Jon Joseph No. 1 Share Posted March 10 For this post, I am referring to the Saturday Blitz preseason top 25, posted on January 26, 2024, after all of the P4 coaching changes and the early portal signings. Saturday Blitz does not have a dog in the media broadcast game. College Football Rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2024 SATURDAYBLITZ.COM Who will be on top of the college football rankings to begin 2024? The B1G/SEC playoff format proposal was not welcomed by the ACC, B12, and the G5. In particular, the B1G and SEC guaranteed four spots each in a 14-team playoff, and then three teams but with the B1G and the SEC champs having the top two seeds and a first-round playoff bye, A compromise 2-2-1-1-1 plus 7 at large (AL) model is reportedly now on the table. Two B1G teams, two SEC teams, and one ACC, B12, and G5 team with a guaranteed spot in the field. Seven teams would be chosen by the playoff committee as at-large participants. Using the Saturday Blitz ranking, it is likely that no matter the format, the Power 2 would dominate the 2026 playoff field and likely have the top 2 seeds in a 14-team tournament with a first-round bye for the B1G and the SEC champions; or, on occasion, first-round byes for two SEC or two B1G teams. 14-Team Playoff Field - No. 1. Georgia - SEC - Bye - Versus - The lowest remaining seed below would play Georgia 'Tween the Hedges in round two. (The first two rounds would be played on the fields of the higher-ranked teams with fewer NY6 bowls involved in the playoff process.) No. 4. OREGON - B1G vs. No. 13. Arizona - B12 - Autzen Stadium No. 6. Michigan - AL vs. No. 11. Missouri - AL - The Big House No. 8. Alabama - AL vs. No. 9 LSU - AL - Tuscaloosa, AL. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Ohio State - B1G - Versus - The lowest remaining seed below would play Ohio State in the 'Shoe in round two. No. 3 Texas - AL vs. No. 14. Group of 5 No. 5 Ole Miss - AL vs. No. 12. FSU - ACC No. 7. Notre Dame - AL vs. No. 10. Penn State - AL --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The B1G and the SEC conference champions would have a first-round bye. No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Oregon would be automatically in the field and seeded as ranked above. The SEC would have six teams in the field. The B1G would have four teams in the field. This is representative of the number of teams the Power 2 placed in the decade of the 4-team playoff. Notre Dame, the power 2 (ACC + B12), and the G5 would be better off agreeing to have four B1G and SEC teams in the field, or three each with the conference champion from the B1G and the SEC the top seeds with a first round bye. The SEC's Greg Sankey? This format plays right into the SEC's wheel house. The B1G with four teams in? I think Tony Petitti would be all right with this but not happy that the SEC would receive two more playoff payouts. One team each is this hypothetical format for Independent Notre Dame, ACC FSU, B12 Arizona, and the Group of 5. "I should have taken the money?" Another hypothetical. The SEC adds Clemson and FSU and two other teams to go to twenty members. The B1G adds Notre Dame and North Carolina to reach twenty members. Who needs the power 2 and the Group of 5? Why not a College Football World Series between the B1G and the SEC? No matter the playoff format come 2026, the B1G and the SEC will receive the majority of the playoff revenue. Which is nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 2 Share Posted March 10 College Football Playoff negotiations move to more at-large teams amid outcry over Big Ten, SEC automatic byes - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The Big Ten and SEC had asked to be guaranteed first-round byes under an expanded 14-team format Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 3 Share Posted March 11 I think that the whole idea of guaranteeing certain numbers of playoff slots and byes to favored conferences stinks to high heaven. If the teams from the favored leagues are good enough to earn byes and the majority of playoff slots/payouts, so be it. But pre-ordained guarantees are going to turn many of us, who love the pageantry of college football and its traditions, off so bad that we choose to walk the hell away and not care any more. I already know three former college football fanatics who have done exactly that and will not even watch their own alma maters play any longer. The powers that be had better be damn careful that they don't kill the golden goose. If fewer eyes are watching what they serve up, things will not look so golden any more. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 4 Share Posted March 11 ND, always enjoy reading your thoughts and comments. In general, I agree with your POV on playoff seeding for pro sports that rely strictly on on-field results; not for CFB, a sport with widely varying differences in strength of schedule, including the number of conference games played. The CBB Tournament committee places a great deal of emphasis on schedule strength. The CFB committee? In the last decade of the 4-team playoff, the playoff committee, except in 2014 and this last season when it benched undefeated FSU, looked at wins and losses, and that's it. Oregon should have played 11-2 AAC champ SMU in the Fiesta Bowl and not 13-0 CUSA champ Liberty, a team that played no P5 opponents in 2023 and will play no P4 opponent in 2024. Chicken spit scheduling must not be rewarded with the kind of playoff money at stake. The committee's reliance on wins and losses only is the B1G/SEC concern. In 2024 Oklahoma plays B12 Houston and AAC G5 playoff contender Tulane, OOC. In conference, the Sooners play Tennessee, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss, Mizzou, Alabama, and LSU. Should a 10-2 ACC or a 10-2 B12 team that did not win its conference receive a playoff bid over a 9-3 Oklahoma? I don't think so. In over a 9-3 Michigan which plays Texas, USC, Oregon, UW, and Ohio State? I believe that the Power 2's concern in this regard is warranted. Should a 10-2 non-conference winner Utah (S. Utah, Baylor, and Utah State OOC, and only 2 preseason ranked teams, OK State and Arizona are on the 2024 Utes schedule) make the field instead of a 9-3 Oklahoma or a 9-3 Michigan. This would mean fewer eyeballs on the prize. And if Utah were to make the field with this record, why play any team OOC except a team that you are certain to defeat? Much of this angst could be eliminated in 2026 by going to a 16-team field as ranked by the PO committee and seeded the same. Run the prospective field in 2026 using this format and what the B1G/SEC are asking for will, for the most part, be realized. I think the proposed 14-team playoff with automatic bids and the top 2 seeds for the B1G and SEC champ may have been offered with the intent of a 16-team field come 2026. Looking forward to the Ducks and the Dawgs playing ball in 2024. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 5 Share Posted March 11 (edited) Lot of cart and horse here. If the rankings are going to be so stupid as to not heavily weigh SOS then guaranteed spots are a must. If the ranking system isn’t going to be stupid and factors in SOS as a top consideration then go ahead and have a fully open field. the same people that control the playoff format control the ranking system of who gets in, right? Perhaps the theory is that settling the criteria ahead of time means not having to sell the scenario of why FSU didn’t make the cut over and over again. The recent FSU (and Liberty for that matter) case is a prime example of how the public will still fall for 13-0 over all else. Edited March 11 by JabbaNoBargain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 6 Share Posted March 11 On 3/11/2024 at 2:39 PM, JabbaNoBargain said: Lot of cart and horse here. If the rankings are going to be so stupid as to not heavily weigh SOS then guaranteed spots are a must. If the ranking system isn’t going to be stupid and factors in SOS as a top consideration then go ahead and have a fully open field. the same people that control the playoff format control the ranking system of who gets in, right? Perhaps the theory is that settling the criteria ahead of time means not having to sell the scenario of why FSU didn’t make the cut over and over again. The recent FSU (and Liberty for that matter) case is a prime example of how the public will still fall for 13-0 over all else. It's frustrating to see the CBB committee use agreed-upon measures of SOS and for the CFB committee to be wholly ad hoc when it comes to SOS. CFB does not parse wins between Quad 1 and Quad 4 wins as does the CBB committee; play junk and it doesn't matter. Just the Ws and Ls matter. (This and your starting QB being injured late in the season.) If this does not change as CFB moves to a 12-team playoff field, the Power 2's proposed format for 2026 will IMO, be justified. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 7 Share Posted March 11 The open door to CFP’s further expansion is reflective of March Madness and its ongoing battle between the inclusionary and limiting forces which characterize the two opposing philosophies that battle over the fate of what makes college ball special. Clearly, college football cannot operate a 64 team playoff and still have a regular season. The toll of football’s physical reality aside, it still begs the question: how do you retain the essential spirit of college sport (grounded in the exciting possibility of the unknown underdog upsetting the big dog) without including the little guy in any future version of a play off? It’s quite possible that football itself precludes (unlike in basketball) the potential for that. The Libertys of this world may always face the same fate dished-out by an Oregon. But, don't tell Boise State or BYU that. However; yet again, that begs the question of what can help keep college ball from the death sentence of becoming NFL Jr. other than making room for the unknown? Left to the number crunching, dollar-driven, play-it-safe logic that always supports stacking the odds in favor of the Haves, it would inevitably deliver any new CFP version into the hands of the P2, and the deadening, NFL reality that encompasses, which always lives in fear of surprise. College ball thrives on surprises. It may not work, but the only way I see to avoid that NFL dullness is to include those who are still young enough to dream in any new play-off version. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeotechDuck No. 8 Share Posted March 11 (edited) The only thing that makes sense in my opinion is 1,1,1,1,1 and 9. Or, even better: 1,1,1,1,1 and 11. Why are they giving teams "byes"? As the poster stated above, go with a NET ranking like hoops to encourage teams to schedule properly. Don't use final records as criteria anymore. Q1 wins matter more than overall record. Q4 losses kill you chances. Teams would be lining up to play the best matchups available. The BIG and SEC will be skewed every season and get multi-bids anyways. SEC is essentially forced to go to a 9-game conference schedule, or they are going to get less teams in. Everyone wins. Edited March 11 by GeotechDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 9 Share Posted March 12 It's cover... They'll counter with something more "reasonable" and then the B1G and SEC will say they can't find a working format and make their own. And they have already been chosen by ESPN and Fox as the big winners in their media contracts. They don't need the other conferences and their overlords would agree with them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 10 Share Posted March 12 On 3/11/2024 at 3:05 PM, GeotechDuck said: SEC is essentially forced to go to a 9-game conference schedule, or they are going to get less teams in. As I have said on this forum many times, I am all in favor of this prescription. I believe most of the high power contenders are as well. It is typically the mid-level SEC teams that favor eight conference games to increase the likelihood of bowl eligibility. When will they learn that in our brave new world, the mid-level bowls will no longer matter and that many may disappear. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 11 Share Posted March 12 Good On You Saint Nick. Nick Saban is fine with NIL but does not want players to be employees. Nick Saban wants players to be able to get paid, but 'I don’t want them to be employees' SPORTS.YAHOO.COM Saban may be retired but he had a thundering message to the college sports world on Capitol Hill Tuesday: Pay the players — but with limitations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 12 Share Posted March 14 A good breakdown of possible playoff formats come 2026 and the teams that would be in the playoff fields based on a 2024 preseason ranking. 2 comments. 1. Who cares how Notre Dame is accommodated? Get into a conference or get lost. And if you do not join a conference, play 13 regular season games with 10 vs the P4. 2. Tony Petitti best get on Greg Sankey's booty over playing 9 and not 8 conference games. Playing 8 conference games in a 16-team conference guarantees one or two overrated teams. 9 in an 18-team conference isn't much better. IMO, both Power 2 conferences should play 10 conference games. How latest 14-team College Football playoff format could look in 2026 FANSIDED.COM Just when you though College Football Playoff expansion was over with and done, think again, bud... While the CFP is going from four teams to 12 this season, th 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 13 Share Posted March 15 It's looking like a 14-team field come 2026. 29% of the revenue for the B1G (and the SEC) is nice. This is B1G (and SEC) business and the Power 2 scored to return they were looking for and deserved with most of CFB's brand names playing in the Power 2. College Football Playoff expected to approve expansion as FBS leaders agree on revenue distribution - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The 14-team CFP would begin at the start of a new television contract in the 2026 season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 14 Share Posted March 15 Give it a rest! By every metric, playoff success, brand name teams, eyes watching, attendance, etc., what the Power 2 asked for is not only reasonable but is far from 'greedy' and could have been more which would also be justified. I for one am sick of all of the 'This Will Ruin CFB!' takes. An expanded College Football Playoff could save college sports, but not in this greedy, imbalanced era - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM The revenue from a bigger College Football Playoff could compensate athletes throughout Division I and buoy other sports. That won't happen. Not with Greg Sankey, Tony Petiti & Co. trying... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 15 Share Posted March 15 CBS Sports reports that the CFB Playoff revenue split has been agreed to but not the format for 2026 and beyond. (I tried to link the article but could not do so.) 12/14/16, the Power 2, the B1G, and the SEC, are being paid after expansion. The majority of brand name and blue blood programs are now members of the Power 2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 16 Share Posted March 15 College Football Playoff deal reportedly reached with some commonsense concessions in place WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM College Football Playoff discussions have reportedly yielded a new deal though the full format is still to be determined in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 17 Share Posted March 15 What do I think, FWIW, we will see come 2026? Five conference champs, P4 and G5, are in the field but no seeding priority for conference champions. Nine at large teams. Seeding will mirror the Playoff Committee's final ranking. Big Ten AD: Automatic Byes for Big Ten, SEC in 14-Team CFP 'Not Going to Happen' BLEACHERREPORT.COM The SEC and Big Ten may be the top two conferences in college football, but that doesn't mean the leagues will receive automatic byes when the College… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
