Would have been perfect to begin with. 4 byes for conference champs was too many. Last year you ended up with Boise and ASU with byes ahead of much better teams. And if they hadn’t gotten rid of the conference champ requirement, you would have had Tulane with a bye this year. Still, I think winning a conference title has to count for something, which is why it kind of rankles me that Ohio State is seeded ahead of Georgia with the same record.

a conference title game, then they have to come back the next week and play some team that had championship weekend off. I think everyone in consideration for the CFP should be playing in a conference championship game OR a play-in game that same weekend. In this case, the bye isn’t as important, and the top two teams would likely get the likes of Tulane and JMU. 5 champs, 3 championship game losers, 6 winners of play-in games, and 2 lucky dogs picked from those who played that weekend, but weren’t included in the above three groups. 16 teams. No byes.

games are a big hit. So give everyone that makes the playoffs a bye after Thanksgiving weekend and play Army Navy that weekend. I love that they are considering the next round on campus too. Let New Years be the semifinals and the first Monday of the New Year be the Finals...or something like that. By the way, I think that is pretty close to the FCS National Championship calendar when they had 16.

how that would work?

I was alluding and joking that an undefeated ND never be ranked 16 or higher to lock those buzzards out.

would support the 16 team playoff with no need for the ND ranking rule. TerryD seemed to like it, I thought Domer would feel the same, but he really hates the ACC more than Bama. That is his choice, but I don't get it. ND could not have a more supportive ACC Commissioner than Jim Phillips.

will all be living in a different college sports landscape in 5 to 6 years. I have no idea where our beloved Hokies will be and hope we’re not left holding the bag. That “other” school will find a way to remain relevant as they always get what they want. The only thing I’m confident of is that UNC and UVa are secure in the next Big Ten and SEC expansions. Probably Clemson and FSU too but their football programs aren’t what they were a decade ago and will want to reverse that negative trend soon. The rest of the Mag 7/8 I’m not so confident about. I just don’t want to end back up in the BEFC should it get reformed or end up in a conference with JMU type schools. I know… I’m a snob. I’ve been off the boards for quite some time (a relief for most others). You and Domer used to get along great. Sorry to see the rift.

is one reason I deleted a thread of posts. I am probably as disgruntled with the ACC as he is, I think Phillips needs to retire and take our AD with him. They want to live in the past and it’s making us worse instead of better. As far as the Power 2, I still think who makes it is still up for grabs. UNC taking Bellichek and Petrino is 🙄, I think Dabo’s line in the sand over the portal has severely weakened them, I think FSU suing and whining has weakened them too. I do think UVA and Virginia Tech working together (believe me they do) has strengthened them. I still hope they end up in the same conference for Olympic Sports, but if not, I think they have a great chance at making the P2 with their recent moves. We both need to see the current ACC to survive 3-5 years though, to strengthen our positions. ** Edited by Stech at 12/31/2025, 2:05:34 PM

It is amusing. The New Year will be much of the same from you.

ND is to college sports what Kim Kardashian was to Hollywood in the mid 2010s where you couldn’t get away from her. The bad thing is, it’s been this way with your school for all my life and I’m no spring chicken. The New York Yankees can’t even hold a candle to ND’s incessant whining.

consider that article ND focused. ** Edited by reestuart at 12/31/2025, 12:37:15 PM

be that way, but unfortunately he's left the we can agree to disagree approach behind lately. I wish he would act like his old self, he was one of the best posters on here. We seldom if ever had discussions like the latest ones. Now I have them more with TerryD, we take different sides, but it doesn't become a mudfest.. ** Edited by Stech at 12/31/2025, 12:57:26 PM

Right now the field is too small to keep both the P2 and the G6 happy. But with expansion, they can have a fair way to weed out the G6 teams by giving them games against the at large P4/P2 teams. My solution is still to replace the conf champ games with a play-in round. And this is where the G6 can be weeded out. The example below shows all G6 getting access, but it can be a smaller number. And this would allow more on campus games, which is a good idea from the article. The bowls are going to have to face some hard decisions very soon.

Round, then shouldn't conference champions host those games? If conference champions are forced to play at essentially an at-large P4 team's stadium, then doesn't that de-value the regular season? Heck most P4 teams are already playing 7 or 8 home games during the regular season as it is, so I am not sure it would be the "right" thing to do to give them another home game in the postseason especially when they didn't win their conference and they don't really "need" the extra revenue.

it's just a matter of picking what the G6 conferences want to prioritize. The P2/P4 have all the power here so the G6 will have to compromise on something. Location seems like the easiest thing to give up. But if the G6 teams are ranked high enough then they will get a home game. In my example I just set the matchups based on national rankings. So G6 teams could absolutely host if they are good enough.

become politicized (aka office politics) with its subjectivity. A G6 team could go 12-0, beat 4 ranked P4 teams during the regular season, and the Committee will still have them ranked somewhere in the 20-25 range to ensure P4 teams get to host the game. Now if the poll was based on something objective (i.e. the BCS formula), then maybe the G6s have a shot to host the game. However, the Committee heard the public outcry that the G5 representative got to host the game in the first year of the Playoffs, so going forward they are going to make sure they do everything in their power to make sure it never happens again. The poll is the easiest way to manipulate things because it is so subjective.

It is a huge devaluation to the integrity of the game. I actually had no problem with ND getting mad over being left out, but it should have been directed at Bama, and not Miami who they lost to. Bama was the one that got blown out less than 24 hours before they made the selection. PS 24 may come, but the SEC is very much against it right now. I think they would rather see a G6 playoff/National Championship added. So maybe 16 for the P4 Playoff/NC and 16 for the G6 Playoff/NC. Then change the bowls to preseason instead of postseason, preferably filled with OOC Rivalry games.

Champ game and use it as a bye before the playoffs start. Fill that weekend with Army Navy.

won't pony up the money if the demand isn't there. FWIW the demand for the NCAA DI Playoffs is low when it is competing against the NFL, FBS Playoffs, meaningless bowl games, and other sports (i.e. college basketball, NBA, NHL). That's why the early rounds tend to be broadcasted only on ESPN+ and it isn't until the semifinals when you can watch a game on the ESPN Family of Networks. You might get lucky and find a quarterfinals game on one of the channels if ESPN is hurting for content in that time slot. Why assume a G6 Playoffs would be no different? Heck look at what has happened to the NIT in terms of TV ratings now that the NCAA owns it. I suspect the same fate would happen with a G6 Playoffs. If you want to exclude the G6s from the FBS Playoffs, then they probably would be better served to just re-combine with the FCS and the NCAA expand its DI Playoffs to 32 teams.

Bowl game attendence is horrific and most all P4 players opt out. Other P4 are declining. This would help both the bowls and G6 teams.

afford to attend a playoff game in Montgomery, AL on December 16, then travel to quarterfinal game in Honolulu, HI on December 23, then travel to the semi-final game in San Antonio, TX on December 29, then travel to the championship game in Detroit, MI on January 5th? There is a reason the NCAA DI Playoffs plays every round except for the championship game at the higher seed's stadium. The FBS Playoffs is able to get away with it because at least half of the tickets go to the corporate sponsors and the P4s have a large enough fan base that they don't need everyone to attend every game to sell out the game.

coming in for sponsors for them, but that is probably a few years down the road, if it ever happens.

Playoffs is necessarily the solution. Unfortunately, the national audience really only cares about the P2s and to a lesser degree the P4s even when you include gambling as a factor.

think part of the equation is to start earlier and end earlier.

Remember teams can start Fall Practice 31 days before their first regular season game. When there is an increase in heat related deaths and families win their lawsuits, it won't be the supporters of "starting the regular season sooner" that will be forced to pick up the tab. Now if the supporters are willing to assume the risk on behalf of all the schools (all 3 NCAA division levels, all 2 NAIA division levels, and JUCO), then you will probably find a lot more school open to moving up the start of the regular season.

each year. I have not seen anything from a school saying they are against it. I have seen more say let's start earlier and get the season over before the second semester starts. Also to line up the Portal Calendar in a similar way. Pribula last year having to declare for the Portal at Penn State before the playoff was done, was tragic IMHO.

NCAA Football Oversight Committee. The NCAA Football Oversight Committee reviews all proposals and either approves or rejects the changes. If approved, then the proposal is sent onto the NCAA DI Council for a final vote. It is worth noting that in 2022 the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame submitted a proposal which would have changed the entire calendar including making Week 0 the new Week 1 permanent. I don't see anything to suggest the proposal has been rejected, so I am assuming it is still with the NCAA Football Oversight Committee. I'm also including a link so you can see who is currently a member of the various committees and when their term ends. NCAA Division I Committees https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/8/membership-division-...

organization, it wouldn't surprise me if they have already filled out the ballots for the other 9 co-owners. All that is left to do is hand out the ballots at the next meeting so they can be officially cast for legal purposes.

preferential bid. At least TerryD doesn't have a problem with that, I am not sure what Domer thinks about it.

there will probably need to be discussions about whether the G6s should receive 1-2 more automatic bids or not. Otherwise, the P4s are inching ever closer to violating antitrust laws now that they have explicitly identified which conferences are to receive automatic bids.

are tired of having no chance to win a National Championship. A lot of them in Virginia had a chance in the FCS and either winning or having a chance to win a National Championship. In fact, a friend of mind that went to JMU said after watching the Oregon game, this is a terrible way to end the season for such a great year. I would have much preferred to be playing in the G6 Playoff/National Championship and having a chance, versus this mauling that caused us to end on such a low. He goes this really makes the offseason a very long one.

audience)? If you can find the ratings for last year's NCAA DI Playoffs and see which channels/streaming servicing ESPN broadcasted the games on, then it should give you a pretty clear picture of a G6 Playoff's fate if they decide to pursue it. They most certainly won't make the amount of money they are making now as co-owners of the FBS Playoffs. Heck they might be able to make more money participating in the NCAA DI Playoffs than holding their own playoffs.

Just look at the stadiums for many bowls now, they are very empty, people just don't care. Heck, some teams opt out completely and some teams have half their players playing. Yes I think a National Championship Playoff would change that for the better.

sponsor and you are willing to guarantee (with the help of a network) the G6 conferences that they will make just as much money (or more) than they are making now? Unfortunately, that is probably the only way this idea has any shot of ever coming to fruition. Without a primary sponsor and a network willing to broadcast the tournament, it will be difficult to convince others to agree to be secondary sponsors. If the G6s want to participate in the world of "big business college athletics," then that is the reality they will be faced with. Hence why I keep saying the NCAA DI Playoffs would still be the better route to go because it is already established with sponsors and a network deal. The NCAA could use the additional teams to leverage a better network deal and more exposure because the potential audience will have grown significantly. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the G schools or conferences have approached ESPN about floating the idea of doing a G Playoff. If ESPN's response is the data doesn't support starting a G Playoffs, then that ends the conversation right there regardless of what their fans want. IIWII

get more to watch versus the dying Opt Out Bowls. The rules have changed, like it or not we must adapt to them.

their ratings. Heck there was a period of time when the NCAA DI National Championship Game was the only game broadcasted from the tournament. Since the Play-In Round of the NCAA DI Playoffs occurs over Thanksgiving Weekend, none of the games will likely ever appear on a TV channel unless ESPN sells the rights to another network because that is the final week of the FBS regular season. It is unlikely another network has any interest in buying the rights because they know it would be a lost cause in the ratings from a competition standpoint. The same is true for the Second Round because it would be competing against Conference Championship Weekend. While the Quarterfinals competes against the NFL regular season (now that they can play on Friday and Saturday) and other sports. That is the NCAA's reality with its DI Playoffs and it does help explain why ESPN has not expanded the coverage of that playoffs beyond broadcasting the games on ESPN+. I know the rules have changed and I have adapted. Or have you forgotten my repeated suggestion to combine the Gs with FCS? So far you have not presented any somewhat solid (other than your hope) to suggest the G Playoff would somehow have a different fate than the NCAA DI Playoffs does now. Hope doesn't pay the bills because the sponsors will want some assurances that a G Playoff will generate a certain amount of viewers before they consider opening their checkbooks. They are willing to do that with the bowl games because they know enough of the population will be off from school or work on Monday (December 29, 2025) that they may decide to tune into their game which broadcasts in the afternoon. The holiday season is unique in that regard. So far, no one has suggested playing the G Playoffs during the day of the work week because it is probably not practical. Although that might be the only way it has any chance to succeed. A more likely scenario is someone creates a P2 (or P4) playoff and offers enough money to convince the conferences to leave the current non-profit group. While the FBS Playoffs (if it still exists) ends up becoming a tournament for whomever is excluded from this new playoff. I doubt the FBS Playoffs will exist because the new playoffs will likely take the bowl games, ESPN, and time slots with them which would leave the FBS Playoffs in the same situation as what I have been saying from the beginning. If it does exist, then it is only around until the current contract expires or the G6/G8 figure out their next move.

compare with NFL games? How do ratings of games involving just Gs compare to games involving just P2/P4s? The reality is that it is unlikely the Gs will be given time slots where they are not directly competing against either the NFL or FBS Playoffs. So sponsors will need to be convinced that enough people will opt to watch JMU vs. Tulane instead of Alabama vs. Ohio State (FBS Playoffs) or Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers (both teams competing for AFC West title) to make it worth their while.

I might not have all 12 teams selected perfectly, but it’s close enough for this example. I think I would only be mildly curious the first year. If the games were good and the fans/schools bought in with excitement, then I could see myself giving it more attention in the future. But it would need a proof of concept and some strong marketing first.

network to pony up the money to have skin in the game. If majority of the games end up on some sort of streaming servicing, then you have increased the odds that the ratings will be much lower than FBS Playoff games and/or NFL games. From the Gs perspective, they are already getting a base amount as co-owner of the FBS Playoffs with participating team(s) icing on top of that. If the G Playoff can't at least match that, then financially it is better for them to stick with the status quo until the P2s decide to do their own thing even though everyone knows they have not shot at winning the tournament. At that point your only option is really to re-combine with the FCS and hope the NCAA can negotiate a better TV deal in the next contract. Remaining in FBS and not participating in the P2 will likely feel like purgatory for the schools because the national audience's attention and media's attention will be squarely focused only on the P2s. Personally, I would like to see the DI schools eliminate the subdivisions in football because it has created too many unnecessary issues. If the FBS schools want to do their own thing for football, then they should have to do it for all sports or none at all. You might even say the schools trying to treat football differently is not much different than the ACC's "special relationship" with Notre Dame.