Keep the multitude of conferences.

Differentiate conferences ONLY by how many guaranteed playoff spots they get, according to clear rules. (e.g. CCG winner + top 4, top 1, top 2, etc.)

Let teams declare their conference for the upcoming season in say late June. Each team should have at least 3 conferences open to them. Conferences would have clear rules giving specific teams priority over others (based on program identity/history or even last year's record).

Yes teams have to do a lot of guesswork and game theory in the offseason.

Programs like ttu that want to Big XII their way to the CFP can do so
Teams like us that want to SEC their way can do it

Bonus #1: makes the offseason more interesting
Bonus #2: reduces leverage of media giants -- they're now downstream of a large number of distributed decisions.
Bonus #3: reduces leverage of conferences + their regressive leadership

huh... I hate it

Fatboy Thaddeus said:

---

Keep the multitude of conferences.

Differentiate conferences ONLY by how many guaranteed playoff spots they get, according to clear rules. (e.g. CCG winner + top 4, top 1, top 2, etc.)

Let teams declare their conference for the upcoming season in say late June. Each team should have at least 3 conferences open to them. Conferences would have clear rules giving specific teams priority over others (based on program identity/history or even last year's record).

Yes teams have to do a lot of guesswork and game theory in the offseason.

Programs like ttu that want to Big XII their way to the CFP can do so
Teams like us that want to SEC their way can do it

Bonus #1: makes the offseason more interesting
Bonus #2: reduces leverage of media giants -- they're now downstream of a large number of distributed decisions.
Bonus #3: reduces leverage of conferences + their regressive leadership

---

Bolded is opposite. The SEC/B1G have leverage with the media giants because we know what our viewership rate is. If we can't create a reasonable level of certainty that these numbers will get hit, then networks aren't going to pay for it. And there's no way we can create a reasonable level of certainty if we have no idea who is even going to be in the conference.

I just don't like rotating conferences.

I like the idea of giving each conference a number of teams to make the CFP. I'm sick of seeing 2/3 of the teams rely purely on a committee to get in. I'd like standings to take a bigger role.

I like more of a relegation style. Bottom 4 from both the SEC and BIG get demoted Top 8 teams from the lower conferences get divied up between the SEC and BIG. Top 4 teams from the BIG and SEC make the playoffs to battle it out.

I don't understand...you want every college football team to declare their conference every year? How would that work when 47 teams declare for the SEC and 7 declare for the ACC?

Then you want to give schedulers and logistics people a month and a half to determine where teams play and how they get there? Plus the fans that schedule trips to away games months/years ahead of time.

Then make the networks choose their games they're televising after all that work is done?

I think this is the new worst playoff suggestion

How about we have each conference have a JV and a Varsity. JV is bottom half, Varsity is top half.

Each team has to have a reasonable split of JV and Varsity in their respective conference schedule and realignment within conference only JV/Varsity occurs each year.

Playoffs remain the same other than Independents and non-power conferences get dropped.

Oh, eff it.

Just have a Big10 v. SEC super conference playoff.

Expand the Big10 and SEC to capture any remaining serious football programs.

Have an invitational system where up to 2 non Big10 v. SEC teams are invited to particiapte. (only as determined by the ADs of the Big10 and SEC), and there you go.

Tex117 said:

---

Oh, eff it.

Just have a Big10 v. SEC super conference playoff.

Expand the Big10 and SEC to capture any remaining serious football programs.

Have an invitational system where up to 2 non Big10 v. SEC teams are invited to particiapte. (only as determined by the ADs of the Big10 and SEC), and there you go.

---

This is the reality that CFP doesn't want to admit. Once the ACC folds, it will force their hand. If the ACC was already dead and Miami was realigned, you'd have 9 SEC/B1G schools in the playoff this year.

bodaciousbood14 said:

---

I don't understand...you want every college football team to declare their conference every year? How would that work when 47 teams declare for the SEC and 7 declare for the ACC?

---

Exactly. The key is that it'll only work if everyone lays out (and sticks to) clear rules for who will get preference over whom to e.g. join the SEC in your scenario. (Ditto for progressing from conferences into CFP at end of season) No dirty backroom deals, no Disney/ESPN tampering, no state governors getting involved.

It's a rules-based order all the way down, and the necessary complexity is embraced, not monetized.

Fatboy Thaddeus said:

---

Keep the multitude of conferences.

Differentiate conferences ONLY by how many guaranteed playoff spots they get, according to clear rules. (e.g. CCG winner + top 4, top 1, top 2, etc.)

Let teams declare their conference for the upcoming season in say late June. Each team should have at least 3 conferences open to them. Conferences would have clear rules giving specific teams priority over others (based on program identity/history or even last year's record).

Yes teams have to do a lot of guesswork and game theory in the offseason.

Programs like ttu that want to Big XII their way to the CFP can do so
Teams like us that want to SEC their way can do it

Bonus #1: makes the offseason more interesting
Bonus #2: reduces leverage of media giants -- they're now downstream of a large number of distributed decisions.
Bonus #3: reduces leverage of conferences + their regressive leadership

---

Siri...take a chaotic football landscape and make it worse

The Banned said:

---

Fatboy Thaddeus said:

---

Bonus #2: reduces leverage of media giants -- they're now downstream of a large number of distributed decisions.

---

Bolded is opposite. The SEC/B1G have leverage with the media giants because we know what our viewership rate is. If we can't create a reasonable level of certainty that these numbers will get hit, then networks aren't going to pay for it. And there's no way we can create a reasonable level of certainty if we have no idea who is even going to be in the conference.

---

You're assuming SEC/B1G will be primary market makers. This scheme aims to commoditize conferences. WGAS if they lose leverage due to uncertainty in their membership year-to-year? Not me b/c I also (perhaps unlike you) don't assume the SEC/B1G are benevolent dictators acting in every school's best interests...especially ours.

The playoff is awesome. It's by far the best postseason format college football has ever had.

This. The only improvement would be to add more teams and get rid of the bowl games.

No. It took us long enough to get a damn playoff let's keep it going.