College playoff and fan support

[streettopeschel]

Wonder how this is going to work for the fans of the participating schools. (not that ESPN, the ncaa, the schools or anybody making money on the deal care)

Many, maybe most, on this board have travelled to UT out-of-state bowl games. It's a blast but it's expensive and requires money and time off from work and maybe someone to tend to kids.

How many can do that on consecutive weekends? this year, the semis are the Sugar and Rose, the final in Dallas. Say ND makes it. Are they going to travel en masse to New Orleans one week and then back to Dallas the next?

Or will the College Championship game become the Super Bowl where the large majority of fans just can't afford to make it happen so it's a bunch of sponsors and big cigars with no affiliation to the schools in attendance.  Would some fans skip the semis and put all there eggs in hoping for a trip to the finals?

Just something i was musing about. I loved going to the Rose, the Holiday even the Sugar back in the day. Doubt i could or would have done it all again in a different city the following week.

 

[castlebravo1]

Given that most of the teams participating will be SEC teams, there really isn't any problem for traveling except for the Rose Bowl.  In the future, maybe they can move the semifinal game currently in Pasadena to the Georgia Dome and make everyone happy.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

My guess is that some percentage of each of the 4 teams' fanbase will skip out on the SF round with the expectation of attending the final. The end result will be much like March Madness....one section of dedicated fans for each school, a scattering of alums throughout the stadium, and (as you described) plenty of unaffiliated folks.

 

[echeese]

You have hit on the #1 reason why we will likely NEVER go to an 8 team play off unless they can build one 4 conferences with 2 divisions each where the conference playoff the 1st weekend in Dec is the quarter final round.

 

[militaryhorn]

They shouldn't hold the semi-final game in a bowl.  The higher seeded team should host.  When they go to an 8 team playoff, this will be the case...or it should be.

 

[Shevis Irons]

This is a classic case of "be careful what you wish for."

 

[streettopeschel]

i'd assume it's a no-brainer that an 8-team playoff would have first round games at home. Shirly they wouldn't ask fans to travel to 3 different venues. Right?

 

[Coleman Feeley]

i'd assume it's a no-brainer that an 8-team playoff would have first round games at home. Shirly they wouldn't ask fans to travel to 3 different venues. Right?

This basically sums up what the hell is wrong with the systems we're dealing with. OF COURSE all your season ticket holders won't travel to 3 different venues, let alone a teams casual fans or mini plan holders!!

The Bowl system and the new "Play-off" system (HEAVY air quotes) have screwed up fans enough to assume that the NCAA could actually consider doing that.

...for now I let the NCAA call this nonsense a "Play-Off" and spare the rant.

 

[militaryhorn]

i'd assume it's a no-brainer that an 8-team playoff would have first round games at home. Shirly they wouldn't ask fans to travel to 3 different venues. Right?

Yeah, it just makes sense to have the higher seeded team host a playoff game.  Good for the fans, good for the higher seeded team and good for college football.  The bowls can continue as usual, especially the top tier bowls.  When they are not hosting the championship game, they can get the two best teams that are not in the playoff.

And stop calling me Shirly...

 

[streettopeschel]

Coleman, for years, i thought a college football playoff would be great. Now that it's here, i'm not so sure. in fairness, I'm sure if UT was in the mix i might have have a different feel.

i guess going back to the old days when all that mattered was winning the SWC and going to the Cotton Bowl is out of the question.

 

[Coleman Feeley]

Coleman, for years, i thought a college football playoff would be great. Now that it's here, i'm not so sure. in fairness, I'm sure if UT was in the mix i might have have a different feel.

That's why I think this 4 Team atrocity is a play by the NCAA to get fans to want the old Bowl system back. Too much money to be lost with the death of bowl games.... 

People love March Madness not because they get to see Duke, Kentucky, or North Carolina win. They love it because they get to see the little guy get a shot...

A REAL champion not "the best of the 4 teams that we think are the best."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2246583-poor-marshall-no-defeats-but-no-shot-at-making-the-playoffs?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming

 

[streettopeschel]

That's why I think this 4 Team atrocity is a play by the NCAA to get fans to want the old Bowl system back. Too much money to be lost with the death of bowl games.... 

People love March Madness not because they get to see Duke, Kentucky, or North Carolina win. They love it because they get to see the little guy get a shot...

A REAL champion not "the best of the 4 teams that we think are the best."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2246583-poor-marshall-no-defeats-but-no-shot-at-making-the-playoffs?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming

i don't see the genie ever going back in the bottle. i'd guess we're much more likely to expand the playoffs rather than eliminating them. next will be 8. then maybe 12 with 4 first round byes. then 16.

 

[SFlonghorngirl]

Yeah, it just makes sense to have the higher seeded team host a playoff game.  Good for the fans, good for the higher seeded team and good for college football.  The bowls can continue as usual, especially the top tier bowls.  When they are not hosting the championship game, they can get the two best teams that are not in the playoff.

And stop calling me Shirly...

Yup!  Just like the NFL and FCS, have the higher seeds host playoff games.  Championship game can be held at neutral site.

 

[Coleman Feeley]

i don't see the genie ever going back in the bottle. i'd guess we're much more likely to expand the playoffs rather than eliminating them. next will be 8. then maybe 12 with 4 first round byes. then 16.

I sure hope you're right!

 

[echeese]

That's why I think this 4 Team atrocity is a play by the NCAA to get fans to want the old Bowl system back. Too much money to be lost with the death of bowl games.... 

I need to find my old write up. . . .

I went back to 1999, think that was the 1st year of the BcS system with computers. . . 

Instead of doing just the top 2. . .which they flacked up regularly. . .I did the top 4 but added head to head and/or conference champs to the mix.

Guess what, outside of 1 year. . . .the BcS got the top 4 teams right and there was only 2 years (the first one I mentioned) where a team outside the top 4 had a bitch. . . .and that wasn't a good one.

So 4 is really the magic number and it keeps the bowls alive. . . win win. . . 

 

[Duke C #11]

How about we just add enough bowls so that every FBS school goes to one?

 

[streettopeschel]

Cheese...I haven't researched it but 01 NU and 03 OU were absolutely the right choices? The runner up in the big 12 north and a division winner blown out in the CCG?

 

[longhorn15]

Yeah, it just makes sense to have the higher seeded team host a playoff game.  Good for the fans, good for the higher seeded team and good for college football.  The bowls can continue as usual, especially the top tier bowls.  When they are not hosting the championship game, they can get the two best teams that are not in the playoff.

And stop calling me Shirly...

I see what you're saying about having the higher seed host the semifinal game which is great for travel, but not good for the away team.  Especially when you consider that a committee opinion is deciding who is the higher seed, it isn't fair to give that much of an advantage to one team.  Many years those top 4 teams can go in just about any order.

 

[echeese]

Cheese...I haven't researched it but 01 NU and 03 OU were absolutely the right choices? The runner up in the big 12 north and a division winner blown out in the CCG?

You missed my caveat about applying conference champs and head to heads.  ..which would have pushed NU out for CU with Miami Florida and Oregon as the 2 of the other 4 teams (have to go back and look at who would ahve been 4th)

And in '03, KSU was a 3 loss team PRIOR to the bowls. . . .TEXAS finished higher in the BcS rankings than KSU.

Top 4 were OU USC LSU and Mich. . . .