Tuesday Refugee Roundtable: Sweet Sixteen?

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Okay, someone threw this out as a hypothetical (call it the Auburn Invitational, then):

General roundtable question for today: would this be a bettter solution to a CFP bracket? Notice there are no G5 teams there (let’s face it, if Tulane and JMU get waxed and Notre Dame has their way, the G5 will disappear). I’d be all for a G5 team taking the 16 spot over the Spoiled Children, but the rest looks, well, more entertaining than the current bracket.

What’s your thoughts? Personally I feel the current top 4 are the only teams who should be in the conversation right now instead of the rest of the island of misfit toys, but that’s my personal opinion.

40 thoughts on “Tuesday Refugee Roundtable: Sweet Sixteen?”

  1. I’m with you and feel the ideal number is smaller not bigger. Whether that is 4, 6, or 8 I’m not sure. I’m thinking 6 with top 2 getting a bye.

    I also agree the Group of 5 should not be included, but I think that means lawsuits, right? Isn’t that the only reason they are still in? Anti-trust issues or something? So I think you have to have one spot for the G5 which would likely be the 16 seed most seasons.

    • Correct. The Group of 5 is currently allowed to feed from the money trough by ESPN and the big conferences so yhe group of 5 will not file sn antitrust lawsuit claiming it’s competitors are agreeing with ESPN to cut them off from the market.
      That fact is what all the YouTube bros with their backward caps overlook.

      • So then how can the committee, starting next year, agree to let Notre Dame in as long as they are top 12 without some kind of lawsuit? Wouldn’t whoever gets bumped for them have a case?

      • Not but 3 types of people wear their hat backwards:
        Umpires
        Welders
        Cocksuckers

  2. In this Hogbody’s humble uninformed opinion, too many games. Kirby had it right when he berated Sankey for adding a 9th conference game. Among other things he said that Georgia and Bama are two beat up teams.
    I understand that the lower divisions play more games, but they don’t have the huge guys colliding at 4.3 speed for Ole Alma Mater.
    I wonder about NFL players. Maybe the pros learn how to save themselves.

    • I’ve seen plenty of Falcons games over the years where the players are obviously saving themselves for reincarnation into a better life. The fans too, such as they exist.

  3. Riding on those personal opinion coattails, lets just go with 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3, call it a day…if ya wanna play for the title, git your program into shape…will lo$e intere$t when playing conference teams two and three time$ a year….BOORRING!…GO DAWGS!!

      • I was thinking about the end of that season as well when reading DIW’s comment. The committee that year was obviously afraid of making Texas mad by leaving them out since they had beaten Alabama. Texas’ only loss that season (before losing to Washington in the playoff) was to Oklahoma (who had three losses by season’s end). I didn’t have a problem with Alabama being in when they beat us in the championship, but I was not ok with the inclusion of Texas while shafting Florida State.
        The problem I see is that the real number of teams who deserve to be considered for a playoff varies from year to year. However, there is no objective yet flexible way to have those competing for the MNC to be distinguished from those that aren’t. Especially when the powers that be must be certain of the $$ they can make from the postseason, no matter how many teams “belong” in the Disney Invitational.

        • When sitting in a conversation with more than yourself, basically, zero will be accomplished, not sure how many sad sacks were involved in the decision to up indiana to the #1 position, if that room or even a majority agreed that tosu would/should fall one fucking spot, the conversation is essentially finished as for any formal reasoning other than some friggin’ lawyer speak and achieving the ordered agenda…everything else is pure unadulterated, steamy B.S., understanding Mickeys invitational committee was well fed and rested, they still and will in the future, always miss the point of their objective…”You think it’s Fucked up now, wait till next year”…GO DAWGS!!

        • We should have been in over Texas. FSU was a mirage anyway, and ultimately not one of the 4 best. Texas and OU being added to the SEC and adding a 9th game are mistakes that go gand in hand. Neither adds anything to the SEC except problems. Why do we care if the Big 10 gets them, or who complained about 8 game conf schedules? ND thumbs its nose at everyone yearly, and now their get a slot in the CFP if they’re top 12.

          I wouldn’t have caved. Just sayin’…

      • Upon further review of the 2023 UGA football season, the narrative/mission of NOT allowing UGA football (not just leaving UGA out, but not allowing/denying) to participate at a chance to play for the trophy, would have meant UGA football would probably (very likely a high %) have accomplished a lifetime of dreams for any football fan, player, coach, mother, whomever….going Back2Back2Back…GO DAWGS!!

  4. Peach Bowl: Ohio State vs Georgia

    Fiesta Bowl: Indiana vs Texas Tech.

    One week later the winners play in Miami

    Nothing else was necessary this year. We’re arguing over teams that wouldn’t even be relevant to the discussion in the old system. Sure, Ole Miss, Oregon, and A&M would have some gripes, but the first two lost to teams in the field and the other one laid a complete egg at the end of the season after a schedule that included exactly one quality win.

    Ole Miss could’ve played Notre Dame in the Sugar. Oregon gets to go the Rose and play Michigan. A&M goes to the Cotton and sees BYU. And (LOL) Duke gets the Orange bowl as an auto-bid and ends up playing Texas just because they don’t want to put another ACC team (Miami) against them.

    Three out of four of those are highly entertaining games.

  5. We were told the playoff wouldn’t impact the regular season. So far, that’s been true because a field of 12 still has enough scarcity where you better win your regular season games. There’s no good time to lose.

    The playoff is killing the postseason. It has all but driven a stake through the heart of the bowl system. It has its eyes on the conference championship games now. The other leagues want to get rid of them except the SEC because that property is valuable to the league. Sankey isn’t going to agree to any expansion that puts championship weekend in doubt.

    We were told that people wouldn’t argue over 12 and 13 because “everyone will know those teams are flawed.”

    The playoff isn’t going to contract. It’s clearly going to expand to either 14 or 16. The only thing that can be done is to change the selection method or process. I believe a BCS-like formula to select and seed the teams is the best way to do it (and ESPN gets their show). If we’re going to insist on a committee, that committee meets on championship weekend and puts together the bracket. No one sees the bracket until released on ESPN (no weekly rankings reveal).

    Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

    • They will expand to 20 to 24 teams and use the bowls as play in games. In my opinion

    • As Kirby said going to a nine game league schedule gets 8 more loses.

      I don’t like our chances with a four team playoff with a nine league game schedule. If forced into a nine game schedule we need an expanded playoff.

      Now if I had my choice it’s 8 league games with a four team playoff. That’s not coming back ever. The above is the best of bad options.

      Vandy has a better case than Notre Dame to be in.

    • The suits see the bowls and think “we are letting the siphon off money that is rightfully ours.” Many of the bowls have a civic/charitable basis, but the suits need that cash, too. The Disney suits are laughing all the way to the bank. All they care about is having more inventory for which they can sell ads.

  6. Before NIL and the unlimited transfer portal, I felt that 8 was the sweet spot. After all, it was rare to have a year in which more than 3 or 4 teams could truly win it all. But now that all of that blue chip talent is spreading out across the conferences… for better or worse, depending on who you root for… I think 12 is the bare minimum.

    I hate all of the extra games for the wear and tear on the players, but as a consumer I love them. And this year in particular, I would really have loved to see that 16-team matchup you posted. There would be some really good games there.

    • Carolinadawg raises a point…is it the better matchups or the actual Cinderella opportunity for 12+ teams? In other words, if we got rid of all cupcake games and truly had inter conference P4 matchups throughout the season would determining a champion with fewer teams in the playoffs be OK to everyone? If so this really does suggest going to a Super Conference with divisions, etc. like the NFL as the optimum compromise. A second conference of G5 lesser P4 programs would have the same setup. Screw it…go all in and promote / regulate between the two at season end. With 64 in each conference that covers 128 FBS teams. Notre Karen will have to commit and the Ivys and military schools might drop out so it would cover every program to avoid lawsuits.

      While I hate the loss of what college football used to be all about that ship has sailed. So what are we now trying to salvage? Just follow the model that works IN EVERY OTHER MAJOR TEAM SPORT! To be clear, what made college football great was the lack of this system and great bowl matchups but that’s dead and buried.

      P.S. Colorado was the National Champion in 1990, not tech. See?! I prefer the ambiguity for just this reason.

      • The SEC should tell Micky to drop dead..and just quit the CFP.
        Make a deal with the ACC to play the two best SEC teams against the two best ACC teams in a short tournament..with the first two games in ATL..back to back…on Jan.1 and the final in ATL a week later. (I chose ATL because of the centrality to both conferences).
        Proclaim the winner National Champions.
        Why not? It would be a gold mine for the conferences.
        Bid the TV deal to the highest bidder.
        Flip off ND, the B1G, etc.
        We don’t need them around, anyhow.

      • I really don’t like the idea of a super conference, but I can see a couple of benefits from it. One, they could create more even schedules across all teams. Two, the rest of college athletics could return to the old conferences. I mean, sure, it would kill the brewing Rutgers-UCLA and Stanford-Wake Forest rivalries, but such is life.

  7. My Mumme poll only had three teams. I can never envision a season where we will need more than 4. Of course you would need the assholes on the committee to pick the correct ones.

  8. If you play a G5 team during the regular season it’s bad because you beat up on a weaker team. However, when you play them in the CFP it’s ok…..

  9. Bring back the 12 team conferences and there is likely even less doubt as to who the top 4 are. Indiana and Ohio St played annualy before B1G expansion.

  10. The tournament has solidified my opinion that I’d rather see UGA win the SEC than the tournament. If they win the tournament great, but the SEC is settled on the field, not by a committee, and against the best competition.

    I also think that teams that get a bye are at a disadvantage. Without a bye you still get 2 weeks to rest than get a game to get back into game shape.

    Kdawg

    • What about 17 & 18??? Its so unfair!
      Look, after #4 or #5, the rest are pretenders – not legitimate contenders!

      • Agree
        But if a #4 or #5 gets one or more key players hurt in one of the stupid “lead-up” games…it might let the pretender advance.
        This is too many games.
        But Micky wants mo’ mo’ mo’ from his hoes.

  11. 17 games is ridiculous.
    You’d be lucky to field 22 healthy players.
    The SEC is holding a full house and the rest of CF has maybe a pair…or three of a kind.
    There’s only one SEC.
    There’s lots of TV networks.
    Tell Micky to shove it up his rat ass.
    More money for less playoff games or you walk away.
    The SEC and ACC could pair their champs every New Years Day and proclaim them to be National Champions.
    Let the B1G and ND do whatever they want.
    Things would get right in a hurry if Sankey played this hand.

    • And it would mean more $$$ for the SEC…splitting it two ways instead of a dozen or so ways. We already know that SEC teams draw the most eyes.

  14. I remember in 2011 and 2012 ESPN was pushing a “settle it on the field ” quasi-playoff tournament and college football fans ate it up. Folks were bitching about the BCS computers and the Harris Poll, so the magic words “settle it on the field ” persuaded otherwise rational fans to support a frigging sports network hijacking the college football post-season. The ESPN talking heads never breathed a word about how ESPN had a financial interest in getting the matchups that served ESPN’s interests and the fans never asked any questions beyond “settle it on the field” and “brackets!!!!”
    At least the computers had a consistent manner of generating data output and the Harris Poll had what, a hundred and fifty voters , diluting voting bias.
    The BCS was much better than this nonsense.

  16. Deserves has got nothing to do with it…..College football is a money game. 16 is more money.

    ESPN is happy as a clam there was chaos. All there pundits and talk shows get better ratings. Think WCW – make people pick a side to stir up emotions. Works every time.

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