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SoCalCoug · 12-17-2005, 03:49 AM

I posted this in the Professional Sports category (in response to a soccer playoff post), but it's probably more appropriate here.

Could you just imagine the excitement that would be going on right now if there was the first round of an NCAA football tournament going on right now?

With a 16-team tournament, they could do the first two rounds at the higher seed's home field, and then the last two rounds using existing bowl games.

Teams not making the playoff could still make bowl games.

These would be my games this week:

(16) Arkansas State (Sun Belt champ) at (1) USC (Pac-10 champ) - You can bet Arkansas State fans would be traveling to L.A. in December to see their team play the top-ranked, dual-Heisman Trojans. Trojan fans will turn out to cheer on their two Heisman winners in a tune up for a big game with either Miami or Auburn the next week.

(15) Akron (Mid American champ) at (2) Texas (Big 12 champ) - Akron fans would head south to watch the All-American QB Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in a statement game for them, following Young's losing the Heisman to Reggie Bush.

(14) Tulsa (Conf. USA champ) at (3) Penn St. (Big 10 champ) - This may be the weakest matchup, but it would still fill seats.

(13) Boise St. (WAC champ) at (4) Ohio St. (at large) - Now we're starting to get into some interesting games - this would would at least be more attractive than Boise's currently-scheduled bowl game with Boston College.

(12) TCU (MWC champ) at (5) Oregon (at large) - Doesn't a 12th seed always beat a 5? A couple of strong offenses - this would be an exciting game. In their first game, TCU beat an Oklahoma team that finished the season ranked # 23 in the BCS standings. Oregon lost to USC, and two of the three ranked teams they played made it close, including an overtime win over Cal.

(11) West Virginia (Big East champ) at (6) Notre Dame - It's Notre Dame - that's enough for people to watch.

(10) Virginia Tech (ACC champ) at (7) Georgia (SEC champ) - This would be a huge matchup for viewers in the south, between two teams ranked in the top 10 in the BCS.

(9) Auburn (at large) at ( Miami (FL) (at large) - Another huge southern matchup between perennial powerhouses. This would the game to watch.

There could be games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Of course, this week would be a warm-up for next week, which might be the most exciting week of college football.

Next week, we could see be looking forward to Auburn at USC or Notre Dame at Penn State. Georgia could be playing at Texas, and Oregon traveling out to Ohio State. At stake would be berths in the final four. The BCS Bowls would rotate having three be the playoffs, with the other hosting a New Year's matchup of great teams who didn't make the playoffs. For instance, you could have an Orange Bowl matchup of Texas and Penn State, and a Fiesta Bowl hosting USC and Ohio State.

The Sugar Bowl could host the top two teams not to make the playoffs, LSU and Alabama. Or it could match up two of the playoff teams who didn't make the final four, such as Notre Dame and Oregon. The Rose Bowl would then still be the national championship - it could be played a week after the New Year's Day bowls.

Instead, we're looking forward to Toledo vs. UTEP in the GMAC Bowl on Wednesday.

Now, some of the bowls would suffer and probably fold, but will the world really miss the MPC Computers Bowl?

The reason this isn't happening: inertia. It's hard to change the status quo, even when it is clear that the alternative is better.

I would be much more excited about a college football playoff coming up, than I am about the bowl season right now.

ute4ever · 12-17-2005, 04:36 AM

Something interesting about the Division II-A championship game that was played tonight: it was the 4 seed vs the 6 seed.

Yes USC dominated Hawaii and Arizona State. Their narrowest victory of the season was the squeaker at top ten Notre Dame.

Yes Texas dominated Colorado and Oklahoma. Their narrowest victory of the season was at top ten Ohio State.

To win a 16-team tournament, could either of those teams falter while playing two, three, four games against the best teams out there?

In Division II-A, it happened. In the NCAA hoops tournament, it happens every year (well, except for this year).

SoCalCoug · 12-17-2005, 05:04 AM

Quote:

To win a 16-team tournament, could either of those teams falter while playing two, three, four games against the best teams out there?

In Division II-A, it happened. In the NCAA hoops tournament, it happens every year (well, except for this year).

That's part of the fun. We love the underdog. We don't want to see Goliath beat David. We want to see Akron win the national championship.

VAX77 · 12-20-2005, 04:08 AM

SoCal, I like that format a lot. The only exception is I would not grant small time teams into the "SoCal Sweet 16". I know arkansas state or whoever would travel well to USC but there are other more deserving teams, like a Florida, UCLA, or TCU matchup be better at USC than an arkansas state. I do not like conf champs being automatics bids. I think it is clear that FSU is not the best in the ACC and that taking the straight up top 16 in the playoffs would be much more fun to watch. also, keep like 4 or 5 bowl games for the rest of the teams left over. There would still be some quality bowl games left over.

Just a thought

realtall · 12-20-2005, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAX77

SoCal, I like that format a lot. The only exception is I would not grant small time teams into the "SoCal Sweet 16". I know arkansas state or whoever would travel well to USC but there are other more deserving teams, like a Florida, UCLA, or TCU matchup be better at USC than an arkansas state. I do not like conf champs being automatics bids. I think it is clear that FSU is not the best in the ACC and that taking the straight up top 16 in the playoffs would be much more fun to watch. also, keep like 4 or 5 bowl games for the rest of the teams left over. There would still be some quality bowl games left over.

Just a thought

I disagree somewhat. I think that the automatic bids should go to the conference champs. The at-large bids could go to the 'more deserving teams.' It might be clear to some that one team is better than another but the conference rep needs to be chosen by the conference. The rest should just have to take their chances.

ute4ever · 12-20-2005, 04:40 AM

This weekend ESPN gameday did a hypothetical bracket playoff just like you listed, with their projected winners.

Corso et al displayed their superior knowledge by predicting the higher seed to win every game. In other words, #1 USC defeated #2 Texas in the final, after those two defeated #3 Penn State and #4 Ohio State in the semifinals, and so on.

SteelBlue · 12-20-2005, 05:36 AM

Hey Ute4ever, have I mentioned that I hate you for living 9 miles away from that picture?

ute4ever · 12-20-2005, 05:47 AM

Well I used to say although the high is 70 every day of the year, if it is any consolation, at least the sports teams here suck. But in fact the Padres and Chargers aint too shabby these days. And I'm looking forward to the Holiday Bowl.

P.S. I took that picture on Martin Luther King day in January, the perfect time of year to go to the beach, right?

Pampas Coug · 12-20-2005, 01:40 PM

Well, I took MY avatar pic less than 9 miles from MY home...

:wink:

fuegote · 12-20-2005, 01:50 PM

For whatever reason your avatar doesn't pass my work firewall....I can only imagine what it is.

12-20-2005, 01:40 PM	#9
Pampas Coug Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: eastern west-central Utah Posts: 7	Well, I took MY avatar pic less than 9 miles from MY home... Well, I took MY avatar pic less than 9 miles from MY home... :wink: __________________ Sometimes I think I\'d be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you!

12-20-2005, 01:50 PM	#10
fuegote Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 724	For whatever reason your avatar doesn't pass my work firewall....I can only imagine what it is. __________________ http://www.cavaliersbrigade.com home of the greatest fans in MLS.

12-17-2005, 03:49 AM	#1
SoCalCoug Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Orange County, California Posts: 3,059	What could be I posted this in the Professional Sports category (in response to a soccer playoff post), but it's probably more appropriate here. Could you just imagine the excitement that would be going on right now if there was the first round of an NCAA football tournament going on right now? With a 16-team tournament, they could do the first two rounds at the higher seed's home field, and then the last two rounds using existing bowl games. Teams not making the playoff could still make bowl games. These would be my games this week: (16) Arkansas State (Sun Belt champ) at (1) USC (Pac-10 champ) - You can bet Arkansas State fans would be traveling to L.A. in December to see their team play the top-ranked, dual-Heisman Trojans. Trojan fans will turn out to cheer on their two Heisman winners in a tune up for a big game with either Miami or Auburn the next week. (15) Akron (Mid American champ) at (2) Texas (Big 12 champ) - Akron fans would head south to watch the All-American QB Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in a statement game for them, following Young's losing the Heisman to Reggie Bush. (14) Tulsa (Conf. USA champ) at (3) Penn St. (Big 10 champ) - This may be the weakest matchup, but it would still fill seats. (13) Boise St. (WAC champ) at (4) Ohio St. (at large) - Now we're starting to get into some interesting games - this would would at least be more attractive than Boise's currently-scheduled bowl game with Boston College. (12) TCU (MWC champ) at (5) Oregon (at large) - Doesn't a 12th seed always beat a 5? A couple of strong offenses - this would be an exciting game. In their first game, TCU beat an Oklahoma team that finished the season ranked # 23 in the BCS standings. Oregon lost to USC, and two of the three ranked teams they played made it close, including an overtime win over Cal. (11) West Virginia (Big East champ) at (6) Notre Dame - It's Notre Dame - that's enough for people to watch. (10) Virginia Tech (ACC champ) at (7) Georgia (SEC champ) - This would be a huge matchup for viewers in the south, between two teams ranked in the top 10 in the BCS. (9) Auburn (at large) at ( Miami (FL) (at large) - Another huge southern matchup between perennial powerhouses. This would the game to watch. There could be games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Of course, this week would be a warm-up for next week, which might be the most exciting week of college football. Next week, we could see be looking forward to Auburn at USC or Notre Dame at Penn State. Georgia could be playing at Texas, and Oregon traveling out to Ohio State. At stake would be berths in the final four. The BCS Bowls would rotate having three be the playoffs, with the other hosting a New Year's matchup of great teams who didn't make the playoffs. For instance, you could have an Orange Bowl matchup of Texas and Penn State, and a Fiesta Bowl hosting USC and Ohio State. The Sugar Bowl could host the top two teams not to make the playoffs, LSU and Alabama. Or it could match up two of the playoff teams who didn't make the final four, such as Notre Dame and Oregon. The Rose Bowl would then still be the national championship - it could be played a week after the New Year's Day bowls. Instead, we're looking forward to Toledo vs. UTEP in the GMAC Bowl on Wednesday. Now, some of the bowls would suffer and probably fold, but will the world really miss the MPC Computers Bowl? The reason this isn't happening: inertia. It's hard to change the status quo, even when it is clear that the alternative is better. I would be much more excited about a college football playoff coming up, than I am about the bowl season right now. __________________ Get your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty Yewt! "Now perhaps as I spanked myself screaming out "Kozlowski, say it like you mean it bitch!" might have been out of line, but such was the mood." - Goatnapper "If you want to fatten a pig up to make the pig MORE delicious, you can feed it almost anything. Seriously. The pig is like the car on Back to the Future. You put in garbage, and out comes something magical!" - Cali Coug

12-17-2005, 04:36 AM	#2
ute4ever I must not tell lies Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 5,103	Something interesting about the Division II-A championship game that was played tonight: it was the 4 seed vs the 6 seed. Yes USC dominated Hawaii and Arizona State. Their narrowest victory of the season was the squeaker at top ten Notre Dame. Yes Texas dominated Colorado and Oklahoma. Their narrowest victory of the season was at top ten Ohio State. To win a 16-team tournament, could either of those teams falter while playing two, three, four games against the best teams out there? In Division II-A, it happened. In the NCAA hoops tournament, it happens every year (well, except for this year).

12-20-2005, 04:08 AM	#4
VAX77 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 106	SoCal, I like that format a lot. The only exception is I would not grant small time teams into the "SoCal Sweet 16". I know arkansas state or whoever would travel well to USC but there are other more deserving teams, like a Florida, UCLA, or TCU matchup be better at USC than an arkansas state. I do not like conf champs being automatics bids. I think it is clear that FSU is not the best in the ACC and that taking the straight up top 16 in the playoffs would be much more fun to watch. also, keep like 4 or 5 bowl games for the rest of the teams left over. There would still be some quality bowl games left over. Just a thought

12-20-2005, 04:40 AM	#6
ute4ever I must not tell lies Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 5,103	This weekend ESPN gameday did a hypothetical bracket playoff just like you listed, with their projected winners. Corso et al displayed their superior knowledge by predicting the higher seed to win every game. In other words, #1 USC defeated #2 Texas in the final, after those two defeated #3 Penn State and #4 Ohio State in the semifinals, and so on.

12-20-2005, 05:36 AM	#7
SteelBlue Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Norcal Posts: 5,821	Hey Ute4ever, have I mentioned that I hate you for living 9 miles away from that picture?

12-20-2005, 05:47 AM	#8
ute4ever I must not tell lies Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 5,103	Well I used to say although the high is 70 every day of the year, if it is any consolation, at least the sports teams here suck. But in fact the Padres and Chargers aint too shabby these days. And I'm looking forward to the Holiday Bowl. P.S. I took that picture on Martin Luther King day in January, the perfect time of year to go to the beach, right?