Are you ready for a playoff? 2014

[Paperback Writer]

Last year the four highest ranked conference teams were: LSU (1), OkSt (3), Oregon (5), and Wisconsin (10). Of these, the only teams that have an argument for being among the four best teams are LSU and OkSt.

I disagree and that shows the need for a committee. PAC-12 champ and #5 Oregon would have deserved to be in a 4-team playoff last season. The Ducks beat #4 Stanford and won the PAC-12. The only reason Oregon was ranked lower was because they played a tough OOC opponent in LSU and happened to play USC late in the season.

[USUC]

I disagree and that shows the need for a committee. PAC-12 champ and #5 Oregon would have deserved to be in a 4-team playoff last season. The Ducks beat #4 Stanford and won the PAC-12. The only reason Oregon was ranked lower was because they played a tough OOC opponent in LSU and happened to play USC late in the season.

I agree with Oregon over Stanford. My point was Wisconsin.

[TripletDaddy]

Swing and a miss by the 5 other conferences. 3 SEC teams and the highest of the rest!

this was my first thought, as well. Rather than "reaching a consensus," Swarbrick should have tweeted that all the conferences have "agreed to the SEC's requirements."

Let me take a wild guess.....I predict that in the event any conference the SEC places two teams into the playoffs, they cannot be seeded against each other in the semi-finals but can only meet in the final game.

[Portland Ute]

This is absolutely fantastic. A four team playoff is the perfect number of teams. 4 team playoff preserves the integrity of the greatest regular season in all of sports and is perfect and awesome.

An 8 team playoff would do the same.

It would allow for conference champions and highest ranked wild-cards.

It would preserve the meaning of the regular season.

I hope this gets to 8 (even 6 with a 2 teams having a bye would be better than just 4) and doesn't go to 16.

If you go to 16 or more than the regular season does lose a lot of it's meaning. NCAA basketball is, in part, a victim of the success of it's post-season. Nobody really cares about NCAA basketball anymore until March.

[TripletDaddy]

this is the first step towards an Elite 8. I don't blame them for starting with 4 teams. First comes proof of concept, then expansion. We will see 8 teams.

[Jacob]

If you go to 16 or more than the regular season does lose a lot of it's meaning. NCAA basketball is, in part, a victim of the success of it's post-season. Nobody really cares about NCAA basketball anymore until March.

I don't agree with this analysis re college BB.
College Bball is not as good a product as college football and not nearly as good a product as the NBA. Were it not for the college Bball tournament, I think the regular season may be even less interesting with less viewership.

[Coach McGuirk]

all done. 4 Team playoff chosen by committee. 6 bowls will rotate the semi Finals. 12 year deal.

[Y84it]

all done. 4 Team playoff chosen by committee. 6 bowls will rotate the semi Finals. 12 year deal.

First step to big changes down the line. They will see how much money this produces and we will see an 8 team playoff soon.

[Blueintheface]

And until the members of the selection committee are made public we're left to assume this is the SEC Invitational.

[Coach McGuirk]

Estimated 500 million a year for the 3 games each year. $6B over the twelve. Yowzers.

[Uncle Ted]

And until the members of the selection committee are made public we're left to assume this is the SEC Invitational.

[Indy Coug]

all done. 4 Team playoff chosen by committee. 6 bowls will rotate the semi Finals. 12 year deal.

I'm not excited. This is essentially a repackaged status quo.

[Coach McGuirk]

I'm not excited. This is essentially a repackaged status quo.

I find it interesting that 5 conferences signed off on this without any access to anything. Good luck MWC, WAC, CUSA. They have just limited their access to the games even more. went from top 8 to top 4, and chosen by a committee.

But it is a step in the right direction.

[Paperback Writer]

I think a 4-team playoff is a good compromise. Still makes the regular season significant as well as allowing a championship to be settled on the field without bias voters or a computer formula dictating who gets invited. I'm OK with a selection committee but understand how others could feel differently.

[Blueintheface]

I think a 4-team playoff is a good compromise. Still makes the regular season significant as well as allowing a championship to be settled on the field without bias voters or a computer formula dictating who gets invited. I'm OK with a selection committee but understand how others could feel differently.

I'm assuming you think 8 is too many? Do you think it would make the regular season significantly less...significant?