[stupac2]

[quote author=thunder_chik link=topic=17862.msg209682#msg209682 date=1509564305]
[quote author=Phogge link=topic=17862.msg209621#msg209621 date=1509508305]
No good until there are 16 teams in the tournament. The vast majority of players are students second so what's the big deal with a few extra games.

That would be a season way too long.  I'd be satisfied with an 8-team playoff; just shorten the regular season to 11 games with only 2 out-of-conference opponents plus mandatory conference playoff.  All conference champs participate, with 3 "wild cards".
[/quote]
I could even support an 8 team playoff while retaining a 12 game season. It does make the season longer for the four "best" teams in the country, and that is not ideal. However, I don't think there is much chance one could get "buy-in" from the other Universities to the 11 game season. Too much money to be made selling TV the 12th game.
[/quote]

An 8-game playoff is also not that many extra games, since all 4 extra teams would already being going to bowls. So you'd have one extra game in round 2, and one extra in round 3. I get that extra games are more chances for injury, etc, but if we actually believe that then dialing the season back to 11 would be a much bigger deal for player safety since it's on the order of 70 fewer games. But no one actually wants to do that.

[stupac2]

[quote author=thunder_chik link=topic=17862.msg209682#msg209682 date=1509564305]
[quote author=Phogge link=topic=17862.msg209621#msg209621 date=1509508305]
No good until there are 16 teams in the tournament. The vast majority of players are students second so what's the big deal with a few extra games.

That would be a season way too long.  I'd be satisfied with an 8-team playoff; just shorten the regular season to 11 games with only 2 out-of-conference opponents plus mandatory conference playoff.  All conference champs participate, with 3 "wild cards".
[/quote]
I could even support an 8 team playoff while retaining a 12 game season. It does make the season longer for the four "best" teams in the country, and that is not ideal. However, I don't think there is much chance one could get "buy-in" from the other Universities to the 11 game season. Too much money to be made selling TV the 12th game.
[/quote]

An 8-game playoff is also not that many extra games, since all 4 extra teams would already being going to bowls. So you'd have one extra game in round 2, and one extra in round 3. I get that extra games are more chances for injury, etc, but if we actually believe that then dialing the season back to 11 would be a much bigger deal for player safety since it's on the order of 70 fewer games. But no one actually wants to do that.