A few people have brought up the inherent unfairness of teams that don't play in a CCG being selected for the playoff having one less risk of loss and/or injury, along with providing objective paths to the national championship for more teams.
The following is a spinoff of an idea someone had yesterday to have "wild card" games for the playoff the same weekend as the CCGs (and I can't find it now, so I apologize for not giving credit), figured I would lay it out as an exercise...
- Expand the playoff to 16 teams (hear me out).
- Leverage the CCGs as a "first round" of the playoffs. (Unless UGA is selected over Oklahoma this season, the CCGs have at least served as elimination games for the CFP to date.)
- Highly-ranked teams that don't make their CCG play each other the same weekend as the CCGs. This covers your independents (like Notre Dame in 2012 and 2018) and high-ranked non-division winners (like Nebraska in 2001, Alabama in 2011 and 2017, Ohio State in 2016).
- P5 CCG winners advance to the next round and the top 4 of those host second round games.
- The question for non-P5 teams becomes when do they play their CCGs to still be able to potentially participate in the playoff. Either play them a week earlier or non-P5 conferences write into their bylaws that teams who are ranked high enough for the "first round" do not participate in their own CCG. I'll assume the latter for this exercise.
- Continue with a normal bracket.
- CCG weekend losers would still go to bowl games.
Using this year as an example and the CFP rankings as a starting point (but a different objective tool could and should be developed for the rankings rather than a committee/voting approach)...
Rankings Entering CCG weekend
1. Alabama (SEC CCG)
2. Clemson (ACC CCG)
3. Notre Dame (Wild Card Game)
4. Georgia (SEC CCG)
5. Oklahoma (Big 12 CCG)
6. Ohio State (Big Ten CCG)
7. Michigan (Wild Card Game)
8. UCF (Bypass AAC CCG to Wild Card Game)
9. Florida (Wild Card Game)
10. LSU (Wild Card Game)
11. Washington (Pac-12 CCG)
12. Penn State (Wild Card Game)
13. Washington State (highest-ranked team that would not qualify for the wild-card games)
14. Texas (Big 12 CCG)
...
17. Utah (Pac-12 CCG)
21. Northwestern (Big Ten CCG)
UR Pittsburgh (ACC CCG)
So CCG weekend looks like this (actual or proposed winners in bold)...
SEC CCG: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Georgia
ACC CCG: #2 Clemson vs. UR Pittsburgh
Big 12 CCG: #5 Oklahoma vs. #14 Texas
Big Ten CCG: #6 Ohio State vs. #21 Northwestern
Pac-12 CCG: #11 Washington vs. #17 Utah
Wild Card 1: #12 Penn State at #3 Notre Dame
Wild Card 2: #10 LSU at #7 Michigan
Wild Card 3: #9 Florida at #8 UCF
Consider this the "qualification round".
Look at that, three more great games people will want to watch while providing an objective path for ALL P5 teams to qualify (would need to do something different to make that inclusive to all FBS teams, but baby steps). You might say "But saluno22, we already see those bottom three matchups in bowl games." Now these games have actual stakes. Oh, and LSU gets to travel to Ann Arbor the first weekend of December.
This setup allows for the same number of games to be played and the same rest periods before the quarterfinals to avoid situations where non-CCG participants don't have to risk injury while still qualifying for the playoff/BCS title game (see above).
Next Round after two weeks off to "kickoff" bowl season, reseed for the top 4 CCG winners to host based on whatever objective metrics were used to determine wild card participants...
#1 Alabama (CCG winner)
#2 Clemson (CCG winner)
#3 Oklahoma (CCG winner)
#4 Ohio State (CCG winner)
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Michigan
#7 Florida
#8 Washington (CCG winner)
... so the matchups become ...
#8 Washington at #1 Alabama
#5 Notre Dame at #4 Ohio State
#6 Michigan at #3 Oklahoma
#7 Florida at #2 Clemson
Or don't give any advantage to CCG winners the hosting advantage...
#1 Alabama (CCG winner)
#2 Clemson (CCG winner)
#3 Notre Dame
#4 Oklahoma (CCG winner)
#5 Ohio State (CCG winner)
#6 Michigan
#7 Florida
#8 Washington (CCG winner)
... so the matchups become ...
#8 Washington at #1 Alabama
#5 Ohio State at #4 Oklahoma
#6 Michigan at #3 Notre Dame (rematch of week 1)
#7 Florida at #2 Clemson
Another round of great matchups.
Then play the semifinals a couple weeks later either at neutral site as they are now or at campus sites (how this would be decided TBD), then a neutral site national title game a week-plus after that as is currently done.
National title game participants would play 16 games total (assuming no cancellations in the regular season), semifinalists 15 games (the current amount played by the national title game participants), quarterfinalists 14 games (the same as any team that currently makes a CCG).
I'm sure this would lead to an anti-trust lawsuit by the G5 conferences as they wouldn't be "guaranteed" a spot in the playoff like other P5 conferences, so maybe adjust such that the highest-ranked G5 team team automatically qualifies for a wild card game (just like currently in the New Year's Six bowl games).
There are plenty of logistical issues with this, no doubt about it (ADs not knowing if their school will be hosting a game or traveling the first weekend of December, or playing at all). But if the NCAA has taught us anything, it's that $$$ makes almost anything possible.
It would also look like teams like Georgia are placed at a disadvantage as they have to play the #1 team in the country as the #4 team in the "opening round" on CCG weekend while others (some inferior teams, including those from the same division Georgia won) will advance or have the opportunity to advance playing perceived inferior competition. Admittedly, I don't like this part either, as teams that schedule tough opponents currently in the non-conference are penalized when they lose those games as well. But in the name of playoff expansion and providing a more objective path to a national championship for more teams, this would be a necessary evil in the improvement of the playoff system overall (essentially end the "just pick the 2/4/8 best teams" stance when those teams are selected subjectively and with fluid criteria).
Also, this doesn't water down the regular season. More teams will have more to play for later in the season, whether it's qualifying for CCG weekend, winning a division, potential for hosting games.
The following is a spinoff of an idea someone had yesterday to have "wild card" games for the playoff the same weekend as the CCGs (and I can't find it now, so I apologize for not giving credit), figured I would lay it out as an exercise...
- Expand the playoff to 16 teams (hear me out).
- Leverage the CCGs as a "first round" of the playoffs. (Unless UGA is selected over Oklahoma this season, the CCGs have at least served as elimination games for the CFP to date.)
- Highly-ranked teams that don't make their CCG play each other the same weekend as the CCGs. This covers your independents (like Notre Dame in 2012 and 2018) and high-ranked non-division winners (like Nebraska in 2001, Alabama in 2011 and 2017, Ohio State in 2016).
- P5 CCG winners advance to the next round and the top 4 of those host second round games.
- The question for non-P5 teams becomes when do they play their CCGs to still be able to potentially participate in the playoff. Either play them a week earlier or non-P5 conferences write into their bylaws that teams who are ranked high enough for the "first round" do not participate in their own CCG. I'll assume the latter for this exercise.
- Continue with a normal bracket.
- CCG weekend losers would still go to bowl games.
Using this year as an example and the CFP rankings as a starting point (but a different objective tool could and should be developed for the rankings rather than a committee/voting approach)...
Rankings Entering CCG weekend
1. Alabama (SEC CCG)
2. Clemson (ACC CCG)
3. Notre Dame (Wild Card Game)
4. Georgia (SEC CCG)
5. Oklahoma (Big 12 CCG)
6. Ohio State (Big Ten CCG)
7. Michigan (Wild Card Game)
8. UCF (Bypass AAC CCG to Wild Card Game)
9. Florida (Wild Card Game)
10. LSU (Wild Card Game)
11. Washington (Pac-12 CCG)
12. Penn State (Wild Card Game)
13. Washington State (highest-ranked team that would not qualify for the wild-card games)
14. Texas (Big 12 CCG)
...
17. Utah (Pac-12 CCG)
21. Northwestern (Big Ten CCG)
UR Pittsburgh (ACC CCG)
So CCG weekend looks like this (actual or proposed winners in bold)...
SEC CCG: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Georgia
ACC CCG: #2 Clemson vs. UR Pittsburgh
Big 12 CCG: #5 Oklahoma vs. #14 Texas
Big Ten CCG: #6 Ohio State vs. #21 Northwestern
Pac-12 CCG: #11 Washington vs. #17 Utah
Wild Card 1: #12 Penn State at #3 Notre Dame
Wild Card 2: #10 LSU at #7 Michigan
Wild Card 3: #9 Florida at #8 UCF
Consider this the "qualification round".
Look at that, three more great games people will want to watch while providing an objective path for ALL P5 teams to qualify (would need to do something different to make that inclusive to all FBS teams, but baby steps). You might say "But saluno22, we already see those bottom three matchups in bowl games." Now these games have actual stakes. Oh, and LSU gets to travel to Ann Arbor the first weekend of December.
This setup allows for the same number of games to be played and the same rest periods before the quarterfinals to avoid situations where non-CCG participants don't have to risk injury while still qualifying for the playoff/BCS title game (see above).
Next Round after two weeks off to "kickoff" bowl season, reseed for the top 4 CCG winners to host based on whatever objective metrics were used to determine wild card participants...
#1 Alabama (CCG winner)
#2 Clemson (CCG winner)
#3 Oklahoma (CCG winner)
#4 Ohio State (CCG winner)
#5 Notre Dame
#6 Michigan
#7 Florida
#8 Washington (CCG winner)
... so the matchups become ...
#8 Washington at #1 Alabama
#5 Notre Dame at #4 Ohio State
#6 Michigan at #3 Oklahoma
#7 Florida at #2 Clemson
Or don't give any advantage to CCG winners the hosting advantage...
#1 Alabama (CCG winner)
#2 Clemson (CCG winner)
#3 Notre Dame
#4 Oklahoma (CCG winner)
#5 Ohio State (CCG winner)
#6 Michigan
#7 Florida
#8 Washington (CCG winner)
... so the matchups become ...
#8 Washington at #1 Alabama
#5 Ohio State at #4 Oklahoma
#6 Michigan at #3 Notre Dame (rematch of week 1)
#7 Florida at #2 Clemson
Another round of great matchups.
Then play the semifinals a couple weeks later either at neutral site as they are now or at campus sites (how this would be decided TBD), then a neutral site national title game a week-plus after that as is currently done.
National title game participants would play 16 games total (assuming no cancellations in the regular season), semifinalists 15 games (the current amount played by the national title game participants), quarterfinalists 14 games (the same as any team that currently makes a CCG).
I'm sure this would lead to an anti-trust lawsuit by the G5 conferences as they wouldn't be "guaranteed" a spot in the playoff like other P5 conferences, so maybe adjust such that the highest-ranked G5 team team automatically qualifies for a wild card game (just like currently in the New Year's Six bowl games).
There are plenty of logistical issues with this, no doubt about it (ADs not knowing if their school will be hosting a game or traveling the first weekend of December, or playing at all). But if the NCAA has taught us anything, it's that $$$ makes almost anything possible.
It would also look like teams like Georgia are placed at a disadvantage as they have to play the #1 team in the country as the #4 team in the "opening round" on CCG weekend while others (some inferior teams, including those from the same division Georgia won) will advance or have the opportunity to advance playing perceived inferior competition. Admittedly, I don't like this part either, as teams that schedule tough opponents currently in the non-conference are penalized when they lose those games as well. But in the name of playoff expansion and providing a more objective path to a national championship for more teams, this would be a necessary evil in the improvement of the playoff system overall (essentially end the "just pick the 2/4/8 best teams" stance when those teams are selected subjectively and with fluid criteria).
Also, this doesn't water down the regular season. More teams will have more to play for later in the season, whether it's qualifying for CCG weekend, winning a division, potential for hosting games.
