Group of 5 Playoffs

[PhilaPhans]

Our old friend Sean Frazier is at it, suggesting that the Group of 5 have its own playoffs, since nobody bothers to include them in the Nat'l Championship playoff conversation:

http://www.si.com/college-football/2016/12/29/group-five-playoff-talks?xid=socialflow_facebook_si

 

[RUfinal4]

Why not?

Top 8 Group of 5
The champ gets a New Years Week bowl

1. Western Michigan
2. Temple
3. Navy
4. Boise
5. Air Force
6. BYU
7. Western Kentucky
8. Appalachian St

Dec 10th - round of 8
Dec 17 - semifinals
Dec 26 - championship
Jan 2-5 - Champion in bowl game

 

[PhilaPhans]

Western Michigan already has a New Years Day bowl vs. Wisconsin, I believe. They're (G5) already guaranteed that slot.

What good would a playoff do in this case?

 

[peachdoc58]

I like it. AAC commish is very against this. I would assume some of the G5 heavyweights, Houston, Boise etc. hate this idea as well. Confirms them as second class citizens.

 

[Abro1975]

Rick Neuheseil last week said it would be foolish as it would emphasise (sp?) the difference from the big boy table, plus could negate the contract where as the G5 already gets a payoff from the Bowl system to go along with the current set up.

 

[bac2therac]

it makes sense for that group...they are rarely going to make it to a big bowl and pretty much never for the playoffs.

 

[Upstream]

There's a plan to make the G5 conferences as meaningless as FCS.

If the G5 conferences have their own playoff, that means the highest ranked G5 conference champion no longer gets a bid to a New Day Bowl, since they'll be playing in the G5 playoff instead. So this year, Western Michigan wouldn't have to opportunity to play Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl. They'd also have to give up the other bowl games if top teams are in a playoff instead. So the G5 teams would be giving up their share of the CFP and bowl money, and they'll be giving up their share of the potential exposure which is probably important for players, coaches. That will make recruiting harder, and will start a vicious cycle where recruiting declines, quality of play declines, and fan support declines.

Sounds like a lose-lose situation to me. At that point, the G5 teams should just decide that they want to drop down to lower-cost FCS, or form a separate lower-cost division between FCS and FBS.

 

[RUfinal4]

The other solution is to have an 8 team playoff for all but the top 1 or 2 teams that qualify for the Jan 1 games. So it would be a tournament for 2nd best in the G5 with the championship on Jan 1 at a bowl location.

 

[ruman]

Make sense for sunbelt, mac, and cusa. Makes no sense for aac and mwc

 

[Upstream]

The other solution is to have an 8 team playoff for all but the top 1 or 2 teams that qualify for the Jan 1 games. So it would be a tournament for 2nd best in the G5 with the championship on Jan 1 at a bowl location.

So a tournament to figure out 2nd (or 3rd) place in the 2nd tier. And the purpose of this is what?

 

[mikemarc1]

Or just expand the Playoff and add the top ranked Group of 5 school into the 8.

Problem. Solved.

Really don't understand what they're waiting for.

 

[RUfinal4]

So a tournament to figure out 2nd (or 3rd) place in the 2nd tier. And the purpose of this is what?

gives these teams opportunities to play meaningful games. Some end up with pre xmas games against 6-6 / 5-7 P5 teams or other G5 teams. Navy vs BYU would be a better game then BYU vs Wyoming (8-4) on Dec 21 or Navy vs La Tech (8-4) on Dec 23.

Boise did get Baylor (6-6) on Dec 27
Temple did get Wake Forest (6-6) on Dec 27

 

[Upstream]

gives these teams opportunities to play meaningful games.

I guess we disagree on whether 3 rounds of games to determine Junior Varsity Second Place is meaningful or not.

 

[RUfinal4]

I guess we disagree on whether 3 rounds of games to determine Junior Varsity Second Place is meaningful or not.

I am also not in favor of bowls. I would rather see an NIT / CIT / CBI tournament for many of the bowl games.

If not in the official semifinals then put the teams into 3 or 4 tournaments of 4 teams with the championship at a New Years week bowl site.

N-western vs Pitt in an exhibition means nothing. The same as Rutgers vs Iowa St a few years back. What if the Pitt vs Northwestern winner plays the Ks St vs Texas A and M winner?

 

[Abro1975]

All the bowls, crappy or not, count towards official records for te team and coach. They are very meaningful

 

[bac2therac]

Or just expand the Playoff and add the top ranked Group of 5 school into the 8.

Problem. Solved.

Really don't understand what they're waiting for.

Why would the Power 5 want to give access to the peasants

 

[Upstream]

I am also not in favor of bowls. I would rather see an NIT / CIT / CBI tournament for many of the bowl games.

If not in the official semifinals then put the teams into 3 or 4 tournaments of 4 teams with the championship at a New Years week bowl site.

N-western vs Pitt in an exhibition means nothing. The same as Rutgers vs Iowa St a few years back. What if the Pitt vs Northwestern winner plays the Ks St vs Texas A and M winner?

So you're not really advocating creation of a separate G5 Second Place Playoff (G5SPP). You're really advocating elimination of bowls and think a G5SPP is a step in that direction.

And maybe it is a step in that direction. It potentially takes the G5 teams completely out of the P5 post-season picture. So instead of South Carolina playing USF in a bowl and instead of Wake Forest playing Temple, they could each play other P5 teams.

So you eliminate the 16 G5-only bowls; they're replaced by 7 G5 playoff games. Sure that means that 24 G5 teams get their post-season opportunities taken away; It sucks to be them, but it's all for the greater good.

That leaves you with 24 P5 bowl games. 6 are the NYD bowls that are filled by the conference champs and top ranked teams. And then maybe you can have a selection committee assign the remaining 18 bowls to ensure competitive and interesting matchups.

 

[MozRU]

G5 playoff? Are you Division 1 or not? Either you are Division 1 or 1AA

G5 Playoff = we are second class citizens.

Wait for the 8 Team Playoff (Trust Moz, it will happen). Now the G5 has a legitimate shot in getting in.

 

[krup]

G5 playoff? Are you Division 1 or not? Either you are Division 1 or 1AA

G5 Playoff = we are second class citizens.

Wait for the 8 Team Playoff (Trust Moz, it will happen). Now the G5 has a legitimate shot in getting in.

Even under an 8 team playoff there will be a hurdle (must be ranked top 10?) the best G5 team will have to get over before getting a playoff bid.

 

[MozRU]

Even under an 8 team playoff there will be a hurdle (must be ranked top 10?) the best G5 team will have to get over before getting a playoff bid.

I don't disagree. But perception is everything on planet earth. We (Rutgers football) are pathetic. But we are the loser invited to the cool kid party. Its better than being Boise/Houston at the loser party.

If the G5 don't advertise themselves as big boys, they won't get decent TV money, they won't steal one or two big boy recruits a year that keeps their football decent, they won't get the little alumni money they currently get. You either fight like h*ll to be a big boy everyday day or you might as well go 1AA. UCONN and UMASS are fighting to the death to stay a big boy. I don't blame them, even though they should go to CAA in football and Big East / A10 only in the rest.

 

[mikemarc1]

Why would the Power 5 want to give access to the peasants

If it means 3 more P5 teams make it, why not?

 

[madchuck]

Do you think the AAC will ever be on par with the P5 teams? Half of the AAC teams were once P5 teams.

 

[FanuSanu52]

gives these teams opportunities to play meaningful games. Some end up with pre xmas games against 6-6 / 5-7 P5 teams or other G5 teams. Navy vs BYU would be a better game then BYU vs Wyoming (8-4) on Dec 21 or Navy vs La Tech (8-4) on Dec 23.

Boise did get Baylor (6-6) on Dec 27
Temple did get Wake Forest (6-6) on Dec 27

Byu v wyo was a good game and has a lot of history. You continue to have no clue what you're talking about.

Put your terrible tournament idea out of its misery already.

 

[FanuSanu52]

Do you think the AAC will ever be on par with the P5 teams? Half of the AAC teams were once P5 teams.

No they weren't.

 

[FanuSanu52]

Why would the Power 5 want to give access to the peasants

This is why people hate Rutgers fans and love to beat us up.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

IIRC:

AAC is 1-5 going into today.
MAC is 0-5.

They don't need to be included in playoff talk, ever, case closed.

 

[BoroKnight]

If they want to split Division I into three instead of two, fine. Until then, this is utter nonsense.

 

[robcac26]

All the bowls, crappy or not, count towards official records for te team and coach. They are very meaningful

That makes them as meaningful as a non-conference regular season game that has no bearing on the rankings. In other words, the most meaningless games of the season.

I have never been able to get excited about bowl games. In what other sport is there a postseason where your season ends regardless of whether you win or lose because you weren't good enough to get to the real postseason? That is as "participation trophy" as it gets. "You didn't do well enough to get to the national playoffs, but that's okay, you get to play in a bowl game anyway and if you win, you can call yourselves the ________ Bowl Champions!"

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

One AD thinks it's a good idea............. 49 others don't*.....






*this post has not been fact-checked.

 

[RUTrack94]

I always liked a 6 team playoff ... 5 champions, best group of 5 ... Wildcard style. I know that means PSU would be and that would suck this year, but it's similar to what the NFL does.