CFP Semi Games

[fjblair]

Georgia took the undisputed #1 to the wire and should have won. Notre Dame getting in instead of UGA is a continuation of the joke the BCS was before the playoff. UGA V Clemson would have been an epic battle.
I think independent teams shouldn’t be allowed in the playoff unless they play all top 15 teams all season.

Shouldn’t have lost by 20 to LSU then.

The point is they are clearly a better team that Notre Dame despite the loss. Do you want to see the best teams or the best record?

edit: I see you have already answered in a post above. I just disagree.

And that’s fine, I can see both views. It’s just that sometimes the conventional wisdom about who’s “clearly better” doesn’t hold up when the games are played.

Remember when #1 Ohio State edged #2 Michigan in the regular season finale, and a lot of people thought they should rematch in the title game because they were clearly the two best teams? Instead OSU played Florida and got blown out.

Plenty of other examples where conventional wisdom turned out wrong. And then there are cases where it goes as expected. I just prefer to see those things settled on the field.

To be sure there will never be consensus and I get that the regular season and conference championships have to matter. Oklahoma and to a lesser extent Notre Dame were "deserving", but Georgia is a better team than either of those and is punished for playing the same conference as Alabama.

The spreads were double digits in both of these games, which would not be the case with either if Georgia were the opponent. It is that simple.

[Rick83]

This is exactly why the playoffs need to be expanded to more than just 4 teams.

[Goapps15]

At an 8 team playoff it would lead to better semifinal games. Teams like Notre Dame and OU would lose to Ohio St and Georgia at the end of the year.

If we are going to play conference title games than the 5 winners should get in.

[Appstate88]

At an 8 team playoff it would lead to better semifinal games. Teams like Notre Dame and OU would lose to Ohio St and Georgia at the end of the year.

If we are going to play conference title games than the 5 winners should get in.

Agree with 8. Each Power 5 Conference Champ gets in. Committee makes 3 at large selections.(2) from P5s and (1) from G5 conferences.

[NavyApp]

At an 8 team playoff it would lead to better semifinal games. Teams like Notre Dame and OU would lose to Ohio St and Georgia at the end of the year.

If we are going to play conference title games than the 5 winners should get in.

Agree with 8. Each Power 5 Conference Champ gets in. Committee makes 3 at large selections.(2) from P5s and (1) from G5 conferences.

Absolutely not! This is the problem we are experiencing now. Conference championship games should not have playoff tie ins. The 8 best teams regardless of conference. No pac12 team this year deserved to even sniff a championship game (nor did Notre Dame). But none of this matters; it will always but the biggest names from the biggest conferences.

[mountaineerman]

If ND was in the Coastal division this year and didn’t get play Clemson in the regular season they end up playing them in the ACC championship game and most certainly lose. Then you have a one loss ND team versus a two loss Georgia team. Committee still probably puts ND in.

No

[The Rock]

If ND was in the Coastal division this year and didn’t get play Clemson in the regular season they end up playing them in the ACC championship game and most certainly lose. Then you have a one loss ND team versus a two loss Georgia team. Committee still probably puts ND in.

No

Doubtful if they get completely shut down and embarrassed the way they did last night and with how close the UGA V Alabama game was.

[MountaineerMafia]

Told my wife both would be blowouts before they started. The time for an 8 team playoff has arrived. Letting the same few teams play each other every year has gotten stale, as has trying to convince us that there is no better football out there past the P5. I honestly feel sorry for people when they tell me they don't care about App or G5 football..... It's a more balanced playing field and coaches actually have to coach and teams actually have to win on multiple phases of the game.

The games this weekend are exactly why we WON'T see an 8 team playoff any time soon though. Not even 4 teams had a shot to be national champs this year. 8 won't make that any better. I know it will be nearly impossible for App (or any G5 really) to ever make the CFP but if they ever did it would make it that much bigger of a deal. And App (or any G5) would become the Cinderella of the whole thing and just being in the game would be totally worth it, even if it would end up being a blowout like the games this weekend.

[canes_mj]

I have no problem with UGa not getting in...they have two losses. One great thing about CFB is that the regular season matters so much....which it no longer will if you start putting teams in there with 2 or 3 losses. It'd be closer to the NFL model with their 9-7 "champions." UGa had their shot, and they lost...why do they get another? What if they took them to the wire and lost, again? Play the game a 3rd or 4th time?

Yeh ND's schedule was weak this year, but so was Clemson's (whose was arguably weaker).

I'd like to have it expand to 6 or 8. Auto births for conference champions ONLY. The regular season is a year long playoff that way. Work it out with first round byes if it's 6; and if it's 8 then the P5 conf champs get auto bids, the last 3 spots get somehow divided to the highest 3 G5 schools.

[appstatealum]

Told my wife both would be blowouts before they started. The time for an 8 team playoff has arrived. Letting the same few teams play each other every year has gotten stale, as has trying to convince us that there is no better football out there past the P5. I honestly feel sorry for people when they tell me they don't care about App or G5 football..... It's a more balanced playing field and coaches actually have to coach and teams actually have to win on multiple phases of the game.

The games this weekend are exactly why we WON'T see an 8 team playoff any time soon though. Not even 4 teams had a shot to be national champs this year. 8 won't make that any better. I know it will be nearly impossible for App (or any G5 really) to ever make the CFP but if they ever did it would make it that much bigger of a deal. And App (or any G5) would become the Cinderella of the whole thing and just being in the game would be totally worth it, even if it would end up being a blowout like the games this weekend.

See, I feel the opposite. It will serve 2 purposes, more interesting games (Cinderella stories) and let more teams battle it out on the field. When a committee tries to just pick 4, they are more often or not going to get it wrong and the result is the trash we saw Saturday. I don’t care about “benefiting App” (well, I do sort of), I’m just a purest and want to see more quality football.

[MountaineerMafia]

I have no problem with UGa not getting in...they have two losses. One great thing about CFB is that the regular season matters so much....which it no longer will if you start putting teams in there with 2 or 3 losses. It'd be closer to the NFL model with their 9-7 "champions." UGa had their shot, and they lost...why do they get another? What if they took them to the wire and lost, again? Play the game a 3rd or 4th time?

Yeh ND's schedule was weak this year, but so was Clemson's (whose was arguably weaker).

I'd like to have it expand to 6 or 8. Auto births for conference champions ONLY. The regular season is a year long playoff that way. Work it out with first round byes if it's 6; and if it's 8 then the P5 conf champs get auto bids, the last 3 spots get somehow divided to the highest 3 G5 schools.

You think they are going to let in 3 G5 schools?!? I like your point about UGA and I think the field will eventually expand (only due to a money grab and not for the betterment of competition) but if even 1 G5 has a guaranteed spot it will be a huge win. No way 3 get in though.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

If they go to 8 team playoff, they should start a 4 team NIP for the next level of teams not making the CFP.

[mike87]

i like a live auction. The 4 AD's that bid the highest get to play. Eliminates the guesswork and provides transparency.

[WASU 93]

Told my wife both would be blowouts before they started. The time for an 8 team playoff has arrived. Letting the same few teams play each other every year has gotten stale, as has trying to convince us that there is no better football out there past the P5. I honestly feel sorry for people when they tell me they don't care about App or G5 football..... It's a more balanced playing field and coaches actually have to coach and teams actually have to win on multiple phases of the game.

The games this weekend are exactly why we WON'T see an 8 team playoff any time soon though. Not even 4 teams had a shot to be national champs this year. 8 won't make that any better. I know it will be nearly impossible for App (or any G5 really) to ever make the CFP but if they ever did it would make it that much bigger of a deal. And App (or any G5) would become the Cinderella of the whole thing and just being in the game would be totally worth it, even if it would end up being a blowout like the games this weekend.

We'll see an 8 team playoff when is makes financial sense or when the Big 10 and Pac 10 whine enough to be included. It's not about how many teams can potentially be the champ.

[JMappfan5]

Only 2 teams have the talent to win a Championship and they are playing on Jan 7th. UGa had their chance and failed they did not deserve to be in the Final 4. Arguments could be made for OSU, Oklahoma or ND. Committee probably got this right. GO TIGERS!!!

[canes_mj]

I have no problem with UGa not getting in...they have two losses. One great thing about CFB is that the regular season matters so much....which it no longer will if you start putting teams in there with 2 or 3 losses. It'd be closer to the NFL model with their 9-7 "champions." UGa had their shot, and they lost...why do they get another? What if they took them to the wire and lost, again? Play the game a 3rd or 4th time?

Yeh ND's schedule was weak this year, but so was Clemson's (whose was arguably weaker).

I'd like to have it expand to 6 or 8. Auto births for conference champions ONLY. The regular season is a year long playoff that way. Work it out with first round byes if it's 6; and if it's 8 then the P5 conf champs get auto bids, the last 3 spots get somehow divided to the highest 3 G5 schools.

You think they are going to let in 3 G5 schools?!? I like your point about UGA and I think the field will eventually expand (only due to a money grab and not for the betterment of competition) but if even 1 G5 has a guaranteed spot it will be a huge win. No way 3 get in though.

No I don't think they'll let 3 in. As you said, they may not even have a guaranteed spot for 1 G5. I just wrote my ideal playoff scenario, what I would like to see happen.

[MountaineerMafia]

I have no problem with UGa not getting in...they have two losses. One great thing about CFB is that the regular season matters so much....which it no longer will if you start putting teams in there with 2 or 3 losses. It'd be closer to the NFL model with their 9-7 "champions." UGa had their shot, and they lost...why do they get another? What if they took them to the wire and lost, again? Play the game a 3rd or 4th time?

Yeh ND's schedule was weak this year, but so was Clemson's (whose was arguably weaker).

I'd like to have it expand to 6 or 8. Auto births for conference champions ONLY. The regular season is a year long playoff that way. Work it out with first round byes if it's 6; and if it's 8 then the P5 conf champs get auto bids, the last 3 spots get somehow divided to the highest 3 G5 schools.

You think they are going to let in 3 G5 schools?!? I like your point about UGA and I think the field will eventually expand (only due to a money grab and not for the betterment of competition) but if even 1 G5 has a guaranteed spot it will be a huge win. No way 3 get in though.

No I don't think they'll let 3 in. As you said, they may not even have a guaranteed spot for 1 G5. I just wrote my ideal playoff scenario, what I would like to see happen.

Ah, ok. I understand. It can't happen but my wish;

4 team G5 playoff with the champ getting into a 6 team CFP. Teams ranked 1 & 2 get a bye in the first round. Set up like the wildcard weekend in NFL.

In that scenario the P5's keep their conference championship games and each winner gets one of the 5 spots. The G5's have to eliminate conference championship games and start their 4 team playoff during that weekend. Also, they would have to have the G5 championship game the same weekend as Army/Navy. This way we see the G5 matchups we want while also getting our G5 rep into the CFP. Eliminating conference championship games for G5's would suck but I just don't see them being able to keep them around. Too many games if the G5's ever want to make a realistic run at a championship.

[EastHallApp]

So are all the "UGA should have been in the playoff" folks now switching to the "they were just too disappointed to care" narrative to excuse them getting worked over by Texas?

[JMappfan5]

So are all the "UGA should have been in the playoff" folks now switching to the "they were just too disappointed to care" narrative to excuse them getting worked over by Texas?

So glad UGA got spanked!!! They had their chance to make the CFP and blew it. No excuses...they did not deserve another shot in the playoffs!!!

[canes_mj]

So are all the "UGA should have been in the playoff" folks now switching to the "they were just too disappointed to care" narrative to excuse them getting worked over by Texas?

Best 3 loss team in the country. They deserve another chance