Gary Patterson envisions six team playoff, no conference title games

Gary Patterson is proposing an idea for a six team playoff in college football. He also would like to eliminate conference title games altogether.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson loves the idea of a playoff. It has been the system in place at virtually every other level of NCAA football for a while now. Previously, however, the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) had determined its two national championship game participants by virtue of arbitrary and formulaic polls conducted throughout the season. Fast forward to 2014, make the polls solely human based, and create a four team bracket. That is the state of the current College Football Playoff. Patterson though, is proposing an expansion to six teams, and would like to see the elimination of conference title games altogether.

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Part of Patterson’s plan actually seems like a great idea. He wants to create one week byes for the top two seeds in the hypothetical six team bracket, while having schools 3-6 play in the initial match-ups to determine the semi-finalists. While it would require some moving around, it would ensure the possibility that a team from every single one of the Power Five conferences could have a team in the playoff, with the added bonus of an “at-large” P5 school or a representative from the Group of Five.

While six teams seems like it would cut down on the exclusion of deserving schools, something TCU players, coaches, and fans believe they have a legitimate gripe over, it is probably not as optimal as an eight seed bracket. Byes might not be the best idea, and one has to question how the bowls would even work in that scenario. It seems likely that you would end up awarding a lower seeded team with an additional bowl game since the college football postseason works in that regard.

Eight teams could provide for a system where four of the six bowl games are played in round one between the eight schools. The semi-finals would be played for the remaining two bowl games. Finally, the national championship would be contested by the last two schools remaining.

As for the elimination of conference title games in order to make space, that is where coach Patterson’s proposal falls a bit short. If 2014 taught us anything, it is that shared championships do not hold as much weight as undisputed ones. Without a definitive conference title game, the scenario between TCU and Baylor could very well play out again.

At least there was a hypothetical tie breaker with Baylor’s head to head victory. But here is an additional quandary. What happens if two teams tie for the conference lead but did not have the opportunity to play each other in season? Are we to rely on a series of arbitrary tie breakers such as strength of schedule, or current poll ranking? It may not be what coach Patterson, or the Big 12 want to hear, but conference title games work.

One final crazy notion; the current playoff structure of four teams makes things more prestigious and exciting. True, there is a lot more controversy than a proposed expansion to six or eight teams. However, that controversy, along with the emphasis placed upon playing at an incredibly high level nearly all year round is what makes the last few weeks of the college football season so special.

With the 120 current FBS schools, only one in thirty makes the playoff. Those odds would increased to one in twenty, or one in fifteen, should an expansion to six of eight teams happen. Remember, exclusivity usually increases prestige. Do we really want to diminish that? It is a question people will be asking themselves over the next few seasons.

H/T The Big Lead

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