Why is there no college football playoff system?

Question

it would make college football so much larger than it already is... I would bet that viewing of the national championship game would nearly double, just because the entire nation would get to know the teams in the playoffs, unlike it is now...

eh... but you could call the playoff games after the bowl games... and it works in division II...
the BCS is clearly flawed... and having even the possiblity of two undereated teams is horrible at the end of the year...

and take the ten best... I would rather someone cry about being left out of number 10 than someone cry about not getting a chance at no. 1...

Answer 1

Even if D1-A adopted a playoff system, people would still complain about WHICH 8 (or however many) teams should be in it... you KNOW that fans of the #9 team would claim THEY should be in it instead of #7, because #9 beat #7 early in the season.

Plus, a playoff makes it LESS likely we'd see the two best teams in the championship game, not more likely....the more playoff games you have, the greater the chance for an upset... this year is the exception, but the BCS has be correct more often than not. It just SEEMS like it hasn't because all fans have their biases.

I'd love to see the top 4 college basketball teams play in the final four...but it's NEVER happened... why do fans and sportswriters supposedly love stories like George Mason getting to the final four? Who wants to watch THAT? I wasn't happy they got there last year....I want to see the #1 seeds from each bracket play in the final four....but because of having so many rounds, it's something we'll most likely never see.

It's the same with football... an 8 team field would just about guarantee that we wouldn't see the top two teams. And who decides which 8 teams get there?

Answer 2

If I was in charge, then I would take the consensus top eight teams after the bowl games were over and have #1 play #8, # 2 play #7, #3 play #6, #4 play #5. Then the four teams that won would play again with the highest ranked team playing the lowest ranked team. Then the final two teams would play for the national championship. All bowl games would still be played, and the regular season wouldn't need to be shortened. A football playoff system can't be as extensive as a basketball playoff, and it shouldn't be since you can only play one game per week. There's no need to abandon the traditional bowl format either. If anything the bowl games would become more important since a win should get you into the playoffs and a close loss might not be fatal. Those are my thoughts anyways.

Answer 3

Only D1A does not have a playoff. The regular season, conference championships and the BCS are a sort of playoff to match up the best teams to decide an overall champion. There is almost always controversy, however, and talk of a playoff system comes up every year. The bowl games and money is a big part of the reason there is no playoff system. It would make things better if the Big Ten and Pac 10 had a conference championship game like the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. The way things are looking right now, Ohio State may play USC, a traditional Rose Bowl match up so why even have a BCS...

Answer 4

A playoff is needed in my opinion in college football, and nobody can give one reason why they shouldnt have a playoff.

16 teams as ranked by the BCS, first games played at the home field of higher ranked opponenet, the rest of the games are played in bowl games you have such great bowls like the Emerald bowl, Independence, Holiday, Poinsettia that are at this point time worthless bowl games that could be used as playoff games, and then use two of the BCS Bowls now the Sugar and Fiesta as the final two playoff spots with the championship game the next week.

64 teams out of 119 get bowl bids right now, teams are getting rewarded for going .500 which is pathetic. Take away some minor bowls and let them become playoff games.

Answer 5

Div. I college football is the only organized competition that treats the regular season like the playoffs. From a $$$$ standpoint the bowl games provide schools and conferences with so much money that they won't go to a playoff system. That is unfortunate.

Answer 6

too many teams, different conferences, and time.
unlike college hoops, its a week between football games.

besides, when they came up with the BCS, they didnt want to get rid of the tradition of bowl games.

but for interconference games, in the ACC- there is a small playoff system. The best team in the Coastal and in the Atlantic divisions playoff against eachother for the ACC championship.

Answer 7

This option has been raised and the University Presidents have opposed it because the players will lose too much study time. I think the system is flawed, but the education is so much more important. Maybe if the big teams didn't play so many lower level teams during the year, a system could be set up within regular season.

Answer 8

It is all about the money the bowl games are all sponsored by corporations looking to get there name out there. If they had any sense at all they would have the conference championship games and any teams that aren't in a conference {like Notre Dame} have a championship and the champions make it to the bcs playoffs each game being sponsored like the bowl games. At least then there would be a clear cut champion.

Answer 9

Because they can make more money this way. It isn't even about viewership, it is about what the companies will pay for naming rights. Well naming rights wouldn't work as well in a playoff. Why do you think they REALLY added the fifth BCS National Championship game?

Answer 10

Because the people want a system that would pick the best two teams in the nation when it was thought up of. I Hate the BCS!