We’ll never see a "traditional" playoff but what about this…

by WETSU on Nov 12, 2008 2:45 PM EST

I don’t have this ironed out to exact science yet but I think it could have potential… What if College football added two games to the end of the schedule?

Have 2 weeks of “Conference Challenges” i.e. week 1: BIG10/SEC and week 2: BIG10/PAC10 or what ever you wanted to do… similar to the BIG10/ACC challenge in NCAA Basketball… at the end of regular season you match-up top to bottom BIG10 vs. the other 2 conferences you’re locked into that year and have the “Conference Challenge” this would had just 2 additional games and would not affect Bowl Season at all. All Bowls would remain traditional…

I think this would go a long way in narrowing down the possibilities for the BCS game in addition to show truths in conference strength… It would be a time where the BIG10, after beating on each other all year, could come together and compete as a team, so to speak…

I know there are a lot of holes in this idea but I think it could be a starting point.

Please feel free to rip it apart or add to the idea…

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The problems I see

although I would enjoy seeing conference challenges like this, coming at the end of the year it would basically be a playoff, and would bring with it all the “negatives” of a playoff without any of the real benefits (except for acting like super-conference championship games). If you’re gonna do this, might as well be a real playoff.

Also, I think one of the reasons there aren’t games during that time period is that it would interfere with final exams (they are afterall student athletes), and this would then bring the season total to 14 games, which is actually a lot. Perhaps if we removed 2 out of conference games to start the season then these could be fit in, but I think they would fit in better at the beginning of the year rather than at the end, with respect to conference schedule being the “meat” of the season, and rivalry matchups and whatnot (though obviously you’d have better matchups if you seeded the teams after conference play)

by The JuggerNitt on Nov 12, 2008 3:43 PM EST reply actions

i realize this not a possibility but it would be fun...

but just for arguments sake:

the spin would have to focus on the “conference challenge” rather then a substitute for a playoff. + a ’typical" playoff ultimately leaves schools out… this would keep every school involved…

student athletes… i refuse to listen to any excuse that deals in any part about classes, finals, anything of the sort… NCAA Basketball continues to play their schedule right through finals and then take weeks at a time off to play during March Madness… they wouldn’t miss anymore time than they already do now…

i would say remove 1 Non-Conference game to add 2 “conference Challenge” games… this would be 13 or 14 games tops….

it would definitely have to happen at the end of the year…

by WETSU on Nov 12, 2008 4:27 PM EST up reply actions

again, I agree that it would be better at the end of hte year

but I don’t see it HAVING to be. They could just take the prior year’s standings for the matchups (for scheduling/travelling reasons), which admittedly can change a lot from year to year, but usually don’t change TOO dramatically. And using the basketball comparison, those conference challenges typically come at the beginning of the season.

by The JuggerNitt on Nov 12, 2008 4:42 PM EST up reply actions

you're right... the scheduling and travel arrangements would be a problem and also...

that teams change year to year… and thats the main reason i would say have to be end of the year is to be sure of the top to bottom match-ups… i.e. if we went off last years or even preseason rankings… it would have been something like OSU – Wisky – ILL- PSU… which we now know Wisky and ILL are middle to end of the pack… and also, even though we’re not telling anyone, we want it to have the “playoff affect”

by WETSU on Nov 12, 2008 4:56 PM EST up reply actions

Scheduling

Instead of 4 bogus non conference games at the beginning of the year, remove 2 and add 2 challenge series. End of the year games are too much of a problems with conferences that have conference championship games.

by MrBrianPSU on Nov 13, 2008 5:06 AM EST reply actions

also

could you use the positions they finished in their conference from 2 years prior to determine schedule? this would give ample time to market key matchups and rivalries

Settle it on the field!

by PSUncle1981 on Nov 13, 2008 7:03 AM EST up reply actions

The real issue here

is that the government holds the “tax-exempt” card on the NCAA and the Dems are said to be putting pressure on the NCAA about that. I really believe that a 8 team playoff is likely to come after the next BCS deal is over in 2014 as a compromise to keep their tax-exempt status…..

JoePa in '09

by JGuiher on Nov 13, 2008 9:05 AM EST reply actions

I have always been in favor of this idea...

…i think it would be great. I see this year the Big Ten played alot of Pac 10 teams…but if we had a weekend that was truly callled the “Conference Challenge” weekend, it would be awesome.

This would generate so much money and hype and go a long way in saying this conference is the best. Honestly, I would love to see a Big Ten/SEC challenge done in November and watch the boys from the SEC freeze up north in Happy Valley, Columbus, Ann Arbor (is a whore), or Camp Randall.

WE ARE.......PENN STATE!

by Nick7 on Nov 13, 2008 11:32 AM EST reply actions