Obligatory 16-team tournament thread

[bgsufalcon24]

I'm surprised nobody has done one of these yet because this board has them every year. Going into the final week of the regular season, in a world where college football was like college basketball and we had a 16-team tournament consisting of all conference champions and the rest at-large teams...here's what we would have:

#1 Clemson (ACC)
#16 Arkansas State (Sun Belt)

#8 Notre Dame (At-large)
#9 Florida State (At-large)

#5 Michigan State (At-large)
#12 Houston (American)

#4 Iowa (B1G)
#13 Western Kentucky (C-USA)

#6 Ohio State (At-large)
#11 Texas Christian (At-large)

#3 Oklahoma (Big XII)
#14 Bowling Green (MAC)

#7 Stanford (Pac-12)
#10 North Carolina (At-large)

#2 Alabama (SEC)
#15 San Diego State (Mt. West)

[Schadenfreude]

This team can score on anybody. It would be fun to see.

[Firelands-Falcon]

What a beautiful sight that would be. Maybe somewhere down the line...

[Globetrotter]

It will never happen now but it would be perfect. I am convinced 3 simple things would make college football great and are inarguable to every fan.

1. 16 team tournament
2. Allow players from Power 5 to transfer to G 5 without sitting out a year
3. Don't let coaches interview until the season is over. Bowl game and all.
And the one they wouldn't allow.
4. 6 home games, 6 away games for everybody.

[hammb]

It will never happen now but it would be perfect. I am convinced 3 simple things would make college football great and are inarguable to every fan.

1. 16 team tournament
2. Allow players from Power 5 to transfer to G 5 without sitting out a year
3. Don't let coaches interview until the season is over. Bowl game and all.
And the one they wouldn't allow.
4. 6 home games, 6 away games for everybody.

I think you'd find some P5 fans that would argue about #2-4, and those fans will also argue that there is no need to include the G5 teams into that 16 team playoff. But I don't think there is a fan in the world that would not enjoy WATCHING that 16 team tournament. And just like in the hoops tourney, outside of the bottom two seeds, I think any of those other lower seeds could win at least one game in that scenario.

The funny thing is that not only does this scenario open it up to teams in the G5, but it also allows all of the P5 teams that are crying now to also get in. It doesn't devalue the regular season as every team in that 16 team bracket has either A) won their conference, or B) put forth a pretty damned good season worthy of inclusion.

It just makes too much sense to happen.

As for your other points, I'd love to see all of them. You'll never see #4...no way no how. And I'm not even sure we want it. The G5 teams make a tidy profit off some of those road games, so in reality I think it's one place where all teams/schools would be against it. Letting the big schools with the massive stadiums play more home games is just a way to maximize the overall revenue of college football. #2 & #3 would be a way to help even the G5/P5 playing field and for that reason I don't think we'll ever see that.

But the 16 team tournament just makes sense. It benefits everybody. It would bring far greater revenue in TV & butts in seats than any previous system. It is fair and equitable to all D1A programs. I cannot for the life of me figure out why it hasn't, or seemingly won't, happen.

[Falcon137]

All of Globe's points make to much sense to ever happen. Except for the 16 team playoff, that could happen.

P5 fans are the ultimate hypocrites.

Ohio State fans last year - True conference champs should be in!!!
Ohio State fans this year - Best teams should be in! Regardless if they won their conference championship!

16 team tournament year 1 -

Oklahoma fan (or insert P5 fan) - Yes! About time they included all the best teams and gave them a shot.

Year 2 after being upset by Boise, BG, etc. -

P5 fan - Ridiculous! That team wasn't even ranked in the top 16! They had no business being there.

More games equal more money, so one day it will happen. The question will be, will most of the group of 5 is around to see it.

[hammb]

All of Globe's points make to much sense to ever happen. Except for the 16 team playoff, that could happen.

P5 fans are the ultimate hypocrites.

Ohio State fans last year - True conference champs should be in!!!
Ohio State fans this year - Best teams should be in! Regardless if they won their conference championship!

16 team tournament year 1 -

Oklahoma fan (or insert P5 fan) - Yes! About time they included all the best teams and gave them a shot.

Year 2 after being upset by Boise, BG, etc. -

P5 fan - Ridiculous! That team wasn't even ranked in the top 16! They had no business being there.

More games equal more money, so one day it will happen. The question will be, will most of the group of 5 is around to see it.

Could not agree more man. Especially with the OSU fans sentiment this year. I keep hearing them say they got in last year because they were champs but the reality is they got in because in a tie situation the tie went to the money.

If they get to this year and will be the same reason.

[kdog27]

It will never happen now but it would be perfect. I am convinced 3 simple things would make college football great and are inarguable to every fan.

1. 16 team tournament
2. Allow players from Power 5 to transfer to G 5 without sitting out a year
3. Don't let coaches interview until the season is over. Bowl game and all.
And the one they wouldn't allow.
4. 6 home games, 6 away games for everybody.

The trouble with #2 is you'd have to allow it both ways. That might hurt schools like BG more than it would help.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

I don't think they would ever do byes with the playoff if it expanded, but if they did I think 12 would be a good number to go to. 10 conference champs and 2 at larges. Still emphasizes that winning your conference is the number one goal, and doesn't devalue the regular season with just the two extra spots. That's what I would like, I just don't think they will ever do bye weeks in it like FCS does.

[jpfalcon09]

What a 16-team field that would be...every game would be worth watching.

[Warthog]

I've come to terms that an 8 team playoff would at least be better. Take the 5 P5 conference champs, one G5 team as determined by the committee and then 2 at large teams.

[Schadenfreude]

2. Allow players from Power 5 to transfer to G 5 without sitting out a year

The trouble with #2 is you'd have to allow it both ways. That might hurt schools like BG more than it would help.

Anything that further formalized a distinction between the G5 and P5 would not be a good precident. To the extent possible, FBS schools should be treated as equals.

[tracksuperfan]

I'd love to see an expanded playoff and the death of the bowl system for one simple reason: money. MAC teams tend to lose money when they go to a bowl (they can never sell out their required ticket allotment and the once they can sell aren't at the price they paid for them). Bowls are designed to make money for the largely unaccountable bowl committees that run them and at the expense of the teams that play in them, and I have no use for them whatsoever. But 96% of NCAA basketball tournament profits go back to member schools and in a relatively equitable fashion, and MAC teams need more of that.

If it were 16 teams I don't think I'd ever see BG win another postseason game, but I'd be OK with that if it meant that the rest of the athletic department had a little more cash to spend.

If it were 32 teams, then MAC teams would have a fighting chance to advance to the second round. Play the first round games on campus sites in two weeks, then play the round of 16 on/around New Year's Day at traditional bowl sites (Pasadena, Miami, New Orleans, etc), and get it so that the championship game is in the off weekend before the Super Bowl.

[bgsufalcon24]

Bowling Green punched their ticket to the fictional big dance last night, so no change in the bracket as of yet. I'll update the board as we go through the weekend. CUSA and the American are playing their championship games in the noon window

[Globetrotter]

Bowling Green punched their ticket to the fictional big dance last night, so no change in the bracket as of yet. I'll update the board as we go through the weekend. CUSA and the American are playing their championship games in the noon window

Saves me time...I love it. What are you going to use to rank the teams 1-16?