Rumblings of App in 12 Team Playoff

[AppUSMC]

I can’t believe that how far this program has come that Sports Illustrated has an article about App in a 12 team playoff. Seems like yesterday many argued we should stay FCS. The FBS crowd argued we’ll never know until we take that chance. Well. Here we are, and every second of this is amazing!

https://www.si.com/college/2022/09/19/c ... -cut-today

[t4pizza]

The best benefit of the expanded playoff is that there will be at least 1 G5 conference champion in the field. With the improved strength of the Sun Belt, that champion will be a a very good position to make the field. Once the playoff starts, App State should have a good chance on an annual basis of playing our way into the playoff field. Expansion can't get here soon enough.

[AppUSMC]

The more I think about it, the 12 team playoff will help our recruiting and help us with the portal. Exciting times are coming! It’s a great time to be a Mountaineer!

[Rick83]

The more I think about it, the 12 team playoff will help our recruiting and help us with the portal. Exciting times are coming! It’s a great time to be a Mountaineer!

I totally agree and have posted articles and tried to get discussions going on it but it only gets a tepid response from this board so far. I haven't understood why people aren't jumping up and down about this. In my opinion it's MASSIVELY HUGE for our program. The impact on recruiting (and interest from those in the transfer portal) and the interest generated if we were to make the playoff would be incredible. It's especially significant because one of the complaints about an expanded playoff would be that we would be the last seed and have to play Alabama or Ohio State in game 1 and get slaughtered but this format gives the top 4 seeds a bye so we'd have a shot at an easier game 1 win and then a second playoff game which would have to be a big upset.
Hopefully, they will implement this for the 2024 season which is being considered but no later than the 2026 season I believe.

This is huge for us!!

[festus105]

I think it would definitely help us in recruiting and the portal. Think about it... you're in the portal or coming out of high school... You have the opportunity to attend a mid to low level P5 school versus coming to Appalachian (one of the consistently top G5 programs). Which program will have a better chance of participating in an expanded playoff? I'd put my money on App or another top level G5 program rather than the mid to low P5 school. Of course, this doesn't take into consideration possible NIL money... there we are most likely at a disadvantage.

[bigdaddyg]

Except for a select few big P5's any expanded playoff format for the G5's will basically start week 1. Assuming that our basic schedule includes at least one P5 (probably needs to include 2) and 2 decent but winnable non-conference games we are probably going to have to go 12-0 or 11-1 (then add in the CCG win) to be in the mix. The only way we could end up as the 6th highest ranked conference champion is if the other G5's either implode or just feast on each other. If the Belt continues to improve there will be really good teams going 9-3. Guess we will see how it goes.

[Rick83]

Except for a select few big P5's any expanded playoff format for the G5's will basically start week 1. Assuming that our basic schedule includes at least one P5 (probably needs to include 2) and 2 decent but winnable non-conference games we are probably going to have to go 12-0 or 11-1 (then add in the CCG win) to be in the mix. The only way we could end up as the 6th highest ranked conference champion is if the other G5's either implode or just feast on each other. If the Belt continues to improve there will be really good teams going 9-3. Guess we will see how it goes.

The AAC is losing their top 3 teams and the Sun Belt is now clearly one of, if not the best, G5 conference. The key is winning the Sun Belt conference and then being ranked higher than the other 4 G5 champions and we're in. We are supremely well-positioned to sell this to recruits.

[AppState89]

I think it would definitely help us in recruiting and the portal. Think about it... you're in the portal or coming out of high school... You have the opportunity to attend a mid to low level P5 school versus coming to Appalachian (one of the consistently top G5 programs). Which program will have a better chance of participating in an expanded playoff? I'd put my money on App or another top level G5 program rather than the mid to low P5 school. Of course, this doesn't take into consideration possible NIL money... there we are most likely at a disadvantage.

I agree 100%. If we can get some top tier players in the portal or coming out of high school, it will make us even better. I can transfer to Miss State, NC State, Nebraska, Mich State (and not make the playoffs) or go to App State (who can win the conference championship in the BEST G5 conference and MAKE it to the playoffs), then I'm picking App State. At least, this would be "my" thinking and hope "their" thinking too.

[AppState89]

I think it would definitely help us in recruiting and the portal. Think about it... you're in the portal or coming out of high school... You have the opportunity to attend a mid to low level P5 school versus coming to Appalachian (one of the consistently top G5 programs). Which program will have a better chance of participating in an expanded playoff? I'd put my money on App or another top level G5 program rather than the mid to low P5 school. Of course, this doesn't take into consideration possible NIL money... there we are most likely at a disadvantage.

I agree 100%. If we can get some top tier players in the portal or coming out of high school, it will make us even better. I can transfer to Miss State, NC State, Nebraska, Mich State (and not make the playoffs) or go to App State (who can win the conference championship in the BEST G5 conference and MAKE it to the playoffs), then I'm picking App State. At least, this would be "my" thinking and hope "their" thinking too.

[spacemonkey]

If the top 6 conference champs is the rule and it is a long term contract, I think you will see some teams start looking at creating a 10 team conference. ( A reversal of the big conferences)
The old ACC (When Florida State Joined) or the Sunbelt East with 9 teams including UAB, ECU, (One other team) would make for a great chance to be the top 6 rated conference champs. I think you will see a new Conference created out of the existing P5's. If not it will be because the Conference championship games are creating huge amounts of money. With the new rule, there is no reason for the PAC not to stay at 10 and the Big 12 not to stay at 12.

[AppState89]

Hmmmmm.....How did my post show up there twice? Guess I get a 2 for 1.

[Rick83]

If the top 6 conference champs is the rule and it is a long term contract, I think you will see some teams start looking at creating a 10 team conference. ( A reversal of the big conferences)
The old ACC (When Florida State Joined) or the Sunbelt East with 9 teams including UAB, ECU, (One other team) would make for a great chance to be the top 6 rated conference champs. I think you will see a new Conference created out of the existing P5's. If not it will be because the Conference championship games are creating huge amounts of money. With the new rule, there is no reason for the PAC not to stay at 10 and the Big 12 not to stay at 12.

The non-conference champion teams sill have a path to the playoffs as they will take the top 6 rated to finish out the 12 teams. My perception of the current trend for the larger conferences was driven by getting larger TV contracts. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. The good news is that they want to include the G5 world with a legitimate realistic path. Hopefully that desire will stay through all of the changes as it's good for the long term health of college football...at least in my opinion.

[ASU-FTW]

The more I think about it, the 12 team playoff will help our recruiting and help us with the portal. Exciting times are coming! It’s a great time to be a Mountaineer!

I totally agree and have posted articles and tried to get discussions going on it but it only gets a tepid response from this board so far. I haven't understood why people aren't jumping up and down about this. In my opinion it's MASSIVELY HUGE for our program. The impact on recruiting (and interest from those in the transfer portal) and the interest generated if we were to make the playoff would be incredible. It's especially significant because one of the complaints about an expanded playoff would be that we would be the last seed and have to play Alabama or Ohio State in game 1 and get slaughtered but this format gives the top 4 seeds a bye so we'd have a shot at an easier game 1 win and then a second playoff game which would have to be a big upset.
Hopefully, they will implement this for the 2024 season which is being considered but no later than the 2026 season I believe.

This is huge for us!!

The issue preventing this from getting more hype and discussion is fear and uncertainty. We have a long ways to go this season and essentially one loss will derail the hope of making it to the playoffs. In years past we tend to drop a game that we should have won which takes us out of the AP Top 25 and crushed our NY6 bowl aspiration hopes. I just think we are tired of being let down and are being careful to look ahead too far at this point.

[bigdaddyg]

Do schools or independent organizations ever gather information from incoming college athletes to gauge why they want to play athletics in college? Obviously lots of the top tier football and basketball players have aspirations of going pro. The majority of course would probably answer that they are getting a free or partially paid ride and hope to achieve a degree. Several on here feel like App football could benefit with transfers or higher levels of recruits if we get on the playoff track. That could be true but it could also be that us fans aspire for all of these extra games more than most players do. Do 18 year old kids coming out of high school really think about being in playoffs in college? Unless it's changed a huge percent believe they will play in the NFL. I just wonder if the playoff deal is that huge for the average player. It means extra practice and more wear and tear on their bodies. Just a thought.

[Rick83]

The more I think about it, the 12 team playoff will help our recruiting and help us with the portal. Exciting times are coming! It’s a great time to be a Mountaineer!

I totally agree and have posted articles and tried to get discussions going on it but it only gets a tepid response from this board so far. I haven't understood why people aren't jumping up and down about this. In my opinion it's MASSIVELY HUGE for our program. The impact on recruiting (and interest from those in the transfer portal) and the interest generated if we were to make the playoff would be incredible. It's especially significant because one of the complaints about an expanded playoff would be that we would be the last seed and have to play Alabama or Ohio State in game 1 and get slaughtered but this format gives the top 4 seeds a bye so we'd have a shot at an easier game 1 win and then a second playoff game which would have to be a big upset.
Hopefully, they will implement this for the 2024 season which is being considered but no later than the 2026 season I believe.

This is huge for us!!

The issue preventing this from getting more hype and discussion is fear and uncertainty. We have a long ways to go this season and essentially one loss will derail the hope of making it to the playoffs. In years past we tend to drop a game that we should have won which takes us out of the AP Top 25 and crushed our NY6 bowl aspiration hopes. I just think we are tired of being let down and are being careful to look ahead too far at this point.

The new playoff format doesn't start officially until 2026, but they are trying to implement it by 2024 or 2025. So I don't understand the reference about this year's playoffs. We're not talking about this season. I also don't understand a prior poster talking about having to go undefeated with P5 wins and all that. That is not correct, unless I'm missing something, all we have to do is win the Sun Belt and be ranked higher than the other 4 G5 champions.
Again, I don't understand the ambivalence about this huge development in college football that should help recruiting and transfers coming in immediately. Now, the Sun Belt is getting tougher to win, but we have a legitimate and realistic path to the expanded playoffs hopefully by 2024 or 2025, but for sure in 2026. I am totally stoked about what this can mean to our program.

[t4pizza]

If the top 6 conference champs is the rule and it is a long term contract, I think you will see some teams start looking at creating a 10 team conference. ( A reversal of the big conferences)
The old ACC (When Florida State Joined) or the Sunbelt East with 9 teams including UAB, ECU, (One other team) would make for a great chance to be the top 6 rated conference champs. I think you will see a new Conference created out of the existing P5's. If not it will be because the Conference championship games are creating huge amounts of money. With the new rule, there is no reason for the PAC not to stay at 10 and the Big 12 not to stay at 12.

The problem with this idea is that those new smaller conferences would not be part of the playoff contract. Unless all the Presidents agreed, those new conferences would not have access. Other than that, I tend to agree that a guaranteed playoff seat would help promote smaller regional conference realignment.

[Rick83]

If the top 6 conference champs is the rule and it is a long term contract, I think you will see some teams start looking at creating a 10 team conference. ( A reversal of the big conferences)
The old ACC (When Florida State Joined) or the Sunbelt East with 9 teams including UAB, ECU, (One other team) would make for a great chance to be the top 6 rated conference champs. I think you will see a new Conference created out of the existing P5's. If not it will be because the Conference championship games are creating huge amounts of money. With the new rule, there is no reason for the PAC not to stay at 10 and the Big 12 not to stay at 12.

The problem with this idea is that those new smaller conferences would not be part of the playoff contract. Unless all the Presidents agreed, those new conferences would not have access. Other than that, I tend to agree that a guaranteed playoff seat would help promote smaller regional conference realignment.

I would think that they came up with the concept of guaranteed spots for the top 6 conference champions based on the current 10 conference structure. So, if there was some other seismic shift in the number and structure of the FBS schools, I would think they would adjust the playoff selection criteria accordingly. No way to know but I still contend this is huge for us.

[t4pizza]

The more I think about it, the 12 team playoff will help our recruiting and help us with the portal. Exciting times are coming! It’s a great time to be a Mountaineer!

I totally agree and have posted articles and tried to get discussions going on it but it only gets a tepid response from this board so far. I haven't understood why people aren't jumping up and down about this. In my opinion it's MASSIVELY HUGE for our program. The impact on recruiting (and interest from those in the transfer portal) and the interest generated if we were to make the playoff would be incredible. It's especially significant because one of the complaints about an expanded playoff would be that we would be the last seed and have to play Alabama or Ohio State in game 1 and get slaughtered but this format gives the top 4 seeds a bye so we'd have a shot at an easier game 1 win and then a second playoff game which would have to be a big upset.
Hopefully, they will implement this for the 2024 season which is being considered but no later than the 2026 season I believe.

This is huge for us!!

The issue preventing this from getting more hype and discussion is fear and uncertainty. We have a long ways to go this season and essentially one loss will derail the hope of making it to the playoffs. In years past we tend to drop a game that we should have won which takes us out of the AP Top 25 and crushed our NY6 bowl aspiration hopes. I just think we are tired of being let down and are being careful to look ahead too far at this point.

I don't really think any fear is justified in the current and future landscape of college football. The expanded playoff will happen, the Presidents are the ones that made sure of that and made it happen. The highest rated G5 school will get into the playoffs. The Sun Belt has positioned itself very well and is considered the best G5 conference and this is before the AAC loses its best 3 teams. We are currently the highest ranked G5 (received the most points even though not ranked) and if we continue to win that should continue. Unlike past years where an AAC school has started out ranked and then continued winning and built up a solid ranking, that isn't the case this year. Houston had the best shot but has already lost 2 games. I really think the Sun Belt champ will end up in the expanded playoffs more than other conferences. And I really think that we will be in the mix for the Sun Belt title on a yearly basis. The fear and uncertainty were based on unknows and hypotheticals, now the landscaped is changed and looking at the known criteria the future is very bright and excited for App State.

[t4pizza]

If the top 6 conference champs is the rule and it is a long term contract, I think you will see some teams start looking at creating a 10 team conference. ( A reversal of the big conferences)
The old ACC (When Florida State Joined) or the Sunbelt East with 9 teams including UAB, ECU, (One other team) would make for a great chance to be the top 6 rated conference champs. I think you will see a new Conference created out of the existing P5's. If not it will be because the Conference championship games are creating huge amounts of money. With the new rule, there is no reason for the PAC not to stay at 10 and the Big 12 not to stay at 12.

The problem with this idea is that those new smaller conferences would not be part of the playoff contract. Unless all the Presidents agreed, those new conferences would not have access. Other than that, I tend to agree that a guaranteed playoff seat would help promote smaller regional conference realignment.

I would think that they came up with the concept of guaranteed spots for the top 6 conference champions based on the current 10 conference structure. So, if there was some other seismic shift in the number and structure of the FBS schools, I would think they would adjust the playoff selection criteria accordingly. No way to know but I still contend this is huge for us.

The Presidents could change the criteria, but what motivation would they have for doing so? This expansion was not done by the AD or any conference commissioners, the Presidents were the ones that got together and made it happen. And one of the reasons given was to stabilize conferences. I am not sure they would want to be meeting every couple years to approve a new conference and redraw the playoff contract. But anything can happen with contracts as long as each side has proper motivation.

[Rick83]

If the top 6 conference champs is the rule and it is a long term contract, I think you will see some teams start looking at creating a 10 team conference. ( A reversal of the big conferences)
The old ACC (When Florida State Joined) or the Sunbelt East with 9 teams including UAB, ECU, (One other team) would make for a great chance to be the top 6 rated conference champs. I think you will see a new Conference created out of the existing P5's. If not it will be because the Conference championship games are creating huge amounts of money. With the new rule, there is no reason for the PAC not to stay at 10 and the Big 12 not to stay at 12.

The problem with this idea is that those new smaller conferences would not be part of the playoff contract. Unless all the Presidents agreed, those new conferences would not have access. Other than that, I tend to agree that a guaranteed playoff seat would help promote smaller regional conference realignment.

I would think that they came up with the concept of guaranteed spots for the top 6 conference champions based on the current 10 conference structure. So, if there was some other seismic shift in the number and structure of the FBS schools, I would think they would adjust the playoff selection criteria accordingly. No way to know but I still contend this is huge for us.

The Presidents could change the criteria, but what motivation would they have for doing so? This expansion was not done by the AD or any conference commissioners, the Presidents were the ones that got together and made it happen. And one of the reasons given was to stabilize conferences. I am not sure they would want to be meeting every couple years to approve a new conference and redraw the playoff contract. But anything can happen with contracts as long as each side has proper motivation.

I totally agree. Too much to change with TV contracts, scheduling issues, conference contracts and exit fees, etc. Instability breeds chaos and fans can only keep up with so much change at a time.