It's a tough issue. I don't disagree with you, but it's not a clean and clear situation.
--There wouldn't be as many make-it or break-it games in the season that make college football great. Don't argue with that--there wouldn't be. Undefeated ND vs. undefeated USC or undefeated Kansas vs. Mizzou wouldn't mean (nearly) as much with a 4 or 8 team playoff.
--You run a risk of rewarding "getting hot" rather than having the best team all season.
--You reward loose scheduling as strength of schedule will be less (though still significantly) scrutinzed.
--You create drama in reducing it. There will still be a bitch/argue fest about who deserves those top 4 or 8 spots. I personally don't mind this aspect.
I dunno--like I said, it's a tough issue.
Oh--and what specific problems have you had with the BCS as of late? (no sarcasm). I personally didn't see anything wrong with crowning our last 3 or 4 national champs.
Tommy
1. I think if you're concerning marquee games, you'll have more of them with an expanded playoff system. More teams competing to get into the postseason = more potential make-or-break matchups, not less. In other words, while it's true that one loss might not destroy a team's championship hopes (and that's true even in the current system), it's also true that expanding the playoff pie, you create greater opportunity for such games to happen.
2. If you're worried about a fluke champion because one team gets hot, you'd want more playoff games, not less. It's a lot harder to sneak past 2 or 3 quality teams than it is to get by one.
3. I think the whole SoS debate is something that needs to happen apart from the playoff debate. However, we do know that in the current system, as borne out by a certain school in Columbus, a slate full of weak opponents gets you rewarded. I think a 4 or 8 team post-season system might actually encourage teams to take more risks with harder schedules, since one loss won't necessarily damn your championship chances.
4. True, people will always bitch. But the complaints of the #9 team will be a lot less valid than those of the #3 and #4 teams are now.
Really isietful post on this messy situation by Emperor Dan
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