No, playoff expansion would not have changed the results of the 2021 season, but that is because as all the teams in 2021 were all recruiting under the current playoff system. College football “purists” (such as Saban) believe that expansion is not necessary to pick the best football team. He’s right. In the current system, that has been proven nearly every year. But the purists are merely protecting the system that actually creates the result that benefits very few teams.
The current 4 team playoff system has overly narrowed the field not just of teams that are “most likely” to win the natty. - but also for teams that at least get there. And that has greatly impacted recruiting. The current 3 classes for 2022 are the Aggies, Bama and UGA. And it’s going to stay that way unless the best high school seniors have a broader selection of teams that can at least get into the “playoffs”. Regardless of that team’s chances to actually win the playoff. The NFL, with only 32 teams, has a massive playoff system….and a draft that does not favor teams that do well. In fact, it does the opposite. Is the NFL too “parity centric”? Perhaps. So, pick your poison.
FSU cannot currently compete on a daily basis with UGA for talent like MJJ in the current system. It’s not because UGA has a better chance of winning the natty….it’s because they have a much better chance of just getting there. Give the ACC an automatic bid to the playoffs and we have a paradigm change in college football recruiting.
It’s the one thing Neuheisel has been stating for years, admittedly to benefit the west coast teams. If you want a national sport, you need access to the post season for every region of the country. We don’t need need an expanded playoff system to ”insure that we get it right” as to who the best team is. In the pros, a playoff system is designed to enhance the importance of the regular season to create “access” to every member. If you only really want to know who the best team is, you can scrap the whole current system and have a “plus one” game after the bowls are played.
In the NFL - and all pro sports - they have a draft that reduces the benefit of having multiple great seasons. In college football, it’s the reverse. The issue is recruiting. And there is a direct line between strong recruiting classes going to the most recent college football teams that do well. And to complete the circle, the best recruits make the best teams remain the best…and there you have Saban’s Secret Sauce.
We don’t have all the details of what the real issues are that prevented college football expansion to go off the rails yesterday. But I doubt it was merely a logistical challenge as how to manage the extra games. I doubt it is just a pissing match over whether the 6 conference champions that get auto bids have to include the current P5 or not (the proposal from the B10 and ACC allegedly demanded that P5 conference champs get auto bids…not just the “highest rated” 6 conference champs). There is distrust in the system, and it appears that SEC commish Sankey is not happy. He says that “other conferences” are trying to “block out” the SEC. The Big Ten is hell bent on preserving the Rose Bowl. The ACC wants immediate playoff access for its champion. The SEC just wants as many teams as possible in the playoffs. Those are not mutual goals.
When you have over 60 teams in the P5, and over 120 in the overall FBS, the regular season has to matter more than just to see who the best team is.
The current 4 team playoff system has overly narrowed the field not just of teams that are “most likely” to win the natty. - but also for teams that at least get there. And that has greatly impacted recruiting. The current 3 classes for 2022 are the Aggies, Bama and UGA. And it’s going to stay that way unless the best high school seniors have a broader selection of teams that can at least get into the “playoffs”. Regardless of that team’s chances to actually win the playoff. The NFL, with only 32 teams, has a massive playoff system….and a draft that does not favor teams that do well. In fact, it does the opposite. Is the NFL too “parity centric”? Perhaps. So, pick your poison.
FSU cannot currently compete on a daily basis with UGA for talent like MJJ in the current system. It’s not because UGA has a better chance of winning the natty….it’s because they have a much better chance of just getting there. Give the ACC an automatic bid to the playoffs and we have a paradigm change in college football recruiting.
It’s the one thing Neuheisel has been stating for years, admittedly to benefit the west coast teams. If you want a national sport, you need access to the post season for every region of the country. We don’t need need an expanded playoff system to ”insure that we get it right” as to who the best team is. In the pros, a playoff system is designed to enhance the importance of the regular season to create “access” to every member. If you only really want to know who the best team is, you can scrap the whole current system and have a “plus one” game after the bowls are played.
In the NFL - and all pro sports - they have a draft that reduces the benefit of having multiple great seasons. In college football, it’s the reverse. The issue is recruiting. And there is a direct line between strong recruiting classes going to the most recent college football teams that do well. And to complete the circle, the best recruits make the best teams remain the best…and there you have Saban’s Secret Sauce.
We don’t have all the details of what the real issues are that prevented college football expansion to go off the rails yesterday. But I doubt it was merely a logistical challenge as how to manage the extra games. I doubt it is just a pissing match over whether the 6 conference champions that get auto bids have to include the current P5 or not (the proposal from the B10 and ACC allegedly demanded that P5 conference champs get auto bids…not just the “highest rated” 6 conference champs). There is distrust in the system, and it appears that SEC commish Sankey is not happy. He says that “other conferences” are trying to “block out” the SEC. The Big Ten is hell bent on preserving the Rose Bowl. The ACC wants immediate playoff access for its champion. The SEC just wants as many teams as possible in the playoffs. Those are not mutual goals.
When you have over 60 teams in the P5, and over 120 in the overall FBS, the regular season has to matter more than just to see who the best team is.
