ND AD’s interviews
I watched the press conference and another interview and this is my take:
It doesn't appear that ND is leaving now. They'll consider their options for sure in 2030 or later but nothing imminent.
ND isn't used to getting the short end of the stick, and the fan/donor base is very angry. So the AD needs to vent that public anger somehow.
But more importantly, a shrewd politician knows what to do when **** happens. He had to say something; otherwise, THE ANGER WOULD COME FOR HIM.
Phillips got burned two years ago when FSU didn't make the playoff. BYU fans (and some Big 12 fans) now say Yormark should've done more to promote BYU.
I wonder if the result might've been any different if Swarbrick were still the AD. Maybe some other ND fans would too.
This is what he said during interviews:
-Pete B. said a lot of people more important than him are angry.
-But when somebody asked him directly if he's considering a new partnership with a different league, he said he hasn't thought about that yet—he's still in grieving mode.
-He also reiterated that ND wants independence.
-The only commissioner he contacted after the snub was Greg Sankey, and that wasn't about conference realignment. Apparently, they discussed the CFP format, and ND's preference is the 5+11 model. (I think he wanted to make sure ND is protected in the future)
-He also mentioned the MOU for next year, which would let ND in as long as they're in the top 12. (he had to let people know this won’t happen again).
Just my take.
50 Replies
7mo
The ACC needs to fix their tiebreaker rule and even their standing rule. UVA didn't play Miami, Pitt, GT, Clemson or SMU. Lost to crappy NC State (but that didn't count).
I'd rather the top 2 ranked teams play absent a head to head tiebreaker.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
7mo
The American, which, while filled with 3rd rate football programs, is still run by people that actually know what they're doing, gets it right, because they want to get their champion into the playoff, not pretend this is all about amateurism and fairness - if there's a tie, the highest ranked team by the CFP committee gets the American championship game spot.
You can argue all day and night about whether the CFP committee gets this or that right in their ranking, but their ranking is their ranking, and, that's a simple, effective way to do a conference tiebreaker. It accomplishes what everyone SHOULD want - get the conference champion, or otherwise the maximum number of conference teams into the CFP field. The people that run the ACC are clearly too dense to understand this very simple concept, which is why they're using European soccer-style tie breaker rules and sending 5-loss Duke (DUKE. WITH FIVE LOSSES.) to the ACC championship game over 10-2 Miami.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 10:05:25 AM
(In response to this post by SpeakToDamien)
7mo
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
king. :-)
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
the event of a tie (particularly for second place) seems like a no-brainer to me.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
be impartial because E$PN has its hands shoulder deep in the cookie jar. At least there is a higher probability that E$PN would prefer the poll to turn out based more on name recognition and potential ratings than who is more "deserving" to play in the game. At that point the ACC may just be better served to have a World Cup-like draw over Labor Day Weekend so the ESPN rep can draw 2 names (out of 3 or 4) from a bowl to see who will get to play in the CCG at the end of the season. The choices will be Clemson, FSU, and Miami since they are the only "blue blood" football programs the ACC has right now. If E$PN wants a 4th ball, then the ACC can add Notre Dame (sorry UNC) to the pot. Now E$PN will have the entire regular season to promote the game and the ACC doesn't have to worry about any tiebreaker system. If a school wants to be added to the pot, then it will need to prove to E$PN that it generate a certain amount of revenue and ratings for them over a 10-year period because let's face it 5 years isn't enough time to justify your worth.
(In response to this post by mancunian)
7mo
But, that doesn't change the fact that, if you're going to have a conference championship game, to get the maximum number of teams into the CFP, you want your two highest ranked teams playing in it, not your second highest and five loss Duke. Everything else, including equity, fairness, etc., is right out the window. Did Duke have the same conference record as Miami? Yup, sure did. Did Duke's opponents lose less vs. other conference members? OK, sure. Does letting Duke play in the conference championship game when they have five losses and everyone with eyeballs knows two loss Miami is a vastly superior team help the ACC get one or more teams in the CFP field? Hell no.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
In fact, Alabama (#9) was the 5th highest ranked SEC team the previous week behind Georgia (#3), Ole Miss (#6), TAMU (#7), and Oklahoma (#8). A risk a conference takes by having its 2 highest ranked teams play in the CCG is the loser may be knocked out the FBS Playoffs because it drops too far in the final poll to secure an at-large bid. You probably could make the case that is what happened to the Big XII this year. BYU may have received an at-large bid if Texas Tech had played Utah or Arizona instead.
Link:
Click Here
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
I'm not saying just take the two highest ranked CFP teams and put them in the conference championship game. I'm saying if there's a tie in conference records, and you need a tie breaker to arbitrate who goes to the championship, the shrewd thing to do is to break the tie by placing the higher CFP ranked team in the championship game.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
tiebreaker procedures. It was somewhere down around (e) or (f) in the pecking order. I don't know why the ACC removed it from the process and it may not matter.
If the ACC had an opportunity to get 2 teams in the field this year, then the shrewd thing would have been to not have them play each other because the ACC would have likely ended up in the same boat as the Big XII; a 1 bid conference. If you believe the ACC was always going to be a 1 bid conference, then playing the 2 highest ranked teams won't change that and the ACC really has gained nothing because the loser of the game wouldn't have suddenly "played its way into the field." If UVA had taken care of business, then it would have been in the field and so would Notre Dame because the Committee wouldn't have leapfrogged Miami in the final poll.
Link:
Click Here
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
if BYU would have won the game, the B12 would have 2 in. But alas, BYU had a second shot at TT and got creamed. I don't know if BYU was over rated, or TT just might be good enough to win it all.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
Texas Tech would have dropped in the final poll. Could Texas Tech fall far enough to be out of the Playoffs? I think it is a possibility depending on how much manipulation ESPN wanted to do behind the scenes. Would there have been this outrage if Texas Tech was out and Notre Dame and Miami were both in as at-large teams? My guess is probably not because perceptually no one outside of Lubbock really cares about Texas Tech football when comparing the program to Notre Dame or Miami. You might say it would be another "FSU situation" and "motivate" the schools to quickly agree to expand the field to whatever number ESPN wants it to be. Problem solved?.....or is it really?
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
TT was the only team that beat BYU. I don't think BYU was overrated; sometimes a team just has another team's number and there's nothing to be said/done about it.
I also think that it's time to abolish conference championship games. Nobody cares about them with expanded and still-expanded CFP. They're not compelling. Unless you're a G5, they do nothing but harm the teams playing in them. Especially since we're going to 9 conference games, just get rid of them already.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 3:32:06 PM
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
The higher CFP ranked the opponent you lose to, the less likely the CFP committee is going to be to penalize you for it, or, otherwise, the better argument you will have to immolate the CFP committee for leaving the championship runner-up out. The idea here is to put yourself in the best possible position to either make the field, or have a very compelling reason to publicly ***** about it.
No conference can do anything about whether the CFP penalizes the loser of its championship game by leaving them out of the field, but if the CFP #7 ranked team plays the CFP #10 ranked team, and it's a good game, you put the committee in prime position to lose credibility with the viewing public by leaving the runner-up out. You do not have that ability when you give unranked 5 loss Duke the chance to beat #14 CFP ranked UVA in your championship game. You're doing nothing in that case but setting yourself up to have both your champion and your runner-up left out of the field, which makes your conference look like a joke.
It's that simple, full stop.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 3:26:19 PM
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
Then it is out of the Committee's hands because the 5 auto bid rule. As far as credibility goes, the Committee may have already lost it when it kept an undefeated FSU out of the field. People still watched the games because they just don't care or they enjoy gambling more. At this point ESPN could tell the Committee to select 12 SEC teams for the field and the games would still generate similar ratings.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
fact that that the Walt Disney Corporation is, directly or indirectly, dictating the rankings to the CFP committee, who then use intelligence-insulting backwards reasoning to explain their dictated results. It's a whole farce.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
probably to give every FBS conference 1 automatic bid to the Playoffs. People can debate the number of at-large bids the Playoffs should have, but that seems secondary to me because it is nothing more than a money grab for the conferences. Whereas the automatic bids still try to give importance to the regular season and winning your conference. Now if a conference doesn't want to participate (like the MEAC and SWAC in the NCAA DI Playoffs), then their champions can play each other in the FBS version of the Celebration Bowl. Give their fans something to look forward to as the bowl game decides which conference gets bragging rights for next season.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
including ESPN and every other network partner, wants them to do - the FCS model. 24 teams. Every FBS conference champion gets in. 14 at large spots. Straight seeding. Top 8 seeds get a bye. On campus games through the second round. Third and fourth rounds are played in the 6 major bowls (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange, Peach, and Cotton.) Championship game is bid out, just like now. Zero controversy. A path for literally everyone. It would be the ultimate sporting spectacle, every single year.
They need to just stop the hemming and hawing, do it, the conferences can eliminate the conference title games that nobody cares about anymore, and replace them with compelling playoff games, which everyone will care about. The regular season will still matter to everyone, because you win your conference and you're in - if you don't, then you HAVE to win games to secure an at-large spot. There's drama in every snap.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 3:58:30 PM
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 4:02:52 PM
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
blue bloods to make the field and screw everyone else (who isn't already in the SEC).
** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 12/10/2025, 4:06:01 PM
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
The David vs. Goliath narrative in the first round would play just as well as it does in the NCAAT. The reason people ***** and moan about it now is because there are only 12 spots, 5 of which are guaranteed to conference champions. People don't want JMU and Tulane in when they could be watching Notre Dame or Texas instead. If they could see both, I assure you it would play a lot better.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 4:23:55 PM
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
or Texas or whatever blue blood you want to add here end up losing the game by 20+ or 30+ points? There have been quite a few dud games over the years.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
I used final CFP rankings, but otherwise utilized the FCS playoff format and included conference champions from every FBS conference, including the Pac-12, which probably wouldn't have counted this year, but this is just for fun - assume higher seeded team wins:
FIRST ROUND:
#24 Kennesaw State at #9 Alabama, winner plays at #8 Oklahoma second round
#23 Washington State at #10 Miami, winner plays at #7 Texas A&M second round
#22 Western Michigan at #11 Notre Dame, winner plays at #6 Ole Miss second round
#21 Boise State at #12 BYU, winner plays at #5 Oregon second round
#20 Duke at #13 Texas, winner plays at #4 Texas Tech second round
#19 JMU at #14 Vanderbilt, winner plays at #3 Georgia second round
#18 Tulane at #15 Utah, winner plays at #2 Ohio State second round
#17 Arizona at #16 Southern Cal, winner plays at #1 Indiana second round
SECOND ROUND:
#16 Southern Cal at #1 Indiana
#15 Utah at #2 Ohio State
#14 Vanderbilt at #3 Georgia
#13 Texas at #4 Texas Tech
#12 BYU at #5 Oregon
#11 Notre Dame at #6 Ole Miss
#10 Miami at #7 Texas A&M
#9 Alabama at #8 Oklahoma
THIRD ROUND:
#8 Oklahoma vs. #1 Indiana in the Peach Bowl Game
#7 Texas A&M vs. #2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl Game
#6 Ole Miss vs. #3 Georgia in the Cotton Bowl Game
#5 Oregon vs. #4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl Game
SEMI-FINALS:
#4 Texas Tech vs. #1 Indiana in the Sugar Bowl Game
#3 Georgia vs. #2 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl Game
CHAMPIONSHIP:
For ****s and giggles, let's just say #3 Georgia vs. #1 Indiana in the CFP National Championship Game at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas
This would be GOLD. The entire time, pure, 100%, 10,000 karat GOLD. Tell me I'm wrong.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 5:23:05 PM
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
teams as possible. Since ESPN is cutting the check, it may not matter what the audience wants because the audience will watch or gamble on whatever product ESPN gives them.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
plan would bring in billions more, and with multiple bidders, I have no idea where that number would land.
if all this is about money, give the fans what they want to see, and college football would be much richer because of it. Extract every penny we can from ESPN, and make them pay through the nose next round.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
for just one second, can't you, and have a little fun here?
Also, I don't think ESPN could even afford a 24 team playoff. It would be sold to multiple networks.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
school from SWVA making the field 80% of the time regardless of who the HC is at the time. Here's a hint for you (and I do consider this fun too) - that school isn't wearing no dang ACC patch on its jersey. Now who is having fun? ;-)
ESPN could afford it, but they probably would have to sacrifice their coverage/broadcasting rights of another sport to cover the tab. For example, ESPN no longer covers F1 and boxing which frees up money to be used for something else. ESPN could drop the NHL, soccer, reduce its MLB coverage. If it wants it bad enough, then it will find a way to make it work. Now ESPN could still subcontract it out for 3x, 4x, or 5x the going rate.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
The 16 and 15 seeds get blown out in the NCAAT all the time. People still watch those games. And, gamblers absolutely love them. Will the #24 at #9 game in the first round draw the same as the #16 at #17 game? No, but, again, people would 100% still watch it, especially if #24 defies the odds and the game is close in the 4th quarter.
The more I think about this, the more I can't believe they don't do it. Imagine if #23 Western Michigan was only losing by 3 to #10 Texas with 8 minutes to go in the game? With a trip to the horseshoe to play #2 Ohio State in the next round on the line? Or, #16 Boise State tied with #17 Southern Cal late in the 4th on the smurf turf to see who gets a trip to Norman to play #8 Oklahoma; will it be a blueblood match up or a grudge match relitigating the most famous bowl game ending of all time?!?!?!?! It would be CINEMA. People would lose their collective minds.
I just realized I had my tournament seeding mixed up in my head, lol - #2 would play the winner of #15 vs. #18, and #8 would play the winner of #9 vs. #24, but the point remains - it would be pandemonium.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 4:40:25 PM
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 4:42:45 PM
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 12/10/2025, 4:43:19 PM
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
2014 - Oregon 59 vs. FSU 20 (Semi); Ohio State 42 Oregon 20 (Championship)
2015 - Clemson 37 Okla 17 (Semi); Alabama 38 Michigan St 0 (Semi)
2016 - Clemson 31 Ohio St 0 (Semi)
2018 - Clemson 30 N. Dame 3 (Semi); Clemson 44 Alabama 16 (Championship)
2019 - LSU 63 Okla 28 (Semi)
2020 - Ohio St 49 Clemson 28 (Semi); Alabama 52 Ohio St 24 (Championship)
2021 - UGA 34 Michigan 11 (Semi)
2022 - UGA 65 TCU 7 (Championship)
2023 - Michigan 34 UDub 13 (Championship)
2024 - Ohio State 42 TN 17 (1st Round); Ohio State 41 Oregon 21 (Quarters)
I would consider all those games to be duds because they weren't closed and they were promoted as supposed to be potentially good or great games.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
I'm not sure the point you're making.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
would rather see Notre Dame and Texas play in the game. I said they would quickly lose interest in the game involving Notre Dame and/or Texas if Notre Dame and/or Texas end up losing that game by 20 or 30+ points. My point is just because a blue blood makes the field, it doesn't automatically mean the game will end up being a better game than a game where the opponent is Tulane or JMU.
For example, if Oregon beats JMU 52-0 or 82-0, then people will be saying that Notre Dame or Texas would have given Oregon a "better game." I'm suggesting that may not be a safe assumption to make because I have given examples where a P4 team has laid an egg in a Playoff game. So it is just as possible Oregon could have beaten Notre Dame or Texas by a similar lopsided margin.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
14 at-large spots for everyone else, and use straight seeding, then the likelihood of that happening is lessened by a significant margin.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
it serves is to decide how large of a check each conference will receive based on the number of teams it gets into the field. As I noted in another post a 32-team field seems perfect to me because every conference can receive an automatic bid and every team ranked in the final Top 25 will likely get into the field too. Some years you might need to fill 1-3 slots, but that should be about it. By having every team play ESPN will have more content to broadcast and the top seeds won't get an unfair competitive advantage that could come with the bye. Also, it would mean more money in the conferences' pockets.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
is possible that a Toledo (any G6) could actually be ranked 8th or better on a rare year. Now, who would watch an Ohio State actually playing in the Glass Bowl?
It is good TV.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
7mo
which doesn't exist anymore, before making a trip to the Glass Bowl. Didn't Ohio State agree to play at Toledo recently, but only if they moved their home game to Cleveland or was that another OH MAC school that I am thinking of?
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
in Cleveland. It was actually a class move, as Toledo made bank. They will play Miami and Ohio in Cincy from time to time as well. I remember the Toledo AD telling them that he wasn't sure they could sell out Cleveland, and the Ohio State AD said, don't worry, OSU will make it a sell out - and it was.
After Toledo went to the Bi house, and beat Michigan, Michigan wanted to schedule another one. Toledo told them that they would if they made it a 1-1 with Toledo's home game in Detroit. Michigan didn't take the bait.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
Cleveland than the Glass Bowl, so I consider it a class move. At the same time, there is something "special" about some of these MAC stadiums and the energy can't be recreated at these NFL stadiums. Especially when the "visiting" Big Ten team ends up with 75%+ of the attendance. I guess I still would have liked to have seen these Big Ten teams play a game on the MAC school's campus in addition to the NFL game even if it required the MAC school agreeing to play a couple more games at your place. But that just may be my personal preference.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
Bowl is to earn a home playoff game. otherwise, OSU will never play in a MAC stadium. As we all know, they make way too much money from their home games.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
"fun." Make these Big Ten schools fear MAC-action. Heck play the game on Wednesday night. :-)
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
developed a tiebreak process that was truly objective and not influenced by whether a team is a blue blood or not. If a conference was forced to use a poll, then it was the 9th or 10th option in the tiebreak process instead of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd option which is what some people are suggesting the ACC should do going forward.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
7mo
the ACC, in letting five loss Duke play for and then win the ACC championship game, was the complete laughing stock of the college football landscape, a position it's certainly no stranger to being in.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
was in fact a full member, they would not have been in the championship game either.
(In response to this post by SpeakToDamien)