Around the Tailgate: perfect post-seasons

Now that the CFB higher-ups have ratified a motion, it's a good time to pose this question: I just named you Grand Poobah of College Football. What does your post-season look like?

Misty water colored memories....

Joe Waterloo - If it was up to me we'd go back to a 11 game schedule and every conference would have to have a championship game to participate.  All championship games would be the same weekend and the 5 conference champions (SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac 12, and ACC) are in to the playoff.  The remaining 3 spots are from the remaining conference champions, Notre Dame, and at large bids from the big 5 conferences.

Round 1 is played on campus the week after conference championship games.  Taking a week off is a penalty to the better teams - they are deep enough to overcome injuries and don't need the extra time to come up with a special game plan.

Round 2 is played on New Years Day in a rotation of the big 4 bowls.  Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta are all on New Years Day like God intended.   All the smaller bowls need to play before New Years - they don't deserve the spotlight on a later date and no one cares.  Those games are only for those 2 teams fans and the gamblers - that won't change if they are played before New Years. 

The 2 remaining winners play a week later in championship game.  In the current system the teams that make it to conference championships play 14 games (including their bowl.)  The only teams that would play more than that in my system are the 2 championship game teams. 

AthensHomerDawg - A championship determined by polls, computers, and the Championship Bowl series is still "aiight" with me. I'm in the minority I know. Other options/opinions/beauty contests: AD's want a plus 1 after the bowls, best four teams, best 4 "conference champs", Pres. Obama wants 8 teams in 3 rounds.  The "Pirate" advocates for a 64 teams playoff. Whatever you "drink,drop,shoot,snort or rub into your belly button" I am sure there is a choice available for you. However, if it's not your particular flavor are you going to be satisfied with someone else's flavor? Probably not . I see this thing being tweaked and twisted for some time now continuing that revenue stream. And on whose shoulders do we place the burden of providing assurance that we get the real deal when it comes to our football champion? Why the players of course.    Has anyone asked the players what they would like?  Yep. College football is a grind week in and week out.  I can't advocate kids working any harder so that we fans are secure in the ultimate knowledge of "Who is number one?"  I am  pretty sure that   whatever is created and however many more millions it generates, there will be a fan base somewhere screaming "foul"!


Smoke Wagon - First thing I would do is petition to get my position name changed from Grand Poobah to Head MFIC.  I am definitely not for a full blown playoff.  I would probably keep bcs with minor tweaks and set up a top 4 playoff..... A plus one if you will.  Plus one only works if you get top 4 in the 1st two games.  I just don't think that the no. 5 team has ever had a legitimate claim to NC.  I would use existing bowl structure and try to honor traditional bowl ties as much as possible.  I think college football is greatest sport out there and has the most tradition.  I think CFB should grab, embrace, celebrate, and protect traditions of CFB.  Best team in NFL has not won super bowl in several years.  I usually do my share of complaining about certain scenarios.  However, I think of all the great experiences that I have had following college football, I have never found myself being envious of what 1-AA (or whatever they call it now).  I am sure I would get used to it, but my point is that I really enjoy the system that we have.  The more we tinker with it, it seems that the more we have to complain about.


Da Mighty Fred - I ban anything orange and hold a visor bonfire the night before the National Championship?

Seriously, 8 team tournament for the championship. 

McGarity's diet

Four venues- Orange, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta.   Rose Bowl wants to play hardball, they're out.  Sorry guys, but you're not the Augusta National of football.  If  you still need your tradition, fine- but the Cotton Bowl,  Capital One, and, yes, Shreveport, will be happy to take your place.  Semi's and Finals rotate between the four bowls.  Only game in town twice for three of every four years? Welcome back to the table, Mr. Rose Bowl.

Oh yes, the "But That Adds Too Many Games to the Schedule" argument.  Yeah, about that- no more cupcakes that aren't in division IA.  If you're playing Div IA football, that's who you'll be playing against or you don't go to a bowl.  Cupcake free diet for the big boys.  And you get to pay those boys for backing out (sorry, but you shouldn't have scheduled noncompetitive games)

Championship games- Yep, we're gonna play those. 

Congratulations ACC, PAC12, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC champions- you get to play in the Championship series. 

The rest of you will scrap it out for the final three slots.  And Yes, Notre Dame- THIS MEANS YOU! Either get in a conference or show us a damn good reason you need to be considered.

Teams who did not win their championship will be considered for these slots.

About those three at large spots- how are they selected? We could use the BCS or AP, or coaches poll or Sagarin.  But since I'm the Poobah , I'll be picking them.  Better be a lot of Fight in those Irish- you have been warned.  Jackets, I would suggest you win the ACC.  Anybody wearing orange needs to win their championship game and humbly ask the rest of humanity for forgiveness.

PS the rest of the bowl games can stay- if somebody wants to watch some extra football- I'm in.

GATA #19!!

The Wrangler - I like the idea of a 4 team playoff, but I am afraid that it will grow into an 8 or 16 team tournament.  If it can stay at 4 teams, I think we will have a more deserving National Champion.  I don’t think that having a 4 team playoff dilutes the regular season, but an extended playoff format with 8 to 16 teams would.  Every game matters now, and I would like to keep it that way.  I don’t particularly like the fact that a committee will be deciding the final 4 teams.  I would prefer that we continue using the current BCS system and take the 4 top teams from the final rankings, but I guess the pollsters already act as a committee. 

Namaman - I would declare an 8 team playoff with the only "guaranteed" spots going to the champs of the SEC, Pac12, Big 10, Big not-so-12 and ACC.  The other 3 slots would go to the SEC, I mean the next 3 highest ranked teams.  And to boot, no official polls would come out until October so that teams don't have to make up so much ground because of poor pre-season rankings.  We would then use the current BCS bowl games - Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, & Orange - plus the Capital One, Cotton Bowl and Chik-fil-a Bowl to be the 7 games over 5 weeks (2 weeks after conference championships, New Years time, and then the week after New Years Day.  It would be PERFECT!!!

Final thought - I feel like I'm on a deserted island. The last sonofabitch in the world that actually likes the old days. If anyone has my address here, please send me a case of Ol' Granddad and a VHS tape of the 1981-83 Sugar Bowls.


Your turn. What kind of broom and a mop do you bring to clean up this mess? Then come back tomorrow for the last installment of Around the Tailgate when the guys give their honest assessment of Coach Mark Richt.