FBS Playoff Series: 14 Teams

The Failed Playoff

One of the problems with the playoff proposal released by the Mountain West Conference last year was the relegation of the lowest two of the 10 BCS teams to a fifth BCS bowl. This year, that would likely mean Iowa or Penn State facing off against the lowest ranked BCS champion (probably the ACC Champ or Pittsburgh) in the Cotton Bowl.

This would be known as the Toilet Bowl of the BCS. Last year, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech faced off in the least watched BCS game ever. Would the powers that be really want to make that an annual occurrence? Would any bowl choose to forgo its traditional matchups to match two disappointments?

The Cotton Bowl would certainly not give up its lucrative SEC-Big 12 matchup to bring in small, disenchanted fan-bases from the Northeast. In this iteration of the FBS Playoff Series we will determine how to improve the MWC playoff proposal.

BCS Expansion

Some have said that any playoff that incorporates less than the current 10 BCS teams is a non-starter. This is true only so far as those 10 teams, at least, play in a BCS bowl, if not the playoff.

The rub is that if you are going to separate playoff BCS from non-playoff BCS, then you will need to have more than one non-playoff BCS bowl. One way to accomplish that would be to simply create a four-team playoff with the six remaining teams put in other BCS bowls.

The alternative is to expand the field from 10 to 14 teams and make the playoff three rounds. With a larger field, those non-playoff BCS games will no longer feel like consolation bowls.

A pay grade can also be established between the two BCS tiers so that weaker BCS conferences will only get the big payday if they are one of the eight playoff teams, and so that more teams from non-BCS conferences (TCU, Boise State, AND BYU) can gain spots in the second tier of the BCS.

Team Selection

Eight automatic bids are available to enter the BCS. The champions of each of the six AQ conferences will gain a bid; the top non-AQ conference champion gains an automatic bid if in the Top 14; and Notre Dame will gain an automatic bid if in the Top 14. All other teams in the Top 14 are eligible for at large selection.

Of the six to eight teams receiving automatic bids (there are seven this year: 6 AQs and TCU), the top six will be included in the first-tier playoff BCS bowls. The next two highest ranked teams, whether at large or with an automatic bid are also placed in the playoff.

The second-tier bowls will try and match teams from traditional conferences (i.e. Cotton Bowl with the SEC and Big 12). The two-team-per-conference rule still applies to the BCS, except that a third team from the larger conferences may play if both division winners are included.

Bowl Matchups

The first-tier bowls will keep their traditional host conferences and the remaining teams will be paired by ranking. If the Pac-10 and Big Ten both send teams, then the Rose Bowl will matchup teams from both conferences. Here is the outlook this year, with one week to go:

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 8 Boise State (Sugar Bowl)
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Alabama (Fiesta Bowl)
No. 3 TCU vs. No. 6 Cincinnati (Orange Bowl)
No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 Ohio State (Rose Bowl)

Note, the lowest BCS Champ (currently the ACC Champ) will not make the playoff unless it is ranked higher than the two at large teams, Boise State and Alabama (or the SEC championship game loser). Also, teams are shown here with seeds rather than by BCS rankings.

The second-tier bowls will then attempt to match teams from their traditional tie-ins. If there are not enough at large teams available, then the at large cutoff will be extended by four ranks to No. 18; but all eligible Top 14 teams must be chosen.

No. 13 LSU vs. No. 12 Va Tech (Cotton Bowl: SEC vs. Big XII)
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 10 Ga Tech (Citrus Bowl: Big Ten vs. ACC)
No. 14 BYU vs. *No. 18 USC (Sun Bowl: Pac-10 vs. Big East)
*No. 15 Pittsburgh and No. 16 Oregon State were also considered for the Sun Bowl

Conclusion

While three rounds of playoffs in January never were my cup of tea, the Mountain West Conference could have presented a better proposal.

When there is only one second-tier bowl, it is nearly impossible to spin it as anything other than a consolation game; created just to guarantee money. When there are six teams playing in the second tier, it becomes a satisfying reward.

This alteration to the MWC proposal expands the field and also provides the option of a pay grade, helping divvy out a more equitable bonus to conferences based upon performance.

Further Iterations of the FBS Playoff Series

Three Teams

Four Teams

Sixteen Teams