- and add those to the playoff if you go 12.

The four-team is probably ideal to determine a champion on the field, especially in seasons when you have multiple undefeated teams (rarely are there more than 3, to my recollection). The BCS format actually worked in several seasons when there were clear #1 and #2 -- the Texas/USC year for example.

[racepug]

The four-team is probably ideal to determine a champion on the field

Yeah, except if you read the articles I posted links to, with the way things are going (and figure to continue to go) the S.E.C. is going to continue to dominate the CFP until it's opened up to more teams (or some by-law about "no more than one team per conference" is enacted - something which I'm pretty darn sure the S.E.C. powers would never go for) unless something is done to change its current format. 'Course, if you're totally okay with teams from the S.E.C. winning the national championship year after year then, by all means: change nothing.