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Subject: Re: SEC and Big Ten Arguing Over Size of CFP Field Author: voy vey [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 21:07:47 01/21/26 Wed In reply to: An Observer 's message, "SEC and Big Ten Arguing Over Size of CFP Field" on 11:40:20 01/21/26 Wed If I recall correctly, after two CFP seasons, top-four seeds are now 1-7 after "earning" a bye. I think it's a certainty that staying at twelve will not stand. In my opinion, the solution is to cut the field to 8, with no auto bids. If you're not among the top 8 based on your full season's body of work, what claim do you have to being the best team in the country? I know better than to think this idea would ever be implemented. "We want 16, y'all want 24. Howsabout we compromise at 32?" [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> Subject: Re: SEC and Big Ten Arguing Over Size of CFP Field Author: sparman [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 08:15:15 01/22/26 Thu I am not a Miami fan, but a field of 8 would have excluded Miami, who clearly was capable of winning the NC and came very close to doing so. But as you say, the push will be to expand the field for monetary reasons. Always follow the money.

[> [> [> Subject: Re: SEC and Big Ten Arguing Over Size of CFP Field Author: voy vey [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 09:12:13 01/22/26 Thu I was aware that finalist Miami was a #10 seed when stating my case for an 8-team field. Yes, they were capable of winning the final game. Also, 5-7 Florida State was capable of beating -- and did beat -- #9 seed Alabama. Does that mean we need to include FSU in the playoff? I'm sure we'd all agree the answer is no. Had Miami won the title, it would have proved that they were the best team from December 19 through January 19, not for the entirety of the season. If the field is expanded in future years, we'll be allowing a team to win the national title whose 12-game body of work is subjectively merely 80th percentile. My point is, if one goal of altering the bracket is to eliminate the apparently-detrimental bye, an 8-team bracket makes a lot more sense than a bracket of 16 or more. But, 16 or more makes more cents. And cents always outweigh sense.

[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: SEC and Big Ten Arguing Over Size of CFP Field Author: sparman [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 11:14:23 01/22/26 Thu " it would have proved that they were the best team from December 19 through January 19, not for the entirety of the season." Sure, but for what sport is this not the case?

[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: SEC and Big Ten Arguing Over Size of CFP Field Author: voy vey [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 20:00:39 01/22/26 Thu "for what sport is this not the case?" The smaller the playoff field, the more that the whole season matters. An ideal playoff in any sport should be large enough to account for schedule disparities, and small enough to include only teams with a legitimate title claim. IMO, 12 is a reasonable compromise, but our admittedly-small dataset (2 years) appears to indicate a negative impact to the "best" teams by sitting idle an extra week. Interestingly, the B1G's desire to expand to 24 teams won't address that. Another example of commerce over competition.

[> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: 1-7 Record of Teams With A Bye Author: An Observer [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 22:07:32 01/22/26 Thu The 1-7 record over two seasons of the eight teams which earned a first-round bye is thought-provoking. But it's exaggerated by the fact last year's top four seeds were conference champions even when not in the top four of the rankings. They went 0-4. This year's byes went to the top four in the rankings. They still went 1-3. Does this mean that earning a bye is a disadvantage? Reasonable people can and do disagree on this topic. The FCS playoffs would suggest that having a bye is an advantage. I agree with Voy Vey that 12 is a good number for the size of the field. It's small enough to keep the regular very meaningful. It's large enough that it includes the significant majority of teams that *can* win the national championship. Alabama was the #9 seed. Not capable of winning the national title. Miami was the #10 seed. Capable. Notre Dame was ranked #11. Probably capable. I'm comfortable that only about a dozen teams can win the whole thing. So including eleven plus one from the Group of Five will cover you in most years. It will be interesting where the SEC and Big Ten end up. I think 24 is way too many. Plus, 24 would give eight teams a bye. Now you've doubled the number of teams which sit idle for a week. 16 keeps everybody playing a game in week one. I hope we stay at 12.

[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: 1-7 Record of Teams With A Bye Author: Northbounder [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 05:39:20 01/23/26 Fri Hard to see FBS and FCS byes as apples to apples. The reward of the former is i) a neutral-site game, ii) a month after your last (just enough time to get cold), and iii) against a team ranked between 5 and 12, probably between 5 and 8. The reward of the latter is i) a home game, ii) following a single bye week (just enough time to heal up), and iii) against a team ranked between 9 and 24, maybe 9 to 16. Under the current format I'd rather be the fifth seed in the FBS than the four seed. That can't make for a healthy tournament, right?

[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: 1-7 Record of Teams With A Bye Author: An Observer [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 11:45:20 01/23/26 Fri All fair points. FBS bye =/= FCS bye. FBS #5 seed gets a home game against the #12 seed, which could be substantially weaker than the rest of the field. At the risk of a nonzero chance of losing, you get what amounts to a pep rally for your fans and a chance to showcase your stadium and campus to the television audience. That's a good deal.

[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: 1-7 Record of Teams With A Bye Author: observer [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 08:35:31 01/24/26 Sat Not to mention coaching carousel and transfer portal shenanigans from the end of the regular season until the first playoff game...